Data Science Services – Project Delivery and User Centred Design Services

Tender description

About adding context and requirements test Work done so far Data Science is supporting digital transformation across the ESFA and the wider DfE. A number of these digital projects are well advanced across the GDS spectrum (Discovery, Alpha, Private Beta, Public Beta, Live and Continuous Improvement). Along with these existing projects there a number of similar but new and yet to be started pieces of work that build on existing infrastructure and digital solutions. Existing include Digital organisation level data collections, the Learning Records Service and our Submit Learner Data platform that collects individualised learner data. Strategic Data Visualisation has a programme of work for Modernising Our Reporting Environment (MORE). Projects on creating FE data models in Azure and creating an improved service wrapper for our View Your Education Data service are in a private beta stage. Further projects on creating a sector dissemination service to better meet user need for internal colleagues and external providers data requirements are in discovery. Which phase the project is in Alpha Existing team Existing teams are comprised of multi-disciplinary agile delivery skills. These teams are involved in service development for providing brand new digital services, going 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 and design professionals, developers, and testers. Architects support delivery through setting strategic technology direction as well as supporting build team decision making. Teams comprise of digital service suppliers and permanent staff. The new supplier will be expected to provide resources across delivery managers, business analysts, user research and design professionals. Address where the work will be done The primary location is Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry, CV1 2WT or remote working arrangements subject to agreements for in-office working which we expect to be 2 days per week as standard. Primary location will be detailed in each Statement of Work (SoW) Working arrangements 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. There is an expectation services will be delivered on-site 2 days per week as standard. This requirement is for services that will sit inside IR35. Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Provide more information about your security requirements (optional): All proposed team members must have current relevant Baseline Personnel Security clearance e.g. BPSS, DBS. Suppliers will complete a security assurance questionnaire and submit relevant supporting documents e.g. Cyber Essentials in line with DfE standards. DfE may require Security Clearance (SC) for roles with privileged access to the digital services. Work must be conducted securely in the United Kingdom. Latest start date 2024-07-28 Enter the expected contract length: 2 years Extension period: 1 year Special terms and conditions 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/ Special terms and conditions The Supplier shall ensure that no Supplier Staff who discloses that they have a Relevant Conviction, or who is found to have any Relevant Convictions (whether as a result of a police check or through the vetting procedure of HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard or through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or otherwise), is employed or engaged in any part of the provision of the Services without the prior written approval of the Buyer. Subject to the Data Protection Legislation, the Supplier shall disclose the results of their vetting process, immediately to the Buyer. The decision as to whether any of the Supplier’s Staff are allowed to perform activities in relation to the Call Off Contract, is entirely at the Buyer’s sole discretion. The Supplier shall be required to undertake annual periodic checks during the Call Off Contract Period of its Staff, in accordance with HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard so as to determine the Supplier Staff suitability to continue to Framework Schedule 6 (Order Form Template, Statement of Work Template and Call-Off Schedules) 5 provide Services under the Call Off Contract. The Supplier shall ensure that any Supplier Staff who discloses a Relevant Conviction (either spent or unspent) or is found by the Supplier to have a Relevant Conviction through standard national vetting procedures or otherwise, is immediately disclosed to the Buyer. The Supplier shall ensure that the individual staff member immediately ceases all activity in relation to the Call Off Contract, until the Buyer has reviewed the case, on an individual basis, and has made a final decision. Where the Buyer decides that a Supplier Staff should be removed from performing activities, as a result of obtaining information in relation to the Call Off Contract, or for any other reason, the Supplier shall promptly and diligently replace any individual identified. Special terms and conditions 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 a SoW primary base is in Manchester, then no expenses will be paid for Manchester. Expenses cannot be claimed for travel to the Primary Location of work when in-office working is required. Some work may be UK wide, and travel may be required to other DfE offices. When travel to other DfE sites is required, all costs incurred must comply with the prevailing DfE Travel and Subsistence policy. Parking is not available on DfE sites. Costs for additional roles required within this