Research and development services and related consultancy services

Tender description

How can technology help government drive up the use of digital public services amongst groups that have traditionally been digitally excluded? The Connecting Scotland programme is an ambitious initiative addressing the issue of digital exclusion, and in 2020-21 will be reaching thousands of previously digitally excluded people, providing them with a device, data and training to become active online. This has many economic and social benefits, both for individuals and the nation. One is increased access to digital public services – for example applying for benefits, video based GP consultations, and looking for information about training. Many of our users will be unaware of the digital public services they can access, be unfamiliar with using devices and may have concerns or anxieties about even trying them out. So as well as providing devices and data, the programme focuses on overcoming these issues. Going forward, we would like to extend the reach of the programme to everyone who is excluded – currently around 1 in 8 people in Scotland has low to no digital skills, and around 300 000 households have no access to the internet at home. But this will require investment and for that we need robust evidence of the programme’s value. In short, we need to demonstrate the programme is increasing the use of digital public services by collecting appropriate data — in a way that not only satisfies all statutory requirements but also builds trust with our users. How can tech help our users engage with and use digital public services, develop our evidence base, and build trust with our users? Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved https://www.civtechalliance.org/civtech-innovation-flow About CivTech CivTech brings together public sector expertise and private sector innovation to solve real problems, develop new products and deliver better, faster and easier services for everyone. Central to the approach is co-production with the citizen. Part of the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate, CivTech’s approach is helping transform public sector engagement with tech and innovation, delivering significant benefits to public services, producing genuine uplifts for the Scottish economy — and along the way, making lives better. Across the country there are problems public sector organisations would like to solve and in the current environment the need for smart, efficient and effective products has never been greater. The Scottish Government is aware innovation is a good way to create them and is committed to ensuring a large part of its tech spend goes to smaller, innovative businesses. This is where CivTech comes in. The CivTech Innovation Flow is designed to create solutions to public sector problems as quickly and effectively as possible. For you – whether you’re an individual, team or company – it’s an opportunity to take a Challenge, solve it and win contracts with a blue-chip public sector organisation. You’ll build a product, and a business to take it as far as possible. Because here’s the kicker: the Challenges we issue aren’t ‘single organisation’ problems – most exist worldwide. In short: open Challenges are set. Any organisation, team or individual can respond to them. Applications are assessed and shortlisted proposals go into an Exploration Stage where they’re developed further. The best go through to the Accelerator – a period of intensive work to create the solution, and through CivTech’s unique business workshop system, a business capable of taking the emerging product to the world. Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved https://www.civtechalliance.org/civtech-innovation-flow