Unpaid Carers Discovery Project

Tender description

Pre-market engagement We have already engaged carers from local groups i.e. Southwark Carers and Southwark Independent Voice, but during the discovery we will engage carers from across SEL, including:  Spousal carers (caring for a spouse/ partner)  Parent carers (caring for a disabled/ ill child)  Young carers (caring for a parent/ sibling)  Family carers (caring for an older, disabled or mentally ill family member such as a parent or sibling).   Each borough lead will be responsible for identifying local carers to engage in user-research.  We will also engage with key services to understand the current information/ support landscape e.g. carers organisations/ services, social workers, health teams and VCS partners that support people with care needs. Work done so far This discovery project was developed by a cross-system ‘Carers Delivery Group’ in Southwark which includes adult social care, health representatives and voluntary sector partners (including Southwark Carers and Imago Young Carers Service).   We have also engaged with other LAs from across SEL.    Our relationships with local partners are very good and strengthened by our place-based partnership ‘Partnership Southwark’ which brings together health, social care and VCS organisations to better join up services, tackle the causes of inequality, and improve the health and wellbeing of Southwark residents. Partnership Southwark forms part of our wider SEL ICS which is working to bring together services across South East London.  As part of our discovery we will consider the use of open data standards in order to re-use information from other sources, and explore the potential to reuse/ tailor/ combine products or functionality built by others. Which phase the project is in Discovery Existing team The existing team consists of a Project Steering Group consisting of Digital Project Manager and Borough Leads from Southwark, Lambeth, Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich. Address where the work will be done Predominantly based in the South East London area Southwark, Lambeth, Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich with a mixture of virtual and in person meetings. Expenses for travelling between local authority and partner locations are incorporated in the pricing. Working arrangements The supplier staff will be required to work across multiple sites in South East London and engaged with users in person and remotely. The ratio of remote meeting vs face to face will be agreed wit the chosen supplier as a part of the user engagement plan. Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Provide more information about your security requirements (optional): Southwark Council and partner organisations will provide access to live data if/when required in line with local procedures. Latest start date 2023-10-30 Enter the expected contract length: 4 months Extension period: 2 months Special terms and conditions All expenses must be pre-agreed between the parties and must comply with the local authority Expense policy. All vendors are obliged to provide sufficient guarantees to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures so that the processing meets the requirements of GDPR and ensures the protection of the rights of data subjects. For further information please see the Information Commissioner's Office website https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-reform/overview-of-the-gdpr/ Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: 94500 Indicative minimum: 70875 Provide further information: Excluding VAT Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Summary of work This discovery project will explore: -the experiences of carers across South East London Integrated Care System (SEL ICS) in accessing information, advice and support  -the approaches taken to supporting carers across SEL   -the platforms, digital tools, innovations available/ emerging from the market.  The discovery will allow us to consider how a virtual carers hub could bring together information and a range of functionality to provide a comprehensive digital offer for carers across an ICS footprint. Where the supplied staff will work London Who the organisation using the products or services is South East London Councils: Southwark, Lambeth, Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich Why the work is being done Background - Our discovery will explore virtual and digitally-enabled approaches to supporting carers to address issues associated with navigating the complex information and service landscape, connecting with peers and accessing support at the right time and place. The business problem you need to solve Caring isn’t confined to a single place or borough making a complex system even harder to navigate: - Many carers do not live in the same place as the person they care for - Many people receive secondary healthcare outside their home borough  - Many people are closer to support/ peers in neighbouring boroughs if they are on or near borough boundaries. Carers lives and caring responsibilities aren't always confined to a single place or borough so the support they receive shouldn't be either! Our discovery will explore:  the experiences of carers across South East London Integrated Care System (SEL ICS) in accessing information, advice and support  the approaches taken to supporting carers across SEL   the platforms, digital tools, innovations available/ emerging from the market.  