Financial system replacement software development

Tender description

Summary of the work To replace MS Dynamics Great Plains with MS Dynamics Finance and Operations together with a new chart of accounts. Support the change management and training to ensure the new system is embedded successfully. Expected Contract Length 2 years + (optional 6 months extension) Latest start date Monday 9 January 2023 Budget Range £700,000 to £1,000,000 approximate Why the Work is Being Done Our current system, Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains (GP) moves to extended support in 2023 and will be end of life (with no support) in 2028. This makes the replacement of the financial system a priority and a new system also ensures that when further technology changes are made, we will have a financial system in place capable of properly monitoring system delivery and project costs. Problem to Be Solved This is an opportunity to reimagine our finance processes and operations, the new finance system and a re-designed chart of accounts will allow better analysis and reporting, more detailed management information, will create operational efficiencies and enable us to operate in a more robust environment. The current system which is held on servers in the data centre will be replaced by a cloud based solution, and we will immediately benefit from advances in technology and improvements in cyber security. The new system will support our current & future operating model and business needs, the finance system is the spine in the body of our business, and as such it needs to be versatile and flexible to allow us to deliver future technology projects as part of the overall programme. Who Are the Users Corporate Finance Team to manage all financial processes within the organisation. Early Market Engagement We have engaged with 5 suppliers over the past 12 months to understand the technological opportunities and types of operating models within the market. This has enabled us to devise our specification of requirements more adequately. Existing Team Project Sponsor, Project Manager, Business Analyst, Finance & IT Teams. Current Phase Alpha Skills & Experience • Implementation of Microsoft Dynamics Finance and Operations (2%) • Experience of implementing a bespoke IT system (2%) • Experience of integration with Housing Management Systems (2%) Nice to Haves • Experience of delivering change management (1%) • Experience of implementing the WalkMe tool or similar (1%) • Guidance on design of a new Chart of Accounts (1%) • Ability to demonstrate experience of skills transfer during implementation (1%) • Experience of working within the entire Microsoft Stack (1%) Work Location Off site - remote working Working Arrangments To be agreed during planning stages of the project. Security Clearance We would expect contractors working in our environments to have relevant security and reference checks. Additional T&Cs To be confirmed No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Describe the capabilities of the proposed system to meet the requirements set out in the technical specification (12%) • Describe the implementation approach and methodology of delivering a workable solution including setting out key milestone. (6%) • Propose a delivery plan including a proposed timetable and describe the ease and speed with which the proposed system can be implemented and operated. (5%) • Demonstrate the ability of proposed solution to deliver the required outcomes (via Demonstration). (4%) • Describe how the approach will meet the user needs and your approach to solution design. (6%) • Describe any risks and dependencies and offer approach to minimise and manage them. (3%) • Describe team structure and project management including how you will adapt and support delivery of change. (3%) • Value for money and managing unexpected costs. (2%) • Describe how you will ensure relevant teams are upskilled and ready to take on operational control and support upon completion of the work. (5%) • Description of approach to on-going partnership and support services. (3%) Cultural Fit Criteria • Demonstrate your ability to engage with multiple teams, sharing knowledge and delivering a successful collaborative work environment in the last 5 years. (5%) • Demonstrate your approach to problem solving in the past, including finding solutions, ability to negotiate, collaborate and take responsibility when appropriate. (5%) Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Work history • Reference • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. Have Stonewater Limited decided on Microsoft Finance & Operations, or would they be open to exploring an option with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central? Stonewater has considered both and concluded that F&O best suits its requirements. 2. Q&A Session slides are available in the link below for all suppliers to view. Copy and Paste the link into your browser:https://fluminis-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/karishma_sheikh_stonewater_org/EZE3n3UIKadAsjhP4lxqdfkB8-XUobO8WYvCcwLjWfKmPg?e=ARdoKf 3. You state “We have engaged with 5 suppliers over the past 12 months to understand the technological opportunities and types of operating models within the market. This has enabled us to devise our specification of requirements more adequately”A key evaluation criteria is to describe the suitability of the software to the clients situation and we feel that those 5 vendors used in the early market engagement COULD be at an advantage in terms of knowledge and understanding of the context and client requirement, will they or their partners be bidding ? We want to ensure that this is a very transparent process so we will be providing background information on Stonewater as an organisation, what our requirements are and how the process will be run which will be accessible to all suppliers on the framework. All pre-market engagements have been very generic in order to understand the options in the market and only helped us to finalise our choice of Microsoft Dynamics. 4. The budget range mentioned is £700,000 – £1m. Is this for the “Alpha phase” only or is the overall budget for the Alpha, Beta, Go Live etc? If this is only for Alpha, could you state the budget for the project as a whole from start to finish?Can we enquire if there is an incumbent Microsoft partner already in place and working with the organisation? The budget range is for the project as a whole. There are no incumbent MS partners in place. 5. Q&A session Find below the link to the recorded Q&A session.https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/10af7c2a-04c1-46fd-83b1-75cc6744aab5 6. Please could you confirm when shortlisted suppliers will be notified that they have been successful and the dates for the issue and return of the tendered proposal? We aim to let the shortlisted suppliers know by the 14th November 2022 or sooner. The 2nd stage tender will commence on 15th November 2022 with a return date of the 29th November 2022. The presentations/ demos will take place week commencing 21st November 2022.