Connect Directory service for senior public sector leaders, Live support and continuous development

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The NLC was created by the government in October 2018. It connects the most senior leaders across the public sector in England and helps them work together to improve public services. The Centre runs a world-class leadership programme (with residential courses), connects people across sectors and regions, and is becoming a global hub of leadership data and high quality research. The Connect Service supports activities across The Centre by providing an online service where senior public sector leaders can find one another. After passing a Beta service assessment in December we are now looking for a supplier to support the ongoing iteration and development of the platform to meet our ambitions. Through Discovery to Beta we have been gathering information about our users and collating a number of user stories. You will find more information about these below. Problem to Be Solved The Connect Service solves a need uncovered through User Research that there has been no space for public sector leaders to come together across sector or geographical boundaries. Our directory service provides the core offering for those users whose use of other platforms such as LinkedIn is inconsistent. The Service currently offers public sector leaders with the means to find and connect with their peers, and to apply for our flagship programme. As The Centre continues to progress, our ambitions are to turn this service into a hub of high-quality, useful reports and publications, and to give senior leaders access to exclusive events and our programme, supporting their work across sectors. This also supports one of our discovered user needs to provide bespoke resources and information for senior leaders. As we move into live operation of the service we need a digital partner with a multidisciplinary team to support the ongoing iteration and improvement of the service. Work is likely to include discovery spikes, prototyping activity and development of new features. Hosting support and maintenance will be managed under a separate contract so you will need to work with other suppliers. A live service assessment is scheduled for December 2020. Who Are the Users Our primary users are the most senior public sector leaders in the country, roughly 1,200 people. We have identified many needs, including: As a member of the network... 1) I need to connect with my peers across other sectors, so I can broaden my network and approaches to challenges 2) I need curated content that is tailored to my interests, so I can save my limited time Additional groups include delegates on programmes (I want to know what I expect on the programme, so I can prepare), personal assistants (I need to undertake research on behalf of my public sector leader), and NLC staff (I need to connect with public sector leaders to organise our Programme offering, publicise upcoming events or target members of our network who might be interested in new insights arising from our research). Early Market Engagement In August 2019, the NLC tendered for a contract for our current digital work (Beta). The market was competitive and the contract was awarded to Convivio. Work Already Done Discovery/Alpha/Beta phases have all been completed, Beta Assessment was passed in December 2019. The service is only available to our network of senior leaders totalling around 1,200 people so though this is deemed as Public Beta it is not accessible to all members of the public. The service uses Salesforce CRM back-end for storing data about our network. It offers the following MVP: - Directory - Filtering and search functionality - Apply for our flagship programme Over the next year we plan to: - Incorporate bespoke recommendations for our leaders - Enable leaders to engage with Connect via other channels Existing Team The NLC is around 20 people: nationalleadership.gov.uk/about/team/ The Head of Digital acts as Product Owner. It is expected that you'll work very closely with other teams, particularly the Research, Networks and Programme teams to deliver products and services that meet their users needs. You may be required to work with an incumbent supplier to hand over technical responsibilities. Current Phase Beta Work Location The NLC is mostly based in 1 Horse Guards Road in Westminster, with a team member in Manchester as well. This project can be delivered remotely, however travel to test the service with users (who are spread across England) and to attend key meetings and ceremonies will be required. Working Arrangments We are unable to host a team regularly in our offices unless you already have CTC clearance. We are happy for work to be undertaken on a remote basis, with daily stand ups beneficial - other communications channels (Slack, Hangouts, Zoom) also encouraged for more informal conversation. It would be useful to have face to face sessions at least once a fortnight as a whole team. Security Clearance BPSS is minimum to access government assets. We do not anticipate SC level clearance being necessary. Existing CTC clearance will be necessary if the team will want to work in 1HG building. Additional T&Cs Skills & Experience Have recent experience of delivering to the Government Service Standard, and demonstrable understanding of the service assessment process. Have recent experience of delivering to the Technology Code of Practice Have experience of continuous iteration and improvement of an existing service, drawing on insights and key results to inform priority areas for development Experience of working with non-digital and operational teams to share insights and prioritise development Have experience of supporting a highly secure service through Beta Have experience of working with other third party agencies and DevOps in order to deliver services Nice to Haves Provide details of when you have delivered support and iteration at live Beta stage when you have not been responsible for delivery of the Beta service Provide details of where you have worked with the wider public sector (e.g. Police, NHS or Local Government) to deliver a service Have experience in supporting an organisation to create effective data infrastructure, aligning with government standards and best practice No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria Demonstrating an understanding of user needs and NLC requirements Proposed approach and methodology - including technical approach Identifying risks and dependencies Team structure, including relevance of the team members' skills and experience Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Work in an open and transparent way, sharing work in progress and involving others as you go Value boldness and creative thinking Share learning and build capability in others Value diversity and inclusion Communicate clearly and work with others with less technical expertise Challenge our assumptions through evidence based decision making based on identified user needs Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Reference Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers Budget range £600,000 to £750,000 over 1 year.