The discovery will allow us to consider how a virtual carers hub could bring together information and a range of functionality to provide a comprehensive digital offer for carers across an ICS footprint. First user type: Unpaid Carer First user type: Local authority professional Enter more details about this user type: Unpaid carers residing in or caring for a family member/friend who resides in, Southeast London. These carers need easy access to up to date advice, information and support to care for their loved ones and maintain their own health and wellbeing. Enter more details about this user type: As a local authority/professional working with unpaid carers, we need to improve the safety, resilience and costs associated with unpaid care by developing a clearer understanding of how we can meet the information, advice and support needs of carers, and how we can utilise digital tools to deliver support more efficiently in ways that better reflect the landscape within which unpaid care is provided. Questions and Clarifications 1. we are looking for some clarification on the proposal structure. Would it be possible to clarify the word limit? We have noticed some suppliers advising there is 750 characters per question. Any support would help us understand Stage 1 - 750 characters per question for this round of questions (Essential and Nice to Haves). Stage 2 - proposal word count will be notified to chosen shortlist of suppliers Last Updated: 23 August 2023, 11:36 2. 1. What are the measures of success for this project? 2. Is there a preferred tech stack for this project? 3. Have you been working alongside any third parties to deliver this project and are they bidding for it? 4. How many stakeholders do you have for this project? 5. Is hosting required as part of this brief? If so, what cloud/hosting is currently used? 6. What specific deliverables are you after for this Discovery project? 7. What is driving the proposed timeline for this project? 1. KPIs to be determined and agreed with chosen supplier 2. No 3. No 4. Number of stakeholders TBD, however types of stakeholder include social worker, carers, voluntary groups as well as internal project team 5. No 6. a. User-research report detailing experiences of carers across South East London ​ b. Map of existing carers services and support​ c. Market research report on online/ virtual carers solutions ​ d. Business case outlining potential costs and benefits of a digital carers service/ hub 7. Central funding from LGA has determined this timeline. Last Updated: 23 August 2023, 11:33 3. 1. The discovery is to take place across the councils of Southwark, Lambeth, Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich. What might the shape of the team look like (titles/ roles)? 2. Should the budget to compensate carers who take part in the project be included in the project budget or will this be allocated from elsewhere ? 1. For this project the internal resources include: Digital Project Manager Senior User for each Council Project Steering Group Chair 2. There is a separate budget to remunerate carers Last Updated: 23 August 2023, 11:25 4. 1 - On "Attachment 3, Responses to Essential and Nice-to-have skills and experience" form, it says If you exceed the 750 character count in any response your application may be considered non-compliant and rejected. Please confirm that this is 750 characters and not 750 words? 2 - Our understanding is that this bud is a staged/ gated process, i.e. first you are looking for us to complete the "Responses to Essential and Nice-to-have skills and experience" form, and then the successful bidders, will then be provided with further information in which to develop a written proposal document. Please confirm this is correct? 3 - Based on the bid documents, it is our understanding that we will not need a third party recruitment agency because each borough lead will identify local carers to participate in the user research. Is this correct? Have the local carers previously expressed interest to participate in this Discovery project? Presumably we need to compensate for the carers' time to participate in the user research out of our own budget? Is this correct? 