MHCLG Local Plans Alpha Phase

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done This work will help MHCLG and others build a national picture of local plan-making. Making it simpler to build a national timetable of local plan-making, and an index of the policies contained in local plan documents, will help the Planning Inspectorate better plan their resources for examinations and assist MHCLG in prioritising which local authorities to engage with and support throughout the plan-making process. Learning how to make local plan data more accessible, trustworthy and linked to other data will help PropTech and PlanTech companies build services to better inform people making decisions throughout the planning system and housing marketplace. Problem to Be Solved We want to: • develop a data standard for the timetable of local plan making • develop a data standard for listing the policy categories contained in each plan • test methods for a local planning authority keeping and maintaining the above data current We would also like to: • test and refine approaches for presenting the above data to users, such as through a dashboard • investigate approaches for analysing and collecting the datasets used as evidence to inform each of the policies contained in local plans • test new approaches for presenting local plans and data with users, including members of the local community Who Are the Users As a policymaker I need: • to know what stage a local plan is in the plan-making process ⇒ so that I can support local plan makers As a local planning authority officer I need: • to match up the local plan making process to local government cycles ⇒ so that I deliver a sound plan in good time, making the most of resources As a Planning Inspectorate (PINs) officer I need: • to know where local plans are in their production ⇒ so that we can resource and plan examinations Early Market Engagement The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) recently completed a discovery into the production of local plans, and ways local plan data can be made more accessible. The alpha phase will test different approaches for helping local planning authorities keep and maintain up to date local plan data. Further details can be obtained https://digital-land.github.io/project/local-plans/ Work Already Done MHCLG has done discovery (https://digital-land.github.io/project/local-plans/) into users and needs of people involved in production of local plans, and ways local plan data can be made more accessible. We spoke with people involved in the production of local plans and representatives of the main user groups of local plans, in order to better understand their needs and the obstacles to those needs being met. The team developed a prototype ( https://local-plans-prototype.herokuapp.com/) during discovery to collect a list of development schemes and local plan documents, and a collate a single item of data found in each document: the target number of houses. Existing Team Suppliers will collaborate with the Digital Land Team (https://digital-land.github.io/about/) who will support and advise on technical aspects of the data standards, aligning with other Digital Land projects. Our current team has user research, content, service and interaction design capability. We also have policy specialists, business analysts and developers. The supplier team should include a developer or business analyst, a designer capable of collecting and processing data, a designer capable of prototyping ways of presenting the data and a user researcher to test prototypes with users and analyse findings. Some delivery management is desirable. Not all roles need to be full-time. Current Phase Alpha Work Location We expect the successful supplier to work regularly with MHCLG in 2 Marsham Street, London, W1P 4DF, including a weekly face to face update meeting in this location. The supplier may work 2-3 days a week off site. MHCLG will not fund travel within London but will fund necessary travel outside of London. Working Arrangments The supplier is expected to work onsite alongside the existing team for at least 2 days a week. We would prefer the team to be co-located in 2 Marsham Street but expect travel for user research and other activities. We expect the supplier to work in line with the Digital Land team mission, values and ways of working (https://digital-land.github.io/about/) We are a digital team who work openly and using agile methodology. We will induct the supplier on team specific practises and on the overarching hypotheses and vision we work to as team. Security Clearance CTC or above isn’t required but is desirable so staff don’t need escorting on site. There is no requirement for supplier personnel to be security cleared. BPSS clearance will be required to access MHCLG's ICT systems. Please make it clear whether staff have CTC security clearance when submitting responses Additional T&Cs All materials/outputs derived from the contract shall be the property of MHCLG. Any GDPR requirements shall be discussed and agreed with the preferred supplier at the appropriate time. Skills & Experience Experience of delivering alphas in line within the Government Service Manual. Experience of recruiting users for research. Experience of delivering user-centred solutions to problems. Evidence of meeting skill requirements based on the anticipated composition of the team. Nice to Haves Experience of working with on the production of local plans in a local planning authority No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria Understanding of user needs Approach and methodology Team structure Estimated timeframes for the work Technical solution Cultural Fit Criteria Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions Challenge the status quo Care deeply about users Share knowledge and experience with other organisations Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Case study Work history Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 45% Cultural fit 15% Price 40% Questions from Suppliers No questions have been answered yet Budget range £90,000