3C ICT Data Centre Refresh Audit

Tender description

Summary of the work 3C ICT have identified the need to complete an audit of our Data Centres, to understand the interdependencies between Applications, Data, the Infrastructure Stack & the User Community. We anticipate an outcomes report detailing analysis, recommendations, and a plan to implement a solution to refresh the technologies within our DCs. Expected Contract Length We expect this work to take no more than 2 months. Latest start date Monday 18 April 2022 Budget Range Capped at £10k, approximately ten days. Why the Work is Being Done 3C ICT have identified that they need to complete an in-depth investigation to understand the interdependent relationships between Applications, Data, the Infrastructure Stack & the User Community. 3C ICT is the IT service provider for 3 councils in the Cambridgeshire area of the UK, namely Huntingdon District Council, Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council. The 3 councils came together in 2016 and as such pooled their IT resources, creating a centralised IT service, their Data Centres, and disaster recovery capabilities. The service and technologies have progressed over time. The platforms and associated applications are now in a hybrid style technology stack. This is deployed utilising on-premises Data Centres and Cloud space (public and private). However, most of the services provided are on-premises. 3C ICT on-premises platforms consist of a multitude of technologies. In some cases, the applications and infrastructure on which the systems reside, is no longer satisfactory. Problem to Be Solved 3C ICT recognise that the current Data Centre technologies are nearing end of life and will soon be unfit for purpose. They need to ensure that there is no detrimental impact to business or services provided, and through good IT governance, due diligence, and best practices, they want to review what is in situ today (hardware, software, platforms) against what is required / recommended over the coming years. 3C ICT are considering their existing ‘Cloud first’ model approach to application refactoring such as software as a service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) where it is feasible and logical to do so. There are areas of improvement in their capabilities sought. Upgrades / replacements – what is available now, how their staff engage with the tools needed to do their job, any improvements in security and system access control. In essence 3C ICT require a Data Centre structure that allows for flexibility; to shrink as they focus their attention on cloud first capabilities, or potentially stretch as they continue to grow. Some of the hardware technologies are on extended support and 3C ICT have budget to continue this until a satisfactory long-term solution is designed. Expected December 2023. Who Are the Users As a Technical Architect I need to audit the Data Centres' through the three council's mentioned, so that we fully understand what is required to renew, replace, refactor and / or migrate the current technologies as appropriate. Existing Team The team will be made up of 3C ICT staff including Architecture, Infrastructure and Apps teams. Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • Consult on provisioning of Infrastructure and Application Designs including refactoring / moving of said technologies to Cloud considering IaaS/PaaS/SaaS, Private & Public Cloud, Co-location & On-premises. • Experience of working within a complex and legacy applications environment. • Capabilities in designing an approach to refresh Data Centres covering: Hardware, Business Applications, Collaboration & Identity, Compute & Storage, Hosted Services, End User Services, Digital Services, Security Services, Service Management • Designing solutions based on user centred design (council members, residents, other external organisations (such as law enforcement, NHS etc…) and business staff) • Experience of working in a local authority environment understanding the complexities, key services, datasets, analytical capacity, and constraints. • Delivering successful discoveries for local authorities (or central government and other regulated institutions) in IT change projects where the outcomes are actionable recommendations. • Producing technical architecture and artefacts within a broad organisational framework to achieve security, resilience, and value for money. • Demonstrable qualified project management, business analysis and service design resources. • Designing strategies for deploying and managing multiple cloud-to-cloud and to/from on-premises solutions. • Able to provision skills in technical architecture and network design with all round knowledge of Microsoft products such as Azure. • Able to evidence using technology to build resilient platforms and solutions. • Experience of cybersecurity controls and methodologies. • Able to build capability in client departments, demonstrating knowledge transfer. • Able to showcase delivering discovery projects covering a broad scope. • Decommissioning of current solutions in place. Nice to Haves • Communicate to non-technical people without the use of complex technical jargon. • Should be comfortable with remote working and video conferencing. • Highlight similar projects within the public sector. • Provide an Agile approach to delivering and working. Work Location We have Datacentres located in: Peterborough Huntingdon Cambridge Working Arrangments Predominately remote but would anticipate 40% of a week for personnel from the partner team to be onsite making site visits, meeting with the business, and clarifying any points as required. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Technical solution including designs. • Approach and methodology, how the approach meets the requirements. • Identified risks and dependencies. • Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria • Offer collaboration in and across teams where there are multiple organisational stakeholders and other existing IT vendors/partners • Knowledge transfer to permanent staff within the client organisation. • Manage stakeholder expectations, ensuring clear communication lines on progress and risk. • Demonstrate continuous improvement: people, process, and solutions. • Demonstrate how you can "sell" a technically complex strategy, to all audiences including IT and non-technical, to secure funding for the programme. • Willingness and ability to transfer knowledge and skills to relevant Council IT. Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Work history • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Is there an incumbent, or do you intend to award the opportunity to a new supplier? This opportunity is open to all and we welcome fresh perspectives. 2. Good Morning,“All suppliers will be asked to provide a written proposal” – please could you confirm the process for this, and when it will be asked? Also, please could you advise at which stage pricing will be requested?Thank you, Both the document and quote will be required upfront at the time of selection. 3. In reply to the previous question asked. Please can you advise where the quote should be entered as there is nowhere to upload the relevant information.Thank you, We expect it to be as part of your main proposal.