UK Export Finance Intranet Change Project

Tender description

Summary of the work UK Export Finance (UKEF) requires a supplier to carry out a Discovery phase (as defined by GDS) for an intranet change, with the possibility of progressing to Alpha and Beta (subject to further approvals). Expected Contract Length 4-5 weeks for Discovery phase; further phases (Alpha and Beta) will be subject to further approvals Latest start date Monday 25 February 2019 Budget Range £150,000-£200,000 (including VAT) total; max £50,000 (including VAT) for Discovery phase. Further phases - Alpha and Beta - would be subject to further internal approvals. Why the Work is Being Done UKEF has an aspiration to have the most engaged workforce in the Civil Service and is committed to being a great place to work. The way we communicate with staff as an organisation has a huge impact on engagement, and the results of our latest staff engagement survey indicate that there is room for improvement. The intranet is a key channel for staff engagement; it should be a go-to resource for information staff need. UKEF's current intranet is not fit for purpose, and redevelopment has been de-prioritised for several years and is becoming increasingly urgent. Problem to Be Solved UKEF’s current Intranet platform was introduced in 2010 and migrated to Sharepoint2013 in 2016. The current structure is difficult to navigate, not structured appropriately for current staff needs, and isn’t user-friendly. Because the system isn’t user-friendly, the teams responsible for content aren’t able to properly update their areas, so much of the information is out of date, and the outdated structure and poor search functionality means users can't easily find what they’re looking for. All this creates barriers to engagement and operational risks that staff don't know what they need to to do their jobs and comply with policies. Who Are the Users UKEF's staff - c. 300 people of varying levels of technical abilities. The majority are based in UKEF's HQ, but around 24 work around the UK and under 10 are based in international British embassies. The intranet should be an intuitive go-to resource for information on UKEF policies, divisions, information and internal communications, and other channels should be succinct and drive traffic to the intranet. Staff should receive the information they need to feel well informed but not overwhelmed. It is currently used for team level information sharing to help with team management. Existing Team The supplier will be working with a team made up of communications, HR, IT and change specialists. Current Phase Not started Skills & Experience • Proven track record of advising, planning, desigining and building intranets of a similar nature, using agile methodology, to time and budget • Experience in delivering evidence-based research to inform a user-centred design, navigation and content structures; focused on user needs, end-to-end user journeys, motivations and goals • Experience successfully delivering user-friendly, responsive and mobile device compatible websites and intranets • Experience of delivering expected outcomes for, Discovery, Alpha and Beta phases Nice to Haves • Evidence a good understanding of best practice information management to assist in the development of structured data • Experience working with central government departments and/or financial services organisations Work Location 1 Horseguards Road, London SW1A 2HQ Working Arrangments Co-location in our London office Security Clearance BPSS as a minimum Additional T&Cs The Discovery will be Fixed Price but the Buyer will reserve the right in the contract to use alternative payment mechanisms eg Capped T&M,T&M for future SoWs. A draft SOW has been added to the below link for supplier's to view draft deliverables, these are indicative only and subject to change. https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/5d1e06ca-5972-419c-89f4-51dfd88654c3 No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Approach and methodology, including project management • Multi-disciplinary team structure including roles and CVs of the people delivering the work • How the approach will ensure user needs are met • How the approach meets stated timeframes for the work, notably the ability to mobilise a team quickly to conclude a Discovery phase before the end of 31 March 2019 • How risks and dependencies will be identified and managed • Approach to identifying, as part of a Discovery, key SMART measures for a redesigned intranet to support business cases for further phases • Approach to evaluating, as part of a Discovery, different content management systems and technologies and make an informed recommendation, based on insight and experience • How you will approach integrating the intranet with other software systems, including HR self-service system and other departments intranets, providing a seamless user experience • How you will approach designing governance models, including for ownership and editorial rights, design standards and guidelines for content creation. • Approach to brand management and design principles, including mobile compatibility, to enrich user experience Cultural Fit Criteria • Able to work in a transparent and collaborative manner • Able to work with staff and stakeholders at all levels and from different parts of the client organisation • Able to work with clients and stakeholders with lower levels of technical expertise and explain things clearly • Experience of transferring knowledge to permanent staff within a client organisation • Able to design services for users that may demonstrate aversion to change Payment Approach Fixed price Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 70% Cultural fit 10% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Is UKEF already using Microsoft Office 365, in any capacity, across the organisation? Yes - all staff have access to Office 365 2. Can you clarify what your expectation are around 'co-location'. During Discovery, are you looking for suppliers to operate full-time, Mon-Fri, from your offices or are you expecting Suppliers to work from your location, as required, in a pattern to be agreed, as the project demands? Working pattern to be agreed as the project demands 3. May I know how many total users (employees) use the intranet? UKEF's staff - c. 300 people of varying levels of technical abilities. The majority are based in UKEF's HQ, but around 24 work around the UK and under 10 are based in international British embassies. 