EHIE Subsidy Test

Tender description

Summary of the work Government is improving the support to employees in managing health and disability in the workplace to reduce job loss, promoting inclusive productive workplaces. Support required to develop and deliver work packages building our digital product set to improve user journeys. Suppliers will work with our teams, delivering outcomes across services. Expected Contract Length 18 months Latest start date Monday 6 December 2021 Budget Range £500,000 to a maximum budget of £2,700,000 Why the Work is Being Done DWP is improving the support provided to employees in managing health and disability in the workplace in order to reduce avoidable job loss and to promote inclusive, productive workplaces. Improved job retention is anticipated to contribute half of the Department’s progress towards the 2027 disability employment ambition, and reflects the Departmental Business Strategy's focus on upstream prevention. Problem to Be Solved We want to increase employers use of expert work and health services, especially occupational health services, as this is associated with better outcomes for business and individuals. Specifically, we want to support employees with health conditions to thrive in work and prevent job loss associated with the poor management of health or disability events. We need small & medium employers (SMEs) and self-employed people to be aware of financial incentives to help them overcome cost barriers to accessing these services. We need to help small employers and self-employed people understand what expert health support can offer them, encourage and support them to buy appropriate services for their needs and reduce the need for costly 'search costs', and test the effectiveness of the targeted financial incentives that helps to reduce cost barriers to work. This includes considering the role of providers as users in the purchasing process as we need providers to be aware that they could qualify to deliver subsidised services. For context only 20% of employees working for SMEs have access to Occupational Health. There are approximately 1.5 million SMEs employing 17m people, and 4m self-employed people, in GB. Who Are the Users The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. Our products and services are used every day by citizens. Our citizens need to be able to access and understand what help and support can be provided and enable a simple responsive service. Suppliers will work with our teams to deliver outcomes and products utilising agile development practices that meet our citizen needs to; • Signpost small & medium business owners towards available occupational health services to support employees in the workplace. • Signpost the self-employed towards available occupational health services that are to help them understand the support available and assess eligibility • help an employer to access the subsidy scheme through a simple process/platform to gain access to occupational health providers • help an occupational health provider in their need to know that they could deliver subsidised services to SMEs and self-employed people • help an occupational health provider to understand what is expected of me to be eligible to deliver subsidised services and to see the value to their business in doing so Early Market Engagement The 'Health is Everyone's Business' consultation was launched in July 2019 and the response has been published. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/health-is-everyones-business-proposals-to-reduce-ill-health-related-job-loss/outcome/government-response-health-is-everyones-business A majority of respondents supported a subsidy as a way to help SMEs overcome cost barriers to purchasing Occupational Health services. Work Already Done DWP's Innovation Lab conducted rapid design work including small-scale user testing with small businesses validating our initial assumptions about government's trusted role in this space and unmet employer user needs in respect of information about expert health services. This work confirmed financial barriers and the need for services to be tailored to a purchasing organisation's needs. There is a larger evidence base of formal research and evaluation (GB/International) describing the value of expert health advice in managing sickness and disability in the workplace, and the motivation of employers to generally do the right thing, but lacking knowledge, time and resources. Existing Team DWP operates in a multi-disciplinary environment for digital solutions. Teams consist of various digital agile roles with a combination of permanent and external supplier resources. Preferred bidders will be required to collaborate across multiple teams and multiple disciplines. Current Phase Not started Skills & Experience • Demonstrate experience of outcome based delivery utilising the full range of agile role disciplines e.g. Product Management, Business Analyst, Content/Interaction Design, software, infrastructure and data engineering within large/complex programmes. • The roles should have a mix of skill levels based on the Digital, Data and Technology Profession Capability Framework. Skills should be a minimum of 3 years’ experience. • Demonstrate ability to supply technical/data elements for outcome based delivery with skills in DevOps with experience in AWS/Azure cloud infrastructure, CI/CD. • Demonstrate ability to supply technical/data elements for outcome based delivery with experience of Solution Architecture with a breadth of understanding across a range of technical domains including, Microservices/event driven architecture. • Demonstrate ability to supply technical/data elements for outcome based delivery with skills in Software Engineering (full stack and or front/back), HTML5 and associated front end frameworks, Java, JavaScript, API