contract will be discussed as needed. Should base location vary it will be outlined and agreed upon the individual SoW. Special terms and conditions The latest start date will be outlined in each individual statement of work. Except for in exceptional circumstances, and as agreed with the Buyer. The Buyer has the right to terminate any Statement of Work issued in accordance with this Call-Off Contract at any time, without reason, with five working days’ written notice to the Supplier. The notice period shall be given in writing. The receiving party must acknowledge receipt of notice within 24 hours. Special terms and conditions All work must be conducted in line with the Buyer’s security policy and securely within in the United Kingdom. Contractors must work within the United Kingdom unless agreed by the Department on an individual basis in line with Buyer's working overseas policy and Buyer's security policy. Contractors must not take any departmental equipment abroad or access the departmental network whilst outside the United Kingdom unless agreed by the Department on an individual basis. Use of private VPNs is prohibited. Special terms and conditions Non-Solicitation Clause 5.1 The Supplier shall not, either directly or indirectly, by or through itself, its affiliate, its agent or otherwise, or in conjunction with its affiliate, its agent or otherwise, whether for its own benefit or for the benefit of any other person solicit, entice or induce, or endeavour to solicit, entice or induce, any employees of the Buyer who are employed or engaged in the performance of the Services with a view to employing or engaging the employee of the Buyer during the Call-Off Contract Period and for a period of 9 months thereafter. 5.2 Notwithstanding clause 5.1 the Supplier may employ or engage any employees of the Buyer which have responded directly to a bona fide recruitment drive either through a recruitment agency engaged by the Supplier or via an advertisement placed publicly by the Supplier (either in the press, social media, online or in trade and industry publications). Write the term or acronym: DfE Explain the term or acronym: Department for Education Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: 10000000 Provide further information: Each Statement of Work will outline the work required, associated budget and payment approach. Suppliers will need to provide clear costs to enable tracking. DfE does not commit to any minimum spend at this point. Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource Supply of resource: the off-payroll rules may apply Summary of work The Data Science team and the Strategic Data Visualisation team in the Department for Education is supporting digital data transformation across the ESFA and the wider DfE. A number of these digital projects are well advanced across the GDS spectrum (Discovery, Alpha, Private Beta, Public Beta, Live and Continuous Improvement). Along with these existing projects there a number of new and yet to be started pieces of work that require Project Delivery and User Centred Design services. We require these specialist capabilities to specifically support a mix of continuous improvement of DfE existing systems, new GDS compliant digital projects, and an efficient and automated data reporting and modelling service. Where the supplied staff will work Yorkshire and the Humber Where the supplied staff will work West Midlands Who the organisation using the products or services is Services will be used across several existing DfE teams Why the work is being done Our ongoing work is to transform the way we collect data from the education sector and use that efficiently and effectively internally, and for adding value and sharing back with the sector. The work is across a range of systems to (a) meet ESFA’s data and analytical needs, ensuring funding and oversight operations continue. Collecting data via digital platforms, automating data flows into data visualisations, predictive analysis models, thereby generating intelligence and insight, and creating efficiencies and (b) support our Strategic Data Visualisation and Transformation programmes to drive efficiency savings and sector benefits, delivering efficient and automated data reporting and modelling services and establishing an Advanced Analytics Unit to build machine learning capabilities, enhancing reporting and enabling predictive and prescriptive intelligence. The business problem you need to solve DfE are seeking a supplier to provide the required service capabilities to work in multi-disciplinary teams to support programmes of work ensuring the continued development of, and introduction of new, bespoke online data collections that will enable improved data quality for use throughout the department for funding, assurance, modelling and analysis purposes. This information feeds in to future policy decision making. Our current services for Further Education Data Warehousing and View Your Education Data service are operational but not fully fit for the future and need to keep pace with the technology developments in the Department or they will become obsolete. We are working to improve the services so that they become the single choice for sharing data to external providers and supporting our data users in the department with their data needs. The supplier will be working within multi-disciplinary teams on these programmes of work centred around digital data collections that meet GDS requirements, that also offer end to end services for Capture, Storing, Analysing and Reporting, including developing