Dstl CBR Data EMR

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 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 the 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 and 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, this 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 • 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 No questions have been answered yet.