Gateways. • Demonstrate ability to supply technical/data elements for outcome based delivery with skills in Test Automation/performance and associated frameworks. • Demonstrate ability to supply Product Management elements for outcome based delivery with skills in delivering product/services that meet user needs and delivers value, feature prioritisation and stakeholder engagement. • Demonstrate ability to supply Product Design elements for outcome based delivery with skills in Business Analysis including process modelling and requirements/gap analysis. • Demonstrate ability to supply Product Design elements for outcome based delivery with skills in user-centred content design-understanding user needs and designing content around those needs. • Demonstrate ability to supply Product Design elements for outcome based delivery with skills in interaction design, understanding user journeys and use prototypes to deliver services and products. • Demonstrate ability to supply Product Design elements with skills in user research, including planning, designing and carrying out research activities to develop an understanding of the citizen/user needs. • Demonstrate ability to supply Delivery elements for outcome based delivery with skills in end to end delivery management using agile values and practices, coaching and development of teams. • Demonstrate ability to supply Delivery elements for outcome based delivery with experience of practical utilisation of agile methodologies (Kanban/Scrum) and metrics driven delivery. • Demonstrate experience of developing and implementing outcomes that meet accessibility requirements - WCAG 2.1 AA • Demonstrate experience of utilising and implementing Government Digital Service Design Standards (GDS) within outcome based delivery including taking products and services through internal and external GDS assessments. • Provide at least one example of developing rapid prototypes of data-driven tools, hypothesis testing with stakeholders and end users, and developing machine learning models. • Provide evidence of how you have been successful in working collaboratively as part of a blended team whilst meeting a service commitment. Nice to Haves • Demonstrate experience of working within DWP or a comparable organisation (in terms of size and complexity - public or private sector within the last 3-5 years). • Understanding of latest data science techniques to help drive better decisions. Work Location We are working towards operating a hybrid way of working which includes time within an office aligned with a digital hub in North East, North West or Leeds Working Arrangments Teams will work collaboratively together, the current working arrangements are hybrid with remote working plus a potential of 40% of the working week in a digital hub for ceremonies/stakeholder reviews etc in either Blackpool/ Longbenton or Leeds Security Clearance Minimum expectation of BPSS and higher if specified. If SC required, the resource must meet the criteria including a 5-year continuous residency in the UK and NI and be willing to go through the process. DWP will sponsor supplier staff through the clearance process. Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels 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/ No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Technical solution • Approach and methodology • How the approach or solution meets user needs • How the approach or solution meets our policy or goal • How risks and dependencies have been identified and approaches offered to manage them • Team structure and estimated timeframes for the work • Value for money. Cultural Fit Criteria • Evidence of user centered design developed with comprehensive citizen/agent user research to understand user needs • Ability to communicate effectively to express freedom of thought and innovation, positively challenge and act as an advocate for change. • Ability to own problem statements and take accountability for driving and defining successful outcomes. • Evidence of working in a transparent and visible way that drives performance, ownership, trust and eliminates surprise. • Evidence of a culture of continuous improvement where individuals learn from past mistakes and offer improvement opportunities. • Evidence contribution to Corporate Social Value Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Work history • Reference • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 45% Cultural fit 20% Price 35% Questions from Suppliers 1. 1. Could you please share the procurement timetable. Based on current assumptions, but subject to change:Stage 1 outcomes due: 27/09/2021Stage 2 request for proposals due: 06/10/2021Contract start: 06/12/2021 2. Who is the incumbent? There is no incumbent. 3. Will this opportunity need Discovery, User Research activities. If yes, how much portion of the work you anticipate it to be. Yes this opportunity would require a Discovery phase. DWP internal teams typically allocate 8 weeks for discovery but this will ultimately be a supplier decision. In relation to User Research activities as we in DWP follow GDS standards User Research would continue throughout all phases 4. Do you have a specification document for this opportunity or further documents that we may have missed? No, no further information is available. 