Apprenticeships Digital Development, principal analysis across digital service build

Tender description

Summary of the work We require principal analysis services to support the development of GDS compliant digital services users to support the continued development and live running of the service. As the service is already live we will require a handover from incumbent-suppliers and throughout a need for knowledge transfer to permanent-staff within DfE. Expected Contract Length up to 2 years Latest start date Monday 31 October 2022 Budget Range These capability services are to be delivered over a contract period of 2 years and with an indicative contract value of approximately £4.19m (inc VAT) for the full 2-year service delivery. The work is primarily inside IR35 rules Why the Work is Being Done The Government has committed to increasing the quality and quantity of apprenticeships in England. To support the delivery of this ambition we will continue to ensure our services are scalable, cloud-based and meet Government Digital Service standards; so that they meet user needs and ensure a great apprenticeship experience. High quality analysis to holistically understand and respond to policy challenges and user needs (adhering to user centered design principles) are core to successfully meeting this ambition. Problem to Be Solved Transforming the way in which the English apprenticeship system works - a significant ambition with multiple policy, operational and delivery challenges. Ensuring the significant and multi-faceted needs of users in the apprenticeship market place are met with the aims of raising the quality and quantity of successful apprenticeships, and promoting social mobility, thereby adding to the country's economic performance. Outcomes delivered through building and live running of existing services, with new features and capabilities to be added into the multi-dimensional delivery model to meet ambitious programme objectives. In a large scale government programme and a complex environment this involves, co-design with policy across government, clear understanding of various user and stakeholder needs and an evidence based direction to drive value in response to these Who Are the Users Our users are both external (employers, training providers, end-point assessment organisations and apprentices) and government, for example: As a individual I need to easily access impartial information to understand and access apprenticeships, and to receive timely information on how I progress within and beyond my apprenticeship. As a non-levy employer I need to understand the funding for hiring an apprentice, find and recruit the right apprentice and how to manage my apprentices through the service. As a training provider I need to understand how I receive funding for apprenticeships from government and what I need to do within the apprenticeship service. As an end-point assessment organisation I need to understand the registration process for operating in the marketplace and what I need to do within the apprenticeship. As DfE I need to oversee effective delivery of apprenticeships, including sharing/receiving information with stakeholders. Early Market Engagement N/A Work Already Done A minimum viable service was introduced in 2017 and we continue to develop significant capability as we move towards the agreed vision whereby all employers take greater control of apprenticeship funding to drive up quality in the market place. Since that time we have continued to add new services/capabilities as we build out towards a great end to end experience for our users. These capabilities are connected through a personalised user-outcome, AI based, real time data model. Existing Team We operate agile at scale across all aspects of our award-winning build-test-run model. Our agile teams are multi-disciplinary with the full range of agile delivery skills needed to develop new digital services, through the standard GDS phases. Typical team size is up to 10 with a skill-mix such as product/service managers, delivery managers, business analysts, user research & design professionals, architects, developers, testers. Teams are co-located in Coventry and comprise a blend of digital service suppliers and permanent staff. The delivery of analysis outcomes will align with the cadence of the service, to aid collaboration between all our multi-disciplinary teams. Current Phase Live Skills & Experience • Evidence of successful delivery within the last two years when working on a large-scale transformative digital-programme with significant complexity in terms of user-needs, policy constraints, business rules & process enhancements • Demonstratable evidence of delivering high quality analysis on complex project assignments; from articulating problem statements to gaining buy-in to evidence-based recommendations that lead to successful outcomes for users. • Demonstratable evidence of delivering insight based on a range of evidence/data sources; viewing problem statements holistically to ensure options and recommendations provide successful solutions to real causes of identified problems • Demonstratable experience of working successfully with senior decision makers based on continual assessment of problems to agree improvement options and build momentum towards agreed vision • Demonstrable evidence of delivering business and process transformation to enable successful delivery of digital programmes • Demonstrable evidence of working within and parallel to multi-disciplinary teams to develop solutions which consider all relevant considerations, including policy, compliance, regulations and assurance. • Proven experience of supporting customers (stakeholders) to build in-house analysis capabilities, setting out the strategy for capability development and effective knowledge management and transfer. • Demonstratable evidence of working closely with senior responsible officers in reviewing business processes and identifying opportunities and strategies to