Civilian Reserve Discovery and Alpha

Tender description

Summary of the work Cabinet office is creating a new Civilian Reserve service to support increased resourcing in times of crisis. We are seeking a delivery partner to carry out Discovery and (potentially) Alpha phases to design the associated digital service. They will provide specialist expertise including: user research, business analysis and software prototyping Expected Contract Length 4-6 weeks for Discovery phase and 6-8 weeks for Alpha (if approved) Latest start date Monday 1 November 2021 Budget Range £325k total We expect approximately - £100k for Discovery phase £225k for Alpha phase Why the Work is Being Done The Civil Service will respond better to the next crisis if we can rapidly identify and deploy individuals with the needed skills and experience to meet that crisis. An effective Civilian Reserve could increase the range of expertise and experience within government and improve its response to threats to national resilience. The Civilian Reserves initiative is expected to have two strands: Senior externals group. A group of senior leaders from the public, private, third sectors with expertise in matters relating to resilience and national security. Members of the group would offer their time to advise ministers and senior officials, and would be willing to use their organisations to facilitate government policy in times of crisis. Civil Service Alumni Reserve. A network of experienced former crown and civil servants, who can be surged into critical crown and civil service roles or local resilience forums during a crisis, or be used to support a particular need where we might otherwise outsource to consultants. The Civilian Reserve will need an effective digital service to effectively on-board, manage and deploy members of the Civilian Reserve if the scheme is going to meet the needs of the business. Problem to Be Solved To identify the type and scope of the digital service needed to effectively support the Civilian Reserve. This service would include a digital platform for the reserve and the resources needed to manage/support the service. The Discovery phase would focus on ensuring the service is feasible and gather the information needed to develop an accurate proposal. The output/results of these areas will be collated into a Discovery Report including:- the current landscape, problem(s) to be solved, opportunities, constraints, risks and recommendations. The report should include an evaluation of whether the project should continue into Alpha The Alpha phase would focus on developing and testing approaches to deliver the digital service. The output/results of these areas will be collated into an Alpha service review pack collating the outputs of Discovery and Alpha for stakeholders, including the service assessment team that would including modelling of the costs and budget required to set up and run the service Who Are the Users As reservists we need to use the service to ensure the programme has up to date information about our skills and availability. As system users/admins we need to be able to use the system to effectively manage reserve list members. This will include using the system to:- - store, add, delete and update members ’information. - monitor performance data and feedback to stakeholders - communicate with members and/or sub members - onboard and deploy members - pay members for work undertaken (through use of API/system integration). As clients/departments we want to be able to maintain a diverse resource pool with the skills to respond to a wide range of crisis situations. Early Market Engagement N/A Work Already Done Scoping work regarding the needs of the Civilian Reserve has started, which include listing the broad capabilities any digital service would need to be able to effectively support the Reserve and interviews with teams that have built capabilities similar to that of the Civilian Reserves. These reports can be shared with the successful supplier. Existing Team Service Owner - Responsible for the successful operation and continuous improvement of the service. Delivery Manager/Scrum Master - The point of contact to coordinate activities between the Supplier and the in-house delivery team Product Manager(expected to be filled by Alpha phase) - Responsible for communicating the product vision, and requirements for the project to the Development Team. They will be contributing to the creation of stories for the Supplier, as well the prioritisation of work The successful supplier should plan for potentially collaborating with: The Civilian Reserve Project team Other Government Departments/partner organisations Any other stakeholders as needed Current Phase Not started Skills & Experience • User centred design - Demonstrate experience in understanding how to meet the needs of a diverse range of users, and a demonstrable commitment to accessibility • Agile delivery - Demonstrate a track-record of using Agile approaches to successfully deliver projects, preferably in the public sector • Business analysis - demonstrate a track record of using business analysis methods, including process design and requirements gathering to gather and produce user profiles, journeys and requirements • Technology options & design - Demonstrate experience in "evaluating a range of diverse technology options to produce a service that would meet the users needs Nice to Haves • Experience of developing digital services for central government that align to the UK Government Design Principles, Service Standard and Service Manual. • Experience of government security requirements and evaluating