4. Is there approximate timelines in place like when will Round 1 evaluation be done, resume sharing, interview, contract award etc.? Opportunity Posted on Digital Marketplace - Wed 16/01Opportunity Closes on Digital Marketplace - Wed 30/01Shortlisted suppliers invited to Round 2 - Fri 01/02Suppliers submit proposals - Fri 15/02Presentations - Tues 19/02 AMRound 2 Consensus Meeting - Tues 19/02 PMContract Award & SOW Completion - Wed 20/02 - Fri 22/02These dates are indicative and subject to changeThese are indicative dates and subject to change 5. Is there approximate timelines in place like when will Round 1 evaluation be done, resume sharing, interview, contract award etc.? Opportunity Posted on Digital Marketplace - Wed 16/01Opportunity Closes on Digital Marketplace - Wed 30/01Shortlisted suppliers invited to Round 2 - Fri 01/02Suppliers submit proposals - Fri 15/02Presentations - Tues 19/02 AMRound 2 Consensus Meeting - Tues 19/02 PMContract Award & SOW Completion - Wed 20/02 - Fri 22/02These dates are indicative and subject to change 6. Is there any incumbent who manage the intranet? Or is it maintained by in-house team? There is an in-house SharePoint team that manage the current intranet provision. Various staff members have permission to edit their area's relevant intranet content 7. Has anything been decided on the technology – whether to continue with Sharepoint or something else? No decision, and we would like the Discovery to recommend the best solutions 8. Is the intranet integrated with any other system like payroll, IT Helpdesk etc.? The current intranet is not integrated, but we would expect consideration of how it interfaces with some other third party systems including our HR portal, the DIT intranet, and SharePoint document storage 9. Is the 29th January deadline for answering the 4x 100 word questions on this portal? Or is it the deadline for a full written proposal? The deadline for answering the essential and nice to have criteria is 30th January 11:59GMT as stated on the opportunity. Shortlisted suppliers will be invited to the 2nd stage to prepare a written proposal and presentation. 10. In your view, is international travel needed to understand the needs from the embassies? No international travel is required. 11. Are you tied to any particular technology architectures? We would like the Discovery to recommend the best solutions. We currently use SharePoint and a change from that would need to be based on user need. 12. Approximately, how many pages/screens does the intranet currently have? There are approximately 1847 pages across 5 site collections and 79 sites. 13. Are you explicitly looking for one company to deliver discovery *and* future stages, or will you consider discovery specialists? Suppliers will be evaluated based on their responses based on Most Economically Advantageous Tenders. 14. Can you please elaborate on this requirement mentioned in the draft Discovery SOW document: ‘Use their own expertise in building the necessary platforms on the Azure platform for the delivery of the various operating systems, applications and tools.’ Is hosting the solution on Azure a requirement for the project or can other cloud based hosting solutions be considered? We expect the solution to be hosted on Azure. 15. Just to clarify, is the SOW on contracts finder for info only or are you expecting anything in response to this? Are bidders only required to answer the DOS questions at this stage? Yes the SOW is a draft for bidders’ information, at this stage you are only expected to respond to the essential and nice to have criteria. 16. What roles comprise the customer team we would be working with? Stakeholders from across the business. Particularly staff from UKEF Internal Communications, Resources Division, and Digital/Transformation, Change & Innovation; plus the DIT Digital Workspace team to understand the interface with the DIT intranet. 17. Who would be responsible for recruitment of users for research? The UKEF project team, but the supplier will be consulted. 18. Is there any existing research that would contribute to discovery? No 19. What is the security classification of the content? Official or, in a very limited number of instances, Official Sensitive. 20. Is Cyber Essentials Plus Certification is a requirement? This will not be required. 21. What consideration (if any) has been made to how the intranet aligns to and supports the operational objectives of UKEF at an organisational level? The operational benefits of an improved intranet solution have been identified as part of the project proposal. 22. Is there an existing record/map of all operational and compliance requirements for employees? Or would mapping this form part of the Discovery? It would form part of the Discovery. 23. Has any effort been made to look into how other Government departments such as DIT, structure and deliver intranet-based content to employees? We expect the supplier to make recommendations on best practice as part of the scoping and research process.