5. Can we ask how you will evaluate price at the next stage. Will this be based on roles/rates or project price? Those suppliers who are successful in stage 1 will receive full guidance into DWP expectations for completing the pricing structure 6. What roles are you expecting suppliers to provide? Roles outlined at bullets 2 - 10 within the advert. Those suppliers who are successful in stage 1 will receive full guidance into DWP expectations in relation to roles required 7. Are you expecting all roles to have the ability to be full time? As with any outcome based delivery it is the suppliers responsibilty and would anticipate the majority of the team required would be full time. However this will be dependant on the deliverables at each stage of the lifecycle 8. In order to compare suppliers like for like, how will price be evaluated? Those suppliers who are successful in stage 1 will receive full guidance into DWP expectations for completing the pricing structure 9. Will you be providing a full time Product Owner to this project? No, DWP require teams to be self sufficient to deliver the outcomes. Although teams will work independently they will need to work collaboratively across the teams to ensure product roadmaps and priorities, standards, best practice, architecture, tech stack etc align with DWP 10. Are you able to recruit and provide access to users for the purpose of user research? It is anticipated that suppliers will need to leverage their own frameworks to recruit citizens for their own research 11. Are you planning on using your usual tech stack for this work? Department approved tech stack will be used 12. What roles are DWP expecting to provide and will these all be full time? DWP will not provide any resource to deliver the outcome. DWP will provide strategic oversight via Lead Delievery, Tech & Product Manager however DWP require teams to be self sufficient to deliver the outcomes. Although teams will work independently they will need to work collaboratively across the teams to ensure product roadmaps and priorities, standards, best practice, architecture, tech stack etc align with DWP 13. Has any other supplier been engaged with this project so far? If suppliers are identified to have been involved within any prior capacity linked to this work, then the appropriate Ethical Walls protocols will be followed 14. For the first evaluation round (evidence), what would you expect to see from an answer for it to be deemed ‘exceeding’ and score 3 marks? We would expect the answer would fully articulated how you have met the criteria outlined 15. As per DOS guidelines ‘You should only provide one example for each essential or nice-to-have requirement’, are you only requesting one example per skills and experience question? Yes we are looking for a relevant example. Where we have asked for experience or skills eg test automation, provide an example where you have demonstrated deployment of these skills 16. Will the scores from the evidencing round be taken through to final evaluation? Or will they only be used for the purposes of shortlisting suppliers? The scores for the first round will be used to shortlist only, with a separate evaluation taking place at the second stage. 17. With the limited information available to scope this work, how will you assess costs and whether they represent value for money? Those suppliers who are successful in stage 1 will receive further guidance into the work required and assistance for completing the pricing structure 18. Are there any existing ministerial (or other) commitments around delivery timeframes? Ministerial commitments are outlined in 'Health is Everyone's Business' consultation . The primary commitment is to test the impacts of the subsidy. 19. As there is a duration and budget specified, can we assume work has been limited and prioritised? In conjunction with DWP the successful supplier will map out a roadmap within the contract timeframe and budget. Anything outside of this scope will be subject to further prioritisation, governance and if appropriate a further competition 20. Can you provide access to the existing work done by the DWP Innovation Lab? No further documentation is available at this time 21. How would you like suppliers to present expenses (separate rechargeable or included in day rates based on assumption for travel)? Not required for this stage. Those suppliers who are successful in stage 1 will receive full guidance into DWP expectations for completing the pricing structure 22. Is marketing of the subsidy considered in or out of scope? Questions about how employers and providers find out about the service may form part of the user research. Actual marketing activity falls out of scope for this team however the supplier team will need to work collaboratively with policy, implementation and communications and marketing leads to ensure fit with roadmap 23. Will you be able to organise access to stakeholders throughout the project? DWP will ensure the supplier has correct and authorised access to external stakeholders 24. Is payment of such a subsidy already within the DWP’s ambit or would legislation be required to run a pilot (or similar)? Yes and legislation to run a pilot is not required however appropriate governance will be in place . The subsidy will be compliant with the UK Subsidy Control Regime which replaced State Aid rules 25. The users listed are businesses – are end users (employees) considered out of scope and if so, why? We want to increase employers use of expert work and health services, especially occupational health services, as this is associated with better outcomes for business and individuals. Employers and OH providers are expected to be our primary users, although employees will be beneficiaries of any new service. 26. Can you confirm what is meant by blended teams, is it multi-supplier of multi-skillset? DWP Health operates within a supplier, permanent and contracted labour environment we expect suppliers to work closely and collaboratively with all teams regardless of contract status this is to ensure that although supplier teams are independent they are joined up in terms of strategy, research, architecture etc 27. Can you define what is meant by rapid prototypes? Demonstration of prototypes that can be put in front of users/citizens to enable immediate feedback on research hypothesis