MHCLG Energy Performance of Buildings Register (EPBR) Continuous Improvement

Tender description

Summary of the work MHCLG requires an agile, flexible team to help deliver the continuous, iterative development of the Energy Performance of Buildings Register. Expected Contract Length 3months(+2x3month optional periods). Latest start date Monday 23 November 2020 Budget Range Budget approved for up to £121,900 for the initial three month period only. Why the Work is Being Done The Department is responsible for providing a statutory service to lodge, store and retrieve Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), Air Conditioning Inspection Reports (ACIRs) and Display Energy Certificates (DECs). The Department must ensure that there is no break in the continuity of this statutory service as the service moves out into the live iterative development phase (the current contract expires 31/10/20). A development team is required both to keep a high quality service running and to lead continuous improvement of the service. Problem to Be Solved The service is now in its continuous service phase after live launch in September 2020. In addition to adding to the ongoing support function (ie. ad hoc fixes, maintenance, monitoring etc.), there is still a substantial back log of work to be fulfilled including many features that are key to successful delivery of the EPC Action Plan: • Further improvement to consumer information provided by the EPC and how it is presented e.g. FAQ section, data as a URL • Tools to test the robustness of EPCs e.g. URN for assessors, availability of additional information • Better identify non-compliance by assessors, and introduce a formal error-reporting system • Improved quality assurance through smart auditing In addition to these key areas, GDS service standards demand that we iteratively improve our service via continuous user research. This team of developers will work with our CS team to turn these research insights into technical developments that will enrich the user experience of the service. Who Are the Users There are four core user needs; Citizen Users – Requirement 1 As a citizen user I need to see if I need to get an EPC assessment So that I can sell or lease my property Citizen Users – Requirement 2 As a citizen user I need to find an energy assessor So that I can book the energy assessment I need to sell or lease my property Citizen Users Requirement 3 As a citizen user, I need simple recommendations about energy efficiency So that I can take action to improve the energy performance of my property Energy Assessment Scheme As an Energy Assessment Scheme I need to give my assessors secure access to the register So that they can send XML data to the register to generate an energy assessment certificate Data User As a user of EPBR Data I need simple access to the EPB data So that I can draw insight that will feed into policy around energy use Early Market Engagement The github repository can be found here: https://github.com/communitiesuk Work Already Done The service launched to live in September 2020. This includes; • APIs written that allow the energy schemes to create addressing solutions, assessor management and the sending of complete XML documents to be rendered as HTML pages • A citizen facing front end for two services; Find-energy-certificate and getting-new-energy-certificate • APIs to manage interaction of energy policies managed by BEIS with the EPBR • Incumbent supplier worked on the project from launch of beta development (October 2019), contract expires 31st October 2020. A full run book will be available from the start of the new contract. Existing Team Civil Servants fulfilling the following roles: Service Owner, Product Owner, Technical Architect, Developer (2), Delivery Manager, User Researcher We would expect contractors to roll off the project as more civil servant developers are recruited. Current Phase Live Skills & Experience • Have experience in working with a multi-disciplinary team on agile projects of similar size and complexity as outlined in the Government Service Standard. • Have experience in supporting a high volume, transactional, web-based service to the Digital Service Standard into its continuous running phase, including compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines and GDPR. • Have experience of managing the interaction of complex, unstructured data into a modern production environment. • Have experience and an understanding of the challenges associated with working with address data and UPRNs, and approaches to overcoming these challenges. • Have experience of complex, multi-format, bulk data migration and data cleansing. Nice to Haves Have experience of publishing data to open data standards Work Location Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government head offices at 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF with the option of working remotely in line with government guidance, and subject to change as government guidance evolves. Working Arrangments We would prefer a co-located team in 2 Marsham Street, however team members may work remotely 1-2 days a week with agreement and in line with government guidance around the transmission and spread of COVID-19. However COVID-19 restrictions may mean only remote working is possible. Travel/expenses to the primary site in 2 Marsham Street cannot be reimbursed by MHCLG. We expect the supplier to work using agile methodology. The supplier will also be expected to work openly. Security Clearance CTC or above is required for suppliers. BPSS clearance will be required to access MHCLG's ICT systems. Please state what security clearance staff hold when submitting responses. Additional T&Cs 1. All materials/outputs derived from the contract shall be the property of MHCLG; 2. 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). No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • 1.TECHNICAL COMPETENCE - weighting 50% • 1a.Team structure, capability and experience • 1b.Proposed methodology and approach including demonstration of understanding the requirements • 1c.How the process, outputs and end deliverables will meet the user needs • 1d.How you will ensure smooth transition and knowledge transfer to the live service team. • 1e.Timeframe/earliest start date • 2.CULTURAL FIT - weighting 20% - see separate section • 3.PRICING - weighting 30% • 3a.Standard price calculation assuming a 60 day assignment for 3 roles • 3b.EXAMPLE - Role 1: £600p.d x 60 = £36k and Role 2: £600p.d x60 = £36k and Role 3: £900p.dx60=£54k- total price to evaluate £126k • If shortlisted, suppliers should provide the following: Full CVs for the proposed team • A short (2 page max) summary outlining: (1) understanding of problems to be addressed and outputs to be delivered • A short (2 page max) summary outlining: (2) suitability, skills and experience to successfully address problems and deliver outputs • Proposed day rates and duration for each candidate Cultural Fit Criteria • Experience of successful collaborative working as part of a mixed supplier-client delivery team sharing knowledge within the team. • Experience of delivering in an open, collaborative way according to the principles of the Government Service Design Manual. • Identifying risks and dependencies, and offering approaches to manage them • Demonstrate establishing rapport with stakeholders, keeping them informed and managing their expectations. • Demonstrate simplicity (e.g. do less but better, explaining complex issues in a clear, simple way, break down and prioritise complex issues). • Scoring Criteria for the Written proposal -Technical Competence and Cultural Fit will be scored individually using the following Criteria: • Score 0 = Failed to provide confidence that the proposal will meet the requirements. An unacceptable response with serious reservations. • Score 25 = A Poor response with reservations. The response lacks convincing detail with risk that the proposal will not be successful in meeting all the requirements. • Score 50 = Meets the requirements – the response generally meets the requirements, but lacks sufficient detail to warrant a higher mark. • Score 75= A Good response that meets the requirements with good supporting evidence. Demonstrates good understanding. • Score 100=An Excellent comprehensive response that meets the requirements. Indicates an excellent response with detailed supporting evidence and no weaknesses resulting in a high level of confidence Payment Approach Time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Work history • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 20% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. Are you open to this being developed and served from another Cloud Platform such as the Google Cloud Platform (GCP)? No we are not open to this being developed in a different cloud platform. 2. Have you identified the missing team roles that you require the supplier to provide? i.e 2-3 Developers or 2 Developers and 1 Tester? If shortlisted we are expecting that the supplier suggests the team numbers and mix of roles as they deem appropriate to meet the requirement.