National Retraining Scheme Delivery of Digital Product Pipeline - Package 1

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done The National Retraining Scheme (NRS) helps workers retrain as the economy changes. The Scheme needs to respond to structural trends, which will impact the labour market and drive the need for lifelong training e.g. automation, longer working lives and productivity challenges. There will be most disruption for people who are low skilled and typically face barriers to learning such as motivation, cost and time. Problem to Be Solved Users struggle to navigate a complex careers advice and training landscape; to identify a better job for them; the actions they need to take to get it; and staying motivated across a long and challenging user journey. The Package 1 product portfolio will provide an optimised route for users to understand their skills, view relevant job profiles, local market information and vacancies, and access appropriate training and support. The service must be developed in a way to integrate with other service products and offline support systems, drawing on and integrating with other government services as appropriate Who Are the Users As an employee in an occupation vulnerable to significant change, I need to…. …. understand what else I could do, so that I can maintain secure employment. ….understand how to get a better job, with minimal disruption to my life so that I can take the necessary steps. ….understand what training and support is available to me so that I can secure a better job. ….access advice and support flexibly so that I can fit it around my life. As an employer with a vacancy, I need to find quality candidates so that I can keep my organisation running smoothly. Early Market Engagement We held a supplier engagement event on 5th September to gain early feedback on our emerging requirements and our proposed route to market - the development of a new framework under OJEU. Due to changes in the roadmap and delivery timelines we will now utilise the DOS4 framework through the Digital Marketplace. Relevant outputs from this session are available here : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IhQttpBJaXXMR0xqI1gR3VmKz2x2aJFuEKj7-MkSr7E/edit?usp=sharing Work Already Done Get Help to Retrain - private beta phase commenced in June 2019 and is expected to run until Spring 2020. Find and Apply for a Job - has been through some discovery work, and an alpha is expected to start in summer 2020. Existing Team The Programme operates using mixed supplier/client Delivery Teams and the Department typically provides a Product Owner for each product line. There will be other Service Delivery Teams, working on associated product lines as part of the wider programme, with whom the successful supplier Teams will need to interface. There is also a senior Programme level service leadership team, which is a mixture of permanent DfE staff and contractors, experienced in shipping services using agile methodologies. A briefing pack will be provided to successful suppliers at conclusion of first stage sift. Current Phase Not applicable Work Location DfE London and/or Manchester with other locations in England possible over the lifetime of the contract. The Department will require the Service Delivery Teams to be co-located with the appropriate Policy Team working on the product they are delivering, maximising the opportunity for engagement with DfE staff and stakeholders. The primary base will be detailed in each Statement of Work (SoW). It will also be necessary to engage and collaborate with colleagues in other DfE locations and it is a requirement for user research and testing to take place in a number of different locations. Working Arrangments We are looking to appoint a single lead supplier to provide all of the required services within scope of Package 1. We welcome collaborative bids. A Statement of Work will be completed to outline the working arrangements, outcomes and deliverables expected for each engagement. The Team must operate using agile methodologies: e.g. daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprints, retrospectives, show and tells. The Team will be required to invest time in knowledge sharing and coaching to increase DfE staff capability and knowledge transfer will be a requirement for each work package. Security Clearance Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance is required for all team members. This will need to be in place before the contract start. The supplier will also need to be compliant with DfE's Departmental Security Standards. Additional T&Cs Read about how the terms and conditions work: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/terms-and-conditions-of-digital-marketplace-frameworks https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-outcomes-and-specialists-4-call-off-contract There will be a requirement for the DOS framework key terms and conditions to flow down the supply chain – details will be included in the draft ITT. Suppliers will be required to enter into a non-disclosure & confidentiality agreement at the award stage. Variant bids are not permitted. Further information about the NRS Programme can be found here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CazMMkbbRSfUY-MOgTmlGGPHWzHZ-zmk/view?usp=sharing Skills & Experience Clear evidence of planning and delivering user-centred digital services within high value complex programmes that follow the Government Service Manual, the Technology Code of Practice and pass GDS service assessment. In-depth experience of evolving the most appropriate solution/data/technical architecture, to successfully meet users needs. Experience of successfully delivering multi-channel services to meet user needs, including the integration of online and offline components of a single user journey Experience of recruiting user research participants, including users with accessibility and assisted digital needs, and attracting hard to reach users. Experience of successfully working with in-house teams and other stakeholders with limited agile experience and sharing knowledge, coaching, mentoring and upskilling to develop in-house team and other supplier capability. Ability to demonstrate successful delivery of complex projects to time and budget in complex delivery environments. Significant experience of conducting both user research and usability testing sessions (on a range of devices, face to face and remote) based on robust methodology, especially with assisted digital users. Nice to Haves Evidence of working successfully with users in the skills and employment systems. Ability to present and communicate project update/outcomes to a variety of stakeholders including those with low technical expertise. Experience of designing and developing engaging content that attracts and retains users and meets their needs. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Demonstrable experience of delivering a complex service across multiple phases, including public beta, which will meet user needs and be compliant with the Government Service Standard. (20 points) Evidence of a strong understanding of agile, iterative, user-centred design and delivery and how this will be applied to deliver a service. (10 points) Evidence ability to plan and carry out high quality usability testing to identify and then meet key user needs for a complex set of user segments. (20 points) • Evidence of ability to deliver services to time, quality and cost in complex delivery environments, including strong, collaborative partnership working with clients and other delivery teams. (20 points) Clear experience of organising delivery into effective sprints, developing the service iteratively to demonstrate clear value within given timeframes. (10 points) Clear evidence of an effective approach to identifying and managing risks, issues and dependencies within an agile product team to ensure quality and timely delivery. (10 points) Evidence, drawing on experience, of being able to provide suitably skilled, flexible teams, operating in a mixed supplier/client setting across multiple product lines, with pause capability.(10 points) Evidence of a transparent financial structure and fair pricing for the service, showing how value for money will be achieved for the duration of the contract. (10 points) Set out how you will ensure you, as lead supplier, will be fully accountable for delivery, including where this involves partnership working and subcontracting. (10 points) Evidence of ability to deliver services to time, quality and cost in complex delivery enivironments, including strong, collaborative partnership working with clients and other delivery teams. (20 points) Evidence ability to plan and carry out high quality user research to identify and meet key user needs for a complex set of user segments. (20 points) Further information on evaluation methodology will be provided to stage 2 shortlisted suppliers. Cultural Fit Criteria Experience of working with teams dispersed across multiple sites, and adapting agile ways of working to meet the needs of a dispersed team, without reduction in efficiency (5 Points) Evidence of working collaboratively with policy colleagues new to agile ways of working sharing knowledge to cross skill and develop in house capability. (5 Points) Further information on evaluation methodology will be provided to stage 2 shortlisted suppliers. Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Work history Reference Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers No questions have been answered yet Budget range a pipeline of activity is anticipated over the next 24 months, with an indicative total budget of £21m. the anticipated budget for this requirement is ~£5m. however, the scope could expand or contract. each sow issued under this package 1 requirement will outline the work required and suppliers will need to provide a cost for the work to enable effective contract management. dfe reserves the right to select different payment approaches for future sow. dfe does not commit to any minimum spend at this point.