Maintaining Pega applications in production and enhancement of user experience

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done In March 2020 the HRA went live with the Pega CWoW IRAS portal. Two further Pega applications go live in May 2020. We are looking for a Pega systems alliance registered partner with experience in cloud-based Pega 8 development to both maintain and support existing Pega applications in the production environment and to develop functionality to enhance user experience, prepare for EU transition and provide transparency for CTIMPs. Background can be found in Explanatory document. This can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1I93z_VMJykYuSvYf12uTyhFXbuAQf94U Information relating to the Combined Ways of Working pilot (CWoW) can be found on The HRA website: https://www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and-improving-research/policies-standards-legislation/clinical-trials-investigational-medicinal-products-ctimps/combined-ways-working-pilot/ Problem to Be Solved The HRA requires a Pega partner to assist in: • Maintaining and supporting current Pega applications in production, including integration/ interfacing with external and internal systems • Enhancing existing CWoW IRAS MVP application to improve user experience and prepare for UK EU transition. • Developing new Pega application for CTIMP registration and associated applicant reporting requirements Deployments will be coordinated with EU transition timescales, other agencies (e.g. MHRA) and 3rd party suppliers consequently resources may be differently profiled over time. Work may require aligned development sprints with suppliers of interfacing systems. Exact requirement are subject to change in response to the Covid-19 outbreak Who Are the Users The users are researchers and sponsors (applicants) applying for approval to undertake health research in the UK. As an applicant I want to: • Prepare and submit applications and amendments using existing Pega applications. • Access enhanced functionality for CTIMP applications that aligns to new UK processes. • Register my CTIMP according to legislative requirements. • Be prompted by the system to comply with reporting requirements. So that I can comply with UK regulations in the light of EU transition. Early Market Engagement The HRA commissioned an independent review of their research systems in late 2017 to assess their ability to meet future requirements in the light of EU transition and further improvements needed to support the wider UK research governance systems. This resulted in approval to procure a technical platform (Pega Systems) and associated implementation and support services to deliver a technology platform to provide the basis for the HRA to comply with future regulation associated with clinical trials of investigational medicinal products, which have introduced a need for changes to the HRA systems. Work Already Done • HRA procured Pega platform on Pega Cloud and services to support initial build. • Discovery work and high-level sizing for range future modules April 2019. • First module (CWoW IRAS portal MVP) and interfaces with 2 systems deployed to production 2 March 2020. • Two additional modules in development to support Online Booking System (OBS) and e-submission of amendments, to be deployed to production early May 2020. • CWoW MVP product currently Beta phase. • Two Pega applications in development to support ODS for applications and e-submission of amendments. • Working with partner, MHRA, confirming requirements for EU transition. Existing Team • Programme Manager (coming into post) • Resource Manager • Scrum Master • Product Owner supported by 2 Product Managers and SMEs • 3 Systems Architects (seconded) • 4 x BAs plus one development Business Analysts (mix of contract and permanent staff and mix of Pega and non-Pega skills). • QA and Test Manager (contracted) + 6 x Test analysts (mix of contracted and permanent staff) • 3rd party, near-shore supplier of current non-Pega systems Current Phase Beta Work Location The HRA team is based at Skipton House, 80 London Road, SE1 6LH and it is expected that key members of the supplier team is co-located here but this is subject to change in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Any proposed near/off-shore resources need to be managed by the supplier and be available during UK normal working hours. Working Arrangments The programme is being led by the HRA and any supplier will need to work within an integrated delivery/management model. There will be a requirement to co-locate however there is flexibility to work remotely using appropriate technology but this is subject to change in the light of the Covid-19 outbreak. A key requirement of any supplier will be to ensure effective knowledge transfer during the period of engagement Security Clearance N/A Additional T&Cs Additional GDPR clauses may be required depending on supply location and EU trade negotiations Skills & Experience Demonstrable evidence of successfully delivering and supporting large scale IT Programmes on Pega platform to time/budget systems architecture design; planning and project management; quality control and testing; deployment/release management Access to Pega Cloud and Pega development skills (inc Expertise in Pega 8/Pega Infinity) includes ability to supply experienced and accredited staff (both System Architect and Business Architect roles) Demonstrable evidence of successful agile development and delivery, maintenance and support, including integration with 3rd party systems. Demonstrable evidence of working collaboratively with a partner’s in-house teams. Demonstrable evidence of knowledge transfer and exit management. Demonstrable evidence of interface development and implementation experience using Pega systems to both internal and external systems (systems may be Pega or non-Pega platforms) Demonstrable evidence of successfully managing unit testing, UAT and Systems Integration Testing on the Pega 8 platform alongside automated testing expertise. Demonstrable experience of scaling up and down teams to accommodate either new requirements or changes within the delivery pipeline and regulatory timescales. Demonstrable evidence of successfully assuming the responsibility to support and maintain live systems on Pega 8 platform (inc Pega Cloud and AWS support) Knowledge of and expertise in accessibility standards and guidelines Knowledge of and expertise in GDPR compliance Knowledge of and expertise in GDS Compliance Demonstrable evidence of successful UI / UX design and delivery Ability to start on 8 June 2020 Nice to Haves Experience of both supporting live systems and deploying new functionality into the production environment. Working in a regulated environment Working in the health and or public sector No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Proposed Technical solution for development plus support of applications in production environment Proposed resources, team structure/location onshore/offshore test and BA resources, mix and scale can flex ensuring development work carried out ahead of deployment may need adhere to regulatory/EU transition timescales Proposed delivery plan for new Pega developments Proposed approach to meeting user needs Value added services offered Level of Pega skills and experience as relevant to the HRA What risks and dependencies have been identified, how the have been identified and offered approaches to manage them How the partner will warrant the developed functionality and for what period Cultural Fit Criteria Can work productively and collaboratively as a team within the HRA, including liaison with external stakeholders and other suppliers Is comfortable in adapting its delivery model to those of a small host organisation with limited internal resources Can be transparent and collaborative when making decisions Proactively shares knowledge and experience with other team members Can work with clients with low technical expertise Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Case study Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 10% Price 40% Questions from Suppliers No questions have been answered yet Budget range