4 - Will we have an opportunity to ask questions later on? If not, please can we clarity the following: Understanding project goals a) What does discovery mean to Southwark ? Is it aligned with the GDS definition of discovery? https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/how-the-discovery-phase-works. b) Are there other integrated care projects happening that we should take into consideration in our approach? c) Understanding the scope of the research Is there a limitations to what services can be integrated in to the care hub online? e.g. seeking legal advice for example d)Are there any limitations on the platform that we should be aware of? E.g. can only publish content Is there an expectation on the size of the research with carers. E.g. number of interviews, interviews across boroughs in each category listed? e) Is there an expectation on the size of the research with carer stakeholders like social workers or NGOs. e.g. number of interviews, interviews across boroughs in each category listed? f) Understanding deliverables Is there any expectations on deliverables out of the discovery phase ? e.g. "as is" user journey? Understanding team and way of working – g) In Attachment 1 it says "The existing team consists of a Project Steering Group consisting of Digital Project Manager and Borough Leads from Southwark, Lambeth, Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich." Are there any other internal Southwark or Integrated Care team members that we will work with day to day that we should be aware of for our proposal ? e.g. is there any existing researcher, product owner or service designer in the team and what is their expected involvement ? h) Is there an existing research consent process we would need to adopt for this project? Would any teams internally want to be part of research? i) In Attachment 1 it says "Working arrangements: The supplier staff will be required to work across multiple sites in South East London and engaged with users in person and remotely. The ratio of remote meeting vs face to face will be agreed with the chosen supplier as a part of the user engagement plan." Is there a current expectation of the ratio of in person vs remote working? 1. 750 characters 2. Yes 3. Yes we will not need a 3rd party recruitment agency. No, but these carer groups will be informed about this project once Discovery commences. There is a separate budget to remunerate carers. 4. a) Yes we are aligned with the GDS approach. b) No, we are not aware of any similar projects. c) to be determined as part of discovery. d) Not we are aware of. e) Not established yet. f) • User-research report detailing experiences of carers across South East London • Map of existing carers services and support • Market research report on online/ virtual carers solutions • Business case outlining potential costs and benefits of a digital carers service/ hub g) there are no other internal resources h) No existing research consent process. Internal teams may want to be part of the research, TBD. i) No expectations at this stage Last Updated: 23 August 2023, 11:22 5. Would you please be able to address the following questions: 1. Will the scope of the project include research interviews with carers residing outside of the SEL boroughs? 2. Is there an existing virtual carers hub? 3. What information and functionality do you want to bring into the virtual carers hub? 4. Do you envisage that the platform will enable peer support between carers? 5. Have you already explored digital suppliers, if so which platforms have you looked at? 6. There is a mention of young carers, would you like research conducted with young carers if so what is the age range? 7. What support will be provided to young carers to engage in the discovery? 8. Do you already hold the relevant open standards documentation? 9. How do you currently record the number of unpaid carers across SEL (what systems are the various providers using? 10. Which digital systems are you currently using across SEL to record the number of carers (note this could be by health and care organization and VSC? 11. Is there a need for the virtual carers hub to link to or be accessed by other organizations who have their own register of carers, i.e. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT)? 12. Do you have a digital system already in place that shares carers data across health and Adult Social Care? 1. No 2. No 3. To be established as part of this discovery project 4. Yes 5. No 6. From Age 6 7. Young Carer Organisations will support this Discovery project, names of which will be provided on contract award. 8. To be developed, however we support the notion of open standards 9. This data is recorded across multiple systems, details of which will be shared with the chosen supplier 10. This data is recorded across multiple systems, details of which will be shared with the chosen supplier 11. To be determined as part of this discovery project. 12. Not consistent across SEL. Last Updated: 23 August 2023, 10:58 6. Please could you share what roles will be involved in the project from Southwark Council? Project Manager? Would you require a Delivery Manager for this engagement? Internal resources for this project include: Digital Project Manager Senior User for each partner Council Project Steering group Chair Last Updated: 23 August 2023, 10:43 7. 1) In ‘Nice to have’ Question 2, what do you mean by “diverse groups”? • Do you mean diverse types of carers (e.g. young people, adult carers, men etc.)? • Or do you also mean other groups (e.g. service users, families of carers, charities, local authorities, community groups etc.) with whom carers may engage? 2) Also in ‘Nice to have’ Question 2: • Are you expecting suppliers to demonstrate our understanding of the diverse types of carers /groups (as per question above) as well as our understanding of their varying experiences (e.g. their concerns, support requirements etc.)