Discovery phase for careers website for the NHS

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The NHS published an Interim People Plan in May 2019 and is expected to release the full plan later this year. It is likely that this will have NHS recruitment targets to deliver the ambitions of the NHS Long-Term Plan. As part of this, the NHS needs a careers website that inspires people to consider a career in the NHS while offering them up-to-date, accurate and accessible information so they can make informed choices. This means that our digital offer must meet the needs of its users while being part of the NHS recruitment solution, including supporting recruitment campaigns. The NHS Interim People Plan also has a clear action in respect of the Health Careers website: "Review the Health Careers website to ensure it is an attractive advertisement for a wide range of roles, entry points and benefits of working in the 21st century NHS and enables us to compete with other large national employers." Some work has already been undertaken in this area around brand and identity. This project now needs to build on this initial work so that we can ensure we have a website that is fit for purpose. Problem to Be Solved Conduct thorough and objective user research activities to gain a more detailed and evidenced understanding of the needs of the diverse users of the Health Careers website as well as other key audience groups. First, we need to understand whether the current user personas are still fit for purpose and whether the current digital offer is meeting their needs eg functionality, information architecture, content, design and accessibility. The questions we need to answer are: does the website currently inspire consideration of a health career? Are users able to find the information they need to make informed decisions? And does the information available meet their needs in respect of supporting their career decisions? We are also keen is explore the user's journey from landing on the website to registering for ongoing information, which will support wider campaign and communication activity. We are seeking evidence-based recommendations on the improvements needed so we can make informed decisions on future development, including whether or not a new website is needed. We anticipate that the work will require user participant recruitment, usability testing sessions, user satisfactions surveys and user interviews. Who Are the Users As a student/a career changer interested in a specific NHS career, I need to understand the skills, experience and qualifications needed so that I can follow my dream. As a student/career changer interested in a NHS career but not knowing what I want to do, I need to understand the careers on offer, which best suit me and the skills, experience and qualifications needed so I can make an informed career decision. As a student/carer changer who doesn't know what they want to do, I want to feel inspired while gaining an understanding of the NHS careers on offer and the skills, experience and qualifications needed so I can make an informed career decision. As someone who used to work in the NHS and keen to return, I need to know how to come back so I can restart my NHS career. As a parent or carer, I need to understand what careers are available in the NHS and information on what they involve, the routes in so I can help those I look after to choose their future career. As a career adviser/teacher, I need tools and careers information to help me deliver high-quality careers advice and guidance. Early Market Engagement Work Already Done Some work exploring the brand and identity of the website and wider service delivery was undertaken in summer/autumn 2019 which included focus groups, interviews and workshops with end-users and key stakeholders. This highlighted specifc issues, including the website not being particularly inspiring in creating an emotional connection, and confusion around the use of the Health Education England logo. Some small developments are being undertaken to improve this which we expect to be live in advance of this project commencing. The results of this work will be made available to the successful agency. Existing Team You'll be working with Health Education England's (HEE) Health Careers team who are marketing, communications and careers professionals. This team will have support from HEE's digital communications team. Some interaction might be needed with the current digital agency who are responsible for the development, support and maintenance of the website. You may also need to work with the team's exisiting digital agency. Current Phase Discovery Work Location Remote working will be assumed especially in the current climate where physical meetings aren't possible. This will be discussed further upon commission and at any kick-off meeting. Working Arrangments The supplier is expected to work within the brief provided and alongside the existing Health Careers team. Suppliers can determine their preferred methodology of discovery activity. Security Clearance Additional T&Cs Skills & Experience Offer evidence of recruiting and setting up user research with a range of audiences and stakeholders Show experience of facilitating face-to-face and remote usability testing sessions with end users Show evidence of making clear recommendations for future website development Show experience of user research activities and outputs in line with the Government Digital Service’s Design Principles and Digital Service Standard Show evidence of leading user research activities for a digital service during an iterative development project Demonstrate experience of presenting user-friendly research to different audiences, including those with low technical expertise Nice to Haves Evidence of recruiting and setting up user research with a youth audience Experience and understanding of working on digital projects with a NHS Experience and understanding of working on digital projects with a public sector organisation No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Recommended approach and methodology A clear understanding of what we are looking to achieve A clear understanding of our end-users How the approach or solution meets user needs Estimated timeframes for the work Identified risks and dependencies and how these will be managed Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions Take responsibility for their work Be comfortable and confident in their recommendations and be willing to challenge us Can work with clients with low technical expertise Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Case study Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers No questions have been answered yet Budget range up to £60,000.