User Experience & Design Capability

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done DfE need a supplier who will work with blended teams across the department, to improve the customer journey on delivery services targeted at Teachers, Schools, Parents & Children. Specifically focusing on designing, developing and maintenance of application processes, that fit together as a coherent, consistent offer for users, as part of a longer term aim to provide a single, seamless service with a common entry point. Problem to Be Solved Digital requires capabilities which are able to deliver outcomes based on user needs and government service standards and capable of supporting a range of projects from inception through to live. Working with blended teams who are delivering digital projects, the supplier will address unmet user needs, disjointed and confusing user journeys, and enabling users to make better informed choices through available services. This approach will provide continuity through the lifecycle of projects, ensuring no break in support and expertise built up in the team leading to improved opportunities for shadowing and knowledge transfer. We anticipate 5-8 projects at any time. Who Are the Users Teachers Parents Students Education advisors School administrators People that deliver children’s services Our own staff For example: I need to train to be a teacher so that I can be employed as a qualified teacher” As a person or body wanting to establish an academy I/we need to establish an academy as simply as possible As a school leader I need to know about funding opportunities so that my school can apply for relevant grants As a parent I need to know how to apply for financial support for my child Early Market Engagement Not applicable Work Already Done Some digital education services are live via the GOV.UK website, for example: https://www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance https://www.gov.uk/find-teaching-job There continues to be potential to deliver development work and enhancement. Digital programme discovery is well underway with potential services identified and prioritised with some service discovery, alpha and private beta activity already completed. The department has a high-level roadmap of digital projects, which are iterated on the basis of insight and departmental priorities. The roadmap will be shared with the successful supplier once a contract has been awarded. Existing Team This contract will support digital delivery taking place across DfE. You will work with internal DfE staff from a range of disciplines, including architecture, security, policy, service and product management, finance, and delivery management. You may also collaborate or work on projects with other suppliers who are providing capabilities as part of a team, for example, Delivery Management, Business Analysis, User Research and Software Development. This contract will not prevent us from using other commercial arrangements to engage capabilities to support the volume of work Current Phase Not applicable Work Location For the duration of restrictions on movement due to COVID-19, all teams are expected to work and collaborate remotely. For any given Statement of Work (SoW) the work is likely to be based in London, Coventry or Cambridge, some work may be UK wide and travel may be required to DfE offices in these locations The primary base will be detailed in each SoW and expenses will not form part of the cost unless the supplier is asked to work from a secondary location e.g. If SoW primary base is in Coventry, then no expenses will be paid for Coventry Working Arrangments A Statement of Work will be completed to outline the working arrangements, outcomes and deliverables expected for each engagement. Existing DfE digital teams comprise of lead roles in Product Management, User Research and Delivery Management, as well as stakeholders from our finance, commercial, HR and legal services teams. To improve DfE internal capability, build and support the applications/services, knowledge transfer back into DfE will be a requirement for each work package. We anticipate a maximum of 5-8 concurrent engagements. Security Clearance DfE requires all supplier staff to have baseline personnel security standard clearance (BPSS). There may be a requirement for some of the work to require a higher level of security clearance. Where this is needed it will be detailed in the Statement of Work. Additional T&Cs Standard Framework and Call Off Terms and Conditions. Expenses must be pre-agreed and comply with DfE standard Travel and Subsistence policy. Primary work location stated in SoW will not attract expenses. Contract and Vendor Management will form a key part of governance and suppliers will be expected to co-operate in a manner that fosters healthy working relationships and quality delivery. Suppliers must provide sufficient guarantees to meet the requirements of GDPR in line with Procurement Policy Note 03/17 Changes to Data Protection Legislation & General Data Protection Regulation Skills & Experience Evidence of designing end-to-end services across a range of on-line and off-line channels Evidence of prioritising the understanding of needs and behaviour, and uses insight to underpin and drive design decisions when designing content, product and services Evidence of communicating service concepts and ideas using methods that allow others to see all the different parts of a service Evidence of pulling together the relevant aspects such as user research, organisation design, business analysis, data science and policy intent to deliver digital services Evidence of analysing failure within a service and identifying root causes which can be resolved or documented for future learning Evidence of designing and developing services through iteration, research and testing Nice to Haves Evidence of designing services within environments with multifaceted supply and delivery chains Evidence of ability to prototype in code Evidence of experience with the GOV.UK design system No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Evidence of understanding and examples of passing the Government’s Service Standards Assessment Evidence of designing a service that has passed a government accessibility audit and accessibility beyond standard (e.g. design for neurodivergence) Evidence of working with users to understand their work, their operating context and constraints & identify and implement adaptations/improvements Examples of effective communication across organisational, technical and political boundaries, understanding the context Experience working with an organisation at the beginning of agile culture change Evidence of ability to make informed decisions based on user needs, available technology and value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Evidence of dissecting and delivering complex and technical information and making language simple and accessible for non-technical audiences Evidence of establishing a strong User Experience and Design based culture of service and continuous improvement Experience of working with multi-vendor teams and understanding of how to be part of a multidisciplinary, agile service team Experience of collaboration with multiple organisational stakeholders with the aim to achieve a single objective. Experience of transferring knowledge to permanent staff within the client organisation Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Case study Work history Reference Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 20% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers No questions have been answered yet Budget range up to £1 ,500,000