Design a Data Management System for CBR S&T Data and capture Defence S&T data search requirements

Tender description

Summary of the work Conduct requirements capture for science & technology (S&T) data catalogue and search across all Dstl Divisions, and requirements for a full data management system for the Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) Division, with the option to design the data management system for the CBR Division. Expected Contract Length 8 months, with design option extension for a further 4 months (up to a total of 12 months) Latest start date Wednesday 8 February 2023 Why the Work is Being Done In support of the Data Strategy for Defence, Dstl is investing in data management for better accessibility of S&T data for re-use, exploitation and defence advantage. The current file-server based digital solution for data management in Dstl enables S&T data to be stored securely, however, we want to identify an improved approach that would better enable technical staff to find, access, share and reuse their S&T data in a timely manner across different platforms whilst meeting our security requirements. This engagement will set out the requirements that will enable the organisation to maximise the efficiency of existing projects and to enable future data-intensive work in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Requirements relating to searching and cataloguing of data will be captured across all S&T Divisions of Dstl. All other requirements for effective data management will be additionally captured for the CBR Division, with the option to design a data management system for the CBR Division. Outputs from this assignment will also be used for other Dstl data management initiatives. All output from this engagement must align with the Dstl Data Exploitation Enabling Programme (DEEP) and Defence Data Strategy. Problem to Be Solved Comprehensive requirements capture for searching S&T data across all Divisions, and all aspects of S&T data management for the CBR Division, including the following non-exhaustive list: • Span the breadth of S&T data in the Division and wider, across multiple classifications (up to Secret) • An estimate of the scale of current data assets and how this may vary with time • Define the required metadata, and define how this will permit data to be searched intuitively by human users while retaining machine reading/searching compatibility • Allow collation of different data types, structures and scale across different platforms • How version control will be established across classifications, with documentation of every change to data within the system • Compatibility with existing Dstl infrastructure, and capture of outstanding dependencies which must be resolved prior to the introduction of an improved data management framework • Define how data will be managed within our legal and ethical requirements, including data access, integrity The requirements capture must be used to define how data will be searched across all Divisions of Dstl, and propose a method for improved data management for the CBR Division which meets the requirements, with option to design the proposed system. Who Are the Users User 1 – end user: Access my own and my colleagues' S&T data in a timely manner; search and synthesize data on any given topic, understand its provenance, and whether that data has changed over time (i.e. version history); add new data to the system as it is generated. Use new and novel Machine Learning algorithms to increase the impact of my data. User 2 – organisational user: Understand the catalogue of S&T data assets within the organisation, their provenance and ownership, how they are used, ensure that they are being held in a secure manner that meets our legal and ethical responsibilities. User 3 – system designer: if the option for design is not taken as part of this contract, user will understand the requirements for the data management system to be designed. User 4 – system developer: if the option for design is taken as part of this contract, user will be able to use the delivered design to develop and deploy the data management system. User 5 – technical staff: need to understand how the implementation of the proposed approach to data management will affect their data generation, management and sharing processes in their day-to-day work Early Market Engagement None Work Already Done An initial review of the data management baseline in the CBR Division has been conducted, providing a qualitative assessment of which capabilities exist in the Division and how they currently generate, store, and use their data. This review will be made available to the successful supplier at the start of the contract. DEEP has completed qualitative assessments of the data maturity for all of Dstl S&T Divisions against the DAMA framework, and has ongoing work packages regarding data exploitation. Access to reports and work package leads will be made available to the successful supplier at the start of the contract. Existing Team The team consists of a technical partner, two senior reviewers, one software reviewer, one internal project manager, and access to stakeholders across the organisation. The supplier will need to discuss requirements with Dstl Digital, the organisational information services supplier, organisational infrastructure supplier, and DEEP strategic data management programme. Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • Must demonstrate expertise and track record in data engineering and implementation of data management systems for S&T/unstructured data (8 points) • Must demonstrate track record in understanding user requirements for data management and translating to technical plans for delivery (7 points) • Must demonstrate experience in having previously delivered work of a similar scale and complexity within a similar time frame (7 points) • Meets ISO9001, ISO12207 and/or TickITPlus standards. Meeting any of these three standards will confer the full maximum score for this response. (1 point) • List X status for the location where this work will be carried out and Security Clearance for all supplier staff working on this contract (1 point) Nice to Haves • Evidence of agile ways of working, including across different levels or layers of security control (5 points) • Evidence of working with different data management tools, such as Azure, AWS, Google Cloud (5 points) • Show an understanding of state of the art in data digitisation, and metadata tagging (2 points) Work Location The majority of work under this engagement must be completed remotely at a List X site, however, access to stakeholders, meetings, and some information will be required at: Dstl Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 0JQ Dstl Portsdown West, Portsdown Hill Rd, Fareham PO17 6AD Dstl Alverstoke, Crescent Road, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 2DL It is anticipated that 2-3 days of in-person meetings at Porton Down will be required at the start of the contract, and visits to Dstl sites approximately fortnightly throughout the contract. Working Arrangments The supplier staff can decide their own working hours, but will be required to attend meetings with the internal project team or stakeholders, either on site or remotely, within Dstl business core hours: Monday to Friday 09:00-16:30. Security Clearance Supplier’s staff working on this contract will require security clearance up to and including SECRET. The supplier’s site where the work is conducted will be required to have List X status. Additional T&Cs Specific MOD Clauses DEFCON 76 Edn 06/21 - Contractor's Personnel at Government Establishments DEFCON 611 Edn – 02/16 - Issued Property DEFCON 659A Edn 09/21 -Security Measures DEFCON 705 – 06/21 - Intellectual Property Rights - Research and Technology Suppliers are advised that the result for the Stage 1 of this Competition will be notified to the Successful and Unsuccessful Suppliers on 10th January 2023. