NHS England and Improvement: Unified Data Access Layer User Focus and Programme Delivery

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done NHS England and Improvement currently faces a number of challenges in relation to managing and making best use of its data; • No single version of the truth, with different data platforms, techniques and approaches to data processing • Duplicated effort and unnecessary cost • Lost value and insight, with manual analysis undertaken that could be automated • Inconsistent user experience • Difficulty responding to the new needs of Integrated Care Systems • Insufficient exploitation of modern technology including benefits of cloud, increased availability of advanced analytics (ML and AI) and digital solutions delivering cost-effective and high value insights To address this NHSE&I initiated a programme to create a Unified data Access Layer (UDAL) designed to consolidate people, process and technology around one common platform and process. Whilst significant progress has been made, there is a requirement for additional support to ensure:  There is a strong user focus to the programme, to ensure technical design and development work puts user needs at the heart of development  The programme is robustly managed and delivered to agreed timescales  Appropriate challenge and avoidance of any solution bias to ensure the best solution and processes are adopted for the future Problem to Be Solved 1) More focus is needed on customer/user requirements. There isn’t a sufficiently coordinated programme of work in place to understand end user requirements. There is a risk that this will result in a design that isn’t “user-friendly”. To address this we require: User requirements support  UX support to develop a stronger understanding of national and regional user needs, effectively feeding them into technical design  Targeted support for user-testing and the management of user feedback as the UDAL solution develops  Established processes and mechanisms for ongoing user requirements capture to ensure an on-going user focus 2) The pressures of day-to-day business are making it difficult to progress at pace. Whilst some of the groundwork has been laid there is insufficient capacity and capability to secure key decisions and progress a complex, national transformation at pace. To address this we require: Programme delivery assistance  Practical, hands on assistance to shape, direct and deliver a programme of work from decision-making through to design and implementation  Joint working with existing resources to manage the people aspects of change as well as delivering a technically suitable and user focused solution  Support to achieve strong stakeholder engagement and senior buy-in Who Are the Users As the NHSEI data services lead I need a secure and trusted platform to enable my analysts to respond effectively and efficiently to requests for analysis and insights.  As a regional lead I need to request specific analysis or data and receive a consistently reliable and trust response.  As a head of analytics I need to access a wide range of datasets to conduct exploratory and advanced analysis to derive novel insights.  As an external academic/policy advisory supporting the NHS, I need to make specific requests for data and receive a prompt response that is compliant with applicable legislation.  As an analyst I need the tools and data access that enable me to produce analytics products  As an analyst I need to extract specific datasets, conduct exploratory analysis, run machine learning labs and visualisations of my analysis and outputs  As the Head of Performance, our platform must have modern enterprise reporting and publishing capability, enabling sharing of trusted reports across our user base, supporting collaboration and the widest possible dissemination of insights.  As a data governance lead I assurance that data is handled in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy legislation. Early Market Engagement Work Already Done We are currently in Alpha phase of the project. This includes a tactical solution delivered successfully, however now rapidly need to move to implementation of a robust permanent solution. Existing Team The existing resource is currently from internal NHS England and Improvement plus additional technical expertise support from existing suppliers already in place. Current Phase Alpha Work Location NHS England and Improvement Offices – London and Leeds and remotely/supplier premises Working Arrangments We want the supplier to take a flexible approach rather than working for set times in a set office. We will want the team to work on dedicated, pre-planned and pre-approved activities with planned outcomes. We are open to working with suppliers from any location, though we want to build up a relationship in person where possible. Security Clearance Additional T&Cs Skills & Experience Ability to mobilise relevant expertise quickly UI/UX design, user research for national data solutions Data Analytics Platforms and Solution design and development (with NHS or relevant experience) Programme management – including supporting large/national data analytics programme to improve processes and efficiency Information Governance experience within an NHS context Understanding of NHS datasets and relevant uses cases or applications of this data Demonstrable experience of working successfully with and alongside NHS (or comparable) data teams Nice to Haves NHS Experience including stakeholder management NHS Modelling and advanced analytics cases studies and experience Innovative solution design and development No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria Understanding our challenges Approach to user requirements support Approach to programme delivery support Relevant experience (including two relevant case studies) Project plan / timeframes for work Team structure and team Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers Share knowledge and experience with other team members Be transparent and collaborative Challenge the status quo Understands NHS Values Innovative Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method Case study Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 55% Cultural fit 15% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers No questions have been answered yet Budget range £275k-£295k exc. vat