? • Or are you asking us to demonstrate our “ability” in terms of our capability in user engagement/research methods – i.e. how we will conduct user engagement/research to ensure that we engage diverse carers/groups and capture their varying experiences? 3) Likewise Nice to have Question 3: • Are you asking suppliers to demonstrate our understanding of the various types/nuances of the different demographics of each borough? • Or are you asking us to demonstrate our “ability” in terms of our capability in user engagement/research methods – i.e. how we will conduct user engagement/research to ensure that we involve the different demographic profiles of each borough? 1. Diverse groups meaning people of different demographics and backgrounds. 2. How suppliers will conduct user engagement/research to ensure that we engage our diverse population 3. How suppliers will conduct user engagement/research to ensure that different demographic profiles of each borough are captured. Last Updated: 23 August 2023, 10:38 8. Regarding essential skills and experience 4. 'Experience of market research on online/virtual solutions with recommendations for bringing together information/ functionality.' For the avoidance of doubt, could you clarify if the question asking for us to demonstrate A) experience in using online/virtual solutions to conduct market research or B) experience of conducting market research into online/virtual solutions? B. Experience of conducting market research into online/virtual solutions Last Updated: 23 August 2023, 10:27 9. 1 Through proposal submission, are there any specific formats / word count / or limitations we should take into consideration? 2 We understand this is a discovery phase which we have the capabilities and extertise to support. With this in mind, are there any specific outcomes or objectives you are hoping to achieve? 3 Are there any limitations to the roles that can be put forward? 4 We would like to understand if the full project duration is 4 months in total, or 6 months. Please may you clarify? 5 We understand that you will work with the supplier to agree the onsite / remote ratio, however is there an expectation around the number of days spent on site, or would you like the supplier to make an assumption as part of the proposal? 6 Appropriate mesaures will be implemented to meet GDPR and protection of the rights of the data subjects but the technical environment and systems will be responsbility of the client as the Data Controller, is this right? 7 Will the supplier be provided laptops or expect to use their own? Will any data captured from user interviews be need to stored on client systems or supplier? 8 How heavily weighted is this towards user research ? 9 Are you looking for references at this stage? 1 The format and word count/ limitations will be published at Stage 2 2 A. User-research report detailing experiences of carers across South East London ​ B. Map of existing carers services and support​ C. Market research report on online/ virtual carers solutions ​ D. Business case outlining potential costs and benefits of a digital carers service/ hub. 3 No 4 Outputs are expected to be delivered in 4 months, however if a supplier feels more time is required at the Proposal stage (2) then we will take this into consideration. NB. There are no further funds for any time extension. 5 Supplier to make the assumption 6 Yes 7 Supplier to use their own devices/laptops. Data storage and sharing will be determined with the chosen supplier and a data sharing agreement will be put in place as appropriate. 8 User research is heavily weighted against Essential Skills questions 2, 3 and 5. 9 No Last Updated: 23 August 2023, 10:22 10. Can you confirm if the 750 character limit includes or excludes spaces? Included Last Updated: 22 August 2023, 10:52 11. Please can you clarify whether spaces are included or excluded from the 750 character count per question response. Included Last Updated: 22 August 2023, 10:51 12. Do you have a list of user groups that the successful supplier can engage with? And contacts for key users? - Is there an incumbent supplier? 1. There is no incumbent supplier as this project has only just started. 2. We will share a list of user groups and key users upon contract award. Last Updated: 22 August 2023, 10:49 13. Please could we clarify that if shortlisted when Stage 2 documentation would be issued? On the timeline you have published it looks like there is only 1 week to complete Stage 2 submission but as evaluation of stage 1 completes on the 7th September, is that the date when Stage 2 documentation would be issued giving suppliers 2 weeks i.e. until the 21st September Thanks We shall publish the stage 2 documentation on 14th September Last Updated: 22 August 2023, 10:45 14. Where your questions are in the plural form, are you looking for suppliers to give more than 1 example? Or are you happy with only 1 comprehensive example. E.g. in Question 1 of the Essential Skills and Experience, you ask for "Experience of successfully delivering discovery projects". Does your use of plural "projects" suggest that you want more than 1 example? Or are you happy with only 1 comprehensive example. Please provide at least 1 comprehensive example. Last Updated: 22 August 2023, 10:42