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Demonstration of the approach you will take to capture requirements for S&T search requirements and CBR S&T data management system requirements, including approach to engagement with technical SMEs (7 points) • Demonstration of the approach you will take to understanding feasibility and cost of proposals (6 points) • Must demonstrate approach of how technical plans for delivery will be developed (6 points) • Must demonstrate an understanding of how bespoke features may be added to COTS solutions to meet bespoke requirements for data management systems (5 points) • Demonstration of experience of management of large-scale datasets, and adaptive scalability to meet future data storage requirements (5 points) • Must explain how proposed work will be delivered within the contract time frame (5 points) • Demonstration of approach you will take to identifying candidate frameworks for the CBR S&T Data System, given the identified user requirements (5 points) Cultural Fit Criteria • Demonstrate your approach to engaging with internal stakeholders undergoing cultural change and how this will support project success (3 points) • Demonstrate how you will work transparently, collaboratively and share your approach with the project team and seek actionable feedback (2 points) Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method • Case study • Work history • Reference • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 75% Cultural fit 5% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Could you provide an indicative budget please? The Authority is unable to provide an indicative budget at this stage. The budget is flexible and will be dependent on the scope of work proposed and the demonstrated capabilities of the responders 2. Q2. Looking at the question regarding Agile working ‘Evidence of agile ways of working, including across different levels or layers of security control’, what is meant by ‘working across different levels or layers of security control’? This engagement is looking to capture requirements across Official, Official-Sensitive and Secret classification layers, and with S&T capability areas that have specific legal mandates on data control. The suppliers should demonstrate whether they have experience working across domains that have these layers of security control, or similar relevant experience. 3. Looking at the question regarding ISO standards: ‘Meets ISO9001, ISO12207 and/or TickITPlus standards. Meeting any of these three standards will confer the full maximum score for this response’, are you asking for the delivery of the system to be compliant or the delivered system to be designed in a manner that supports the business desire to be compliant with these standards? The supplier should be able to design and deliver a system that is compliant with these standards. 4. Please confirm what is meant by ‘similar complexity’ for question 3 This engagement will require the supplier to understand requirements across a broad set of Defence capability areas, each with specific requirements for how data must be managed. We would like the supplier to demonstrate how they have previously delivered work that meets the requirements for an organisation as a whole while ensuring compatibility with different ways of working in subsections of that organisation. 5. What is the scope, scale and variety of the data under consideration (volumes, types, structured/unstructured) and how stored (separate platforms, technology stacks, stores, databases)? Determining this information will form part of the requirements capture that we are asking the successful supplier to conduct. 6. Please specify the budget range? As this initial phase is looking at capability of the market only the Authority is not proposing to release the budget. This will be reviewed during the second phase of this competition. 7. Please confirm what is meant by ‘similar scale’ in question 3 This engagement will require the supplier to understand requirements across a broad set of Defence capability areas, each with specific requirements for how data must be managed. We would like the supplier to demonstrate how they have previously delivered work that meets the requirements for an organisation as a whole while ensuring compatibility with different ways of working in subsections of that organisation. 8. Please could the authority confirm whether the 20% financial weighting includes just the initial 8 months, or does it also include the additional 4 months? The Authority will use the total cost of the initial 8 months plus the potential additional 4 months for the evaluation of the 20% financial weighting. 9. Please could the authority confirm whether the solution is to be limited to operational use within Dstl, or whether it is required to be accessible from wider MoD, OGD, Industry Partners, Academia or International Research Collaboration? The requirements capture will be shared with MoD to feed into wider data management requirements. The requirements and (optional) design may be shared more widely with MOD, OGD and other external partners. 10. Please could the authority confirm at what point in the process the commercial submission is made? Is there a requirement at this stage to submit indicative or final costings and all the associated assumptions / risks, etc? The commercial submission is made at stage 2. 11. Does participation in this Discovery / Requirements phase activity preclude the bidder from bidding for or winning follow-on delivery of this capability? This Requirement is for 8 months with design option extension for a further 4 months. Participation in this Discovery / Requirements phase activity will not preclude the bidder from bidding for or winning follow-on delivery of this capability 12. Please could the authority confirm the ongoing process and timescales to bid completion, including next stage evaluation of the suppliers to be taken forward? The Further Competition timetable is below. The Authority reserves the right to update, amend or change the timetable at any timeDATE ACTIVITYThursday 22 /12/2022 Closing date for Suppliers to submit application – Stage 123/12/2022 to 09/01/2023 Evaluation Stage 1 Application. Up to 5 Suppliers to be selected for Stage 2 10/01/2023 Authority to Notify Supplier Result 10/01/2023 Stage 2 Issue Tender Pack18/01/2023 Deadline for Stage 2 questions 24/01/2023 Deadline for submission of the Tender 25/01/2023 to 31/01/2023 Authority Tender Evaluations 01/02/2023 Notify Successful Supplier and Unsuccessful Suppliers 01/02/2023 to 10/02/2023 Standstill Period11/02/2023 Contract Award 13. We assume that part of this work will need to be conducted at SECRET. If this is the case, please could the authority confirm if they will provide access to their SECRET IT? Dstl IT will not be provided to the supplier, however, access to datasets will be supplied as required. We require the supplier staff to hold SC and work at a Facility Security Clearance (formerly known as List X) site. Full details on how datasets will be supplied, encryption and return of Government Furnished Information will be supplied in the Security Aspects Letter for downselected suppliers. 14. Confirming Evaluation weightings to correct an error in the published document.Values - Technical competence - 75%Cultural fit - 5%Price - 20% Please note that the correct Evaluation weightings should be:Technical competence - 70%Cultural fit - 5%Price - 25%