improve business efficiencies in a timely manner Nice to Haves • Experience of successfully working with a development team to build software applications using the Government design principles within the and Government Digital Service (GDS) style guide • Experience of working on largescale programme\full end-end capabilities including supporting insight\analysis to support co-design of policy options and portfolio function. portfolio and digital product build through to operations\user support Work Location Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry, CV1 2WT and remote working / supplier site working Occasional travel to the DfE/ESFA site in London along with travel across England for user research may be required. The primary location will be detailed in each Statement of Work (SoW) and expenses will not form part of the cost unless the supplier is asked to work from a secondary location during the execution of the work e.g. If SoW primary base is in Coventry , then no expenses will be paid for Coventry. Working Arrangments This will be a 5 day per week (Monday to Friday) commitment and detailed working arrangements, including team location, size and make-up, will be contained within each statement of work. Day to day delivery will be governed by standard agile delivery techniques. These could be either a Kanban or a scrum approach (depending on the work) but the standard agile ceremonies appropriate to those will be undertaken. These will be monitored by the Delivery Manager and the Product Owner will be responsible for prioritising backlogs in refinement sessions. Security Clearance Enhanced DBS and BPSS checks required. Successful supplier must be able to demonstrate that proposed team members have been subject to Baseline Personnel Security Standards checks. Suppliers will also be required to complete a supplier security assurance form to ensure they meet the required standard for DfE e.g. Cyber Essentials Additional T&Cs Standard Framework and Call Off Terms and Conditions. Expenses must be pre-agreed and comply with DfE Travel and Subsistence (T&S) Policy. Any expenses shall be submitted in line with DfE standard T&S policy. Primary work locations stated in SoW will not attract expenses. No parking is available on site. Suppliers must provide sufficient guarantees to meet the requirements of GDPR in line with Procurement Policy Note 03/17 Changes to Data Protection Legislation & General Data Protection Regulation No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Ability to successfully drive innovation to transform services into modern customer centric solutions • Technical competence in business analysis and agile practices (what good looks like, exemplify) • Ability to successfully analyse the most complex business problems, policy challenges and user needs and deliver holistic recommendations • Evidence of successful continual assessment of problems and agreement to improvement options to build momentum towards agreed vision • Ability to successfully and promptly mobilise expertise to scale up team and flex resource when needed and to respond to fluctuating requirements • Able to successfully provide a service that has the capability to deliver outcomes on time to a high standard and recognise where approach needs to be adapted when not working • Ability to use data and analysis techniques when evaluating options so that success measures they are traceable through to the realisation of measurable benefits • Ability to successfully demonstrate up-to-date expertise in IT Systems and apply this to the development, execution and improvement of action plans. Cultural Fit Criteria • Demonstrate how you as a supplier have successfully adhered to a buyers’ code of practice or adopted their organisational behaviours to ensure cultural fit • Demonstrate successfully operating a no-blame culture, encouraging people to learn from their mistakes in order to create a positive ethos. • Participate in community of practice and demonstrate knowledge sharing • Working with different suppliers and buyers staff in a collaborative way to deliver common goals • How will your organisation support educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications (e.g. , Apprenticeships, Industry placements, Traineeships) (5%) • Describe how your organisation encourages diverse representation of under-represented groups in the workforce, e.g. Women, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, Disabled, LGBTQ+ and how you monitor and measure this (5%) Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Work history • Reference • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 15% Price 35% Questions from Suppliers 1. What roles are expected to fulfil this opportunity? Principal analysis services to drive forward an ambitious apprenticeship programme response to its most challenging issues. Outcomes will cover the whole spectrum of analysis needed to drive forward digital services (i.e. business analysis, user analysis, etc) 2. You mention that your existing team comprises a blend of digital service suppliers and permanent staff. Who are the external suppliers please, what services do they provide, and how long have they been involved? Our current portfolio includes a range of different suppliers meeting different needs of the service such as Technical Architecture, Testing, Development, User centred design etc which all play key goals in building a digital service. All current suppliers have contracts for 2 years which have been extended and will all be ended by Feb-23. 3. Is there an incumbent supplier? What is the likely ratio of remote working versus onsite in Coventry/London etc? -Incumbent supplier is Farsight.-Hybrid working will be a requirement of this contract, DfE attendance policy is currently 60% office based working, agreement with supplier will be made upon contract award and detailed in each statement of work (SOW). Primary DfE office is Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry, CV1 2WT.