options based on security factors • Experience of similar initiatives such as resource management or volunteer management • Prototyping and design - Demonstrate experience in using wireframing, interactive mock up and other prototyping skills to product mock up of possible service solutions Work Location The majority of the work should be conducted at the supplier’s own site/ from home. There may be a requirement for occasional colocation at CO offices for particular workshops and meetings at the Alpha stage. This will depend on government guidelines around remote working. This will be agreed as part of the Statements of Work. Working Arrangments We expect that the supplier will have regular progress reviews with the Delivery Manager and/or Service Owner to discuss progress against delivering the intended outcomes for each project and suggest/deliver interventions to ensure outcomes are delivered in fastest time, at lowest cost, realising value for the customer ASAP Security Clearance Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) is required for supplier staff. It is preferred that the supplier's team members already have security clearance, however GBS can sponsor the security clearance process. Additional T&Cs All expenses must be pre-agreed with 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/ " No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Provide examples of how you have met the essential and desirable experience (50%), including examples from your work history. • Provide a proposal for how you will approach this Discovery and Alpha phase (50%) This must cover: - timeline - resource profile - ways of working - outputs • You may be asked to give a presentation on your proposal Cultural Fit Criteria • Uses agile delivery methods in their working practices and delivery of projects • Has a user centred design approach • Has policies, procedures or working practices and ethos that supports diversity & inclusive practices Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Work history • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 45% Cultural fit 10% Price 45% Questions from Suppliers 1. You list 4-6 weeks for a Discovery phase, but in our experience this is an incredibly tight timescale to engage an appropriate number of users, understand user journeys, collate and digest findings, and create hypotheses for Alpha. Is there flexibility in this? Yes there could be some flexibility in the period for Discovery, within reason, but the budget for any extended Discovery phase would still be the same. The 4-6 weeks for Discovery is a guideline based on typical discoveries in government - www.gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/how-the-discovery-phase-works 2. Who from your team will be scoring applications for this opportunity and what positions do they hold? The scoring will be undertaken by experienced members of the Civilian Reserve Project team, including the Service Manager and the Delivery Manager. 3. Has any external supplier been involved in the initial scoping work? No there hasn’t been an external supplier involved in the initial scoping work 4. Is the authority open to considering Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS), Modified Off The Shelf (MOTS) and bespoke digital solutions in the technology options? Yes, all options will be considered for possible technology solutions. 5. Can you please advise the timelines of this procurement (e.g. shortlisted companies notified, anticipated contract award)? Also, can you confirm if shortlisted suppliers will have the opportunity to present? Closing date for applications: 15th SeptemberShortlisted and unsuccessful suppliers notified by 24th SeptemberPresentation for shortlisted companies to take place week commencing 11th OctoberWinning supplier and unsuccessful shortlisted suppliers notified by 22nd OctoberLatest start date for winning supplier 1st NovemberPlease be aware these are target dates and may change due unforeseen circumstances 6. Is there an incumbent supplier for the project?Do you have a preferred technology stack i.e. Azure, AWS or any other publicly available one? No there is no incumbent supplierNo , we have no preferred technology stack. If there are suitable SaaS options these could be preferred but it will depend on the outputs of Discovery and Alpha. 7. How many days per week will each existing team member be working on this project? There are no set days per week and will vary for each existing team member, as per needs of the project 8. Can you please advise the preferred tech stack for this opportunity? There is no preferred technology stack for this project, all options will be considered for possible technology solutions 9. Does the budget of £325k include or exclude VAT? It is excluding VAT 10. What will the delivery manager from the Cabinet Office be responsible for? The delivery manager will work closely with the successful delivery partner to ensure the successful delivery of the project. 11. How are you planning to evaluate cost – rate card vs. statement of work project delivery? Please refer to the published evaluation weightings - Technical competence45%Cultural fit10%Price45%If this doesn't answer your question could you please expanded on it and re-submit it. 12. In line with question 1, delivering against the specified timelines will require regular and prolonged access to key staff and stakeholders during the discovery phase. Has stakeholder mapping already been conducted and key stakeholders advised of their potential liabilities in enabling the discovery phase to deliver the anticipated understanding? How will the authority ensure the selected supplier has the access required? Stakeholder mapping has been conducted and the results will be made available to the successful supplier. Existing team members, including the delivery manager will work with the supplier to ensure that they have the required access to stakeholders. 