Cyber and Technical Support for Councils

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done As part of the Local Digital Declaration (https://localdigital.gov.uk/declaration) the MHCLG Local Digital team is looking to support councils in England to improve their cyber health and reduce their risk from malware and ransomware. Problem to Be Solved As part of the Discovery work into cyber security in local government, a survey of councils based on NCSC's tips for mitigating malware and ransomware (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/mitigating-malware-and-ransomware-attacks) was completed. Based on the results, we are looking for a team to work with, and support, councils to make changes based on the findings through a process of engagement and creation of guidance, advice and tools (e.g. scripts). Examples of the areas identified are central logging, use of NCSC's Active Cyber Defence tools, use of 2-factor authentication and security of backups. Who Are the Users The team will be expected to work with IT staff at local authorities and also engage with senior and strategic leaders on occasion. Early Market Engagement n/a Work Already Done We have completed a Discovery phase which included a survey of councils based on NCSC's tips for mitigating malware and ransomware (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/mitigating-malware-and-ransomware-attacks). Our end of Discovery blog post can be found at: https://mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2020/08/25/key-findings-and-recommendations-from-the-cyber-security-discovery Existing Team This work is focused on supporting technical remediation at councils. We will shortly be commencing work on the other recommendations from our Discovery phase and there is an expectation that this team will work in partnership with other workstreams including sharing learning and any other artefacts. Current Phase Not applicable Work Location The primary site is the MHCLG office located at 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF. However current circumstances mean remote working is the default. Given the nature of the work is working with councils in England, travel may be necessary. Travel/expenses to sites should be included in your costs and will not be reimbursed separately. Working Arrangments The supplier is expected to work alongside existing teams for face-to-face meetings. The supplier should demonstrate effective use of Agile principles and established project management approaches to enable progress to be monitored and issues resolved. The supplier will also be expected to work openly and allow anyone in the sector to have visibility of progress including blogging and show and tells. Current working means much of this work will need to be completed via video calling so the supplier should be comfortable using products such as Microsoft Teams and Google Meet with cameras on. Security Clearance CTC or above is desirable as staff will otherwise need escorting on site. If the successful supplier does not have CTC cleared staff, MHCLG will sponsor clearance. The supplier team will be expected to start this immediately after appointment. Please make it clear whether staff have clearance when submitting responses. Additional T&Cs 1. All outputs will be owned by MHCLG and published openly where appropriate using a suitable open license that supports reuse. 2. All materials/outputs derived from the contract shall be the property of MHCLG. 3. GDPR requirements will be discussed and agreed once the successful supplier has been notified (as part of discussions to agree the wording of the call-off contract). Skills & Experience Demonstrate meeting skill requirements based on the anticipated composition of the team Proven and demonstrable knowledge of IT security standards and asssesments such as Cyber Essentials, PSN, NCSC's 10 steps and Government Minimum Cyber Security Standard Recent experience of working with NCSC's Active Cyber Defence tools Recent experience of coaching and supporting existing teams and individuals on technical topics Recent experience of working with local authorities Recent experience of creating technical assets (e.g. guidance and tools such as scripts) for reuse by others Nice to Haves Experience of presenting and explaining cyber and IT matters to non-technical senior leaders Experience of 'working in the open' and regularly sharing findings with a wide audience inside or outside of the organisation No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria Approach and methodology to the work Identified risks and dependencies and potential approaches to manage them The proposed team structure Provide evidence of skills/experience/accreditation's of the team who'll be undertaking the work and how they'll work together Value for money of the proposed approach Cultural Fit Criteria Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers Share knowledge and experience with others Build trust quickly with users Have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes Demonstrate understanding of the local government landscape and the spirit of the Local Digital Declaration Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Work history Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 15% Price 35% Questions from Suppliers No questions have been answered yet Budget range expected to be up to £550,000 (excluding vat).