Defra - User Centred Design (UCD) Capability Partner

Tender description

Why the Work is Being Done A growing demand for user centred design (UCD) approaches and capability has created this requirement for a specialist supplier to work with our in-house digital teams. You will deliver a coherent UCD approach for internal and public facing services across major programmes of work including Flood, Regulatory Services and Future Farming, providing evidence-based design decisions that deliver value for both the organisation and our users. This will enable us to meet the ambitions set out in our digital and technology strategy, ensure we meet government service and accessibility standards and underpin a consistent user centred approach to research and design throughout the EU transition period. Problem to Be Solved Defra's UCD team supplies digital projects across the department with specialists in content design, interaction design, service design and user research. However we lack central oversight, strategy, and consistency across different programmes. To underpin a coherent user centred approach to digital services throughout the EU transition period we are looking for a supplier to deliver a consistent set of research and design outcomes which can be applied at scale across the organisation. A supplier will help define and deliver a number of agreed packages of work across our services, working within the strategy and high level service design set by Defra. Outputs may feed into other requirements, examples include: - Creating content strategies, publishing schedules and workflow plans - Joining up products across areas deemed out of scope for current project teams - Defining user journeys, visualising existing products and processes, highlighting inconsistencies, dependencies and pain points - Identifying opportunities to improve services in a way that reduces costs, duplicated effort and failure demand, and that meets users' needs. - Identifying measures to track the impact of changes, and ensure interactions and user journeys are rational and consistent Who Are the Users As a resident of an area at risk of flooding I need to understand my risk So that I can protect myself, my family and property As someone applying for an environmental licence I need to provide Defra with the right evidence for my application So my application can be processed As someone considering the ELM scheme I need clear information about what I should and shouldn't do So I know if I'm getting the right results. Early Market Engagement N/A Work Already Done N/A Existing Team The supplier will be working with blended teams of civil servants, contractors and other suppliers, including internal heads of profession for UCD and multidisciplinary Agile delivery teams. There is no incumbent supplier currently delivering this capability, as this is a first generation contract requirement for this piece of work and will be awarded to one supplier. Current Phase Not applicable Work Location Delivery teams are based in Bristol, Warrington and York. However all work is currently remote-based. Working Arrangments Defra will cover travel and subsistence if it is absolutely necessary to conduct research, with prior approval required. A flexible approach is required to meet the needs of each individual project and programme on a 'Statement of Work' (SoW) basis. Each SoW will be costed against the rate card submitted by the supplier and incorporated into the contract. Security Clearance All individuals must have a valid DBS basic check Additional T&Cs All expenses must be pre-agreed between the parties and must comply with the Cabinet Office (CO) Travel and Subsistence (T&S) Policy. All vendors are obliged to provide sufficient guarantees to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures so that the processing meets the requirements of GDPR and ensures the protection of the rights of data subjects. For further information please see the Information Commissioner's Office website https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-reform/overview-of-the-gdpr/ Skills & Experience Demonstrable and recent (within the last 2 years) experience of building services to meet the government’s Service Standard Recent experience of identifying and placing content designers, interaction designers, user researchers, service designers and accessibility consultants into agile delivery teams and understanding how those roles work together Demonstrable and recent (within the last 2 years) experience of proving the benefits of a user-led approach in a deadline-driven environment Demonstrable and recent (within the last 2 years) experience of researching and understanding user needs, and using that insight to drive content and design decisions Demonstrable experience of effective content strategy and design, creating content for digital and offline channels, from task-focused guidance to microcopy Demonstrable and recent (within the last 2 years) experience of designing services that meet both user needs and business objectives Demonstrable and recent (within the last 2 years) experience of designing inclusive services, for participants who are digitally excluded or have access needs. Experience of working in partnership with both in-house teams and other suppliers to achieve a shared outcome Nice to Haves Demonstrable and recent (within the last 2 years) experience of engaging the whole multi-disciplinary team with a good user-centred design process to increase consensus and challenge assumptions Demonstrable experience of using service design to frame whole problems for users and facilitating design thinking through workshops with users, industry bodies, senior leaders and other stakeholders Experience of designing end-to-end services across a range of on-line and off-line channels Demonstrable and recent experience of recruiting a diverse workforce and promoting a supportive and inclusive culture Demonstrable experience of sharing knowledge and upskilling in-house teams to enable continued transformation beyond the life of each project No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria Technical solution Approach and methodology How the approach or solution meets user needs How the approach or solution meets your organisation’s policy or goal Estimated timeframes for the work How they’ve identified risks and dependencies and offered approaches to manage them Team structure Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions Have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes Take responsibility for their work Share knowledge and experience with other team members Challenge the status quo Be comfortable standing up for their discipline Can work with clients with low technical expertise Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Case study Work history Reference Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 10% Price 40% Questions from Suppliers Budget range it is estimated that the work can be delivered within the budget range of £700,000 to £1,000,000. this is not a commitment to spend up to this value and the authority reserves the right to consume at its discretion. the intended contract will be treated as an outcome based service solution and therefore out of scope on an ir35 assessment.