13. When is a go/no go decision on proceeding with the Alpha phase expected? In the event that the Alpha phase goes ahead, when is it expected to begin? A decision on the Alpha go/no go will be made based on the findings from the Discovery. There is no set date for this yet but it is expected to be January/February 2022. 14. If selected for the discovery phase, will suppliers be able to bring in additional partners to support the Alpha phase as the requirements emerge?Will the Alpha phase be retendered following Discovery, and if so, to what audience? Selected suppliers will be able to bring in additional partners if required as part of the Alpha. This will need to be specified by the supplier as part of their bid if they intend to do this. Any additional partners will also need to be BPSS cleared.Yes if the Alpha phase goes ahead it will be retendered through the Digital Outcomes and Specialists Marketplace 15. Can you please confirm if the budget range (£325k total) is inclusive of VAT? It is excluding VAT 16. Can you advise how the price will be evaluated? Please refer to the published evaluation weightings - Technical competence45%Cultural fit10%Price45% 17. Can you please advise what you’re asking suppliers to demonstrate with “Experience of similar initiatives such as resource management or volunteer management”? This question is asking the suppliers to give details of any similar projects/digital solutions they have previously worked on, such as a resource or volunteer management platform 18. Can you advise how pricing will be evaluated? e.g. rate card, team structure. Pricing proposals must be ‘capped time and materials’ covering costs for Discovery and Alpha. This will be scored based on how close each supplier’s quote is to the cheapest supplier’s quote. More information will be provided to the shortlisted suppliers. 19. We understand you intend to down-select 5 suppliers to enter the ‘Assessment Stage’ based on the questions published on Digital Marketplace. We also understand that evaluation at Assessment Stage will be based on a written proposal and presentation. We assume that a full specification will be issued when successful suppliers are shortlisted (24th September) but can you confirm this and clarify what the likely submission deadline for the written proposal will be? We assume the deadline will be prior to supplier presentations (w/c 11th October) but it would be useful to have this confirmed so we can plan resource allocation Yes, full specifications for the written proposal and presentation will be provided to shortlisted suppliers. We haven’t set the deadline yet but it is likely to be w/c 4th of October. We will ensure shortlisted supplies will be given enough time to prepare their submission. 20. Will you accept any code development near shore or off shore? No, unfortunately we won't be able to accept near or offshore code development 21. This contract notice is described as “Discovery and Alpha” but question 14 suggests you will re-tender Alpha separately. Is that at your discretion, with Alpha optionally included in this contract (as per how this opportunity has been published) or will it irrespective be re-tendered and therefore this contract will only be awarded for Discovery? Apologies for the confusion with the answer to question 14. To clarify, the contract is for both Discovery and Alpha. There will be up to 2 statements of work, the first covering Discovery and the second covering Alpha. This is required for Cabinet Office approval processes between the two stages. The expectation is that the chosen supplier would deliver both phases if at the end of Discovery it was recommended and approved to continue to Alpha. However, we reserve the right to not use the second statement of work and re-tender at the end of Discovery phase if deemed appropriate. 22. Will the scores from this first round (evidence response) be carried through to form part of scoring at second round (proposal)? Yes 23. Are you content for suppliers to cite multiple examples where we feel it best demonstrates our experience for the question? For example, question “Experience of developing digital services for central government that align to the UK Government Design Principles, Service Standard and Service Manual” would benefit from a multi-example response in your response to your ask for “services” rather than a single service Yes, multiple examples are fine if they can provide a better response 24. Are you content for suppliers to cite private sector examples providing they are relevant to the question? Yes private sectors examples are fine if they are relevant 25. Question 11 is seeking clarification on whether you will evaluate price based upon a rate card or a total price to deliver the work. Grateful if you could please clarify. Pricing proposals must be ‘capped time and materials’ covering costs for Discovery and Alpha. This will be scored based on how close each supplier’s quote is to the cheapest supplier’s quote. More information will be provided to the shortlisted suppliers. 26. Are you asking for a single project as evidence for each skill required, or, if there are multiple examples of relevant projects which will cover the required skills will you evaluate them all if they are provided in the answer? Yes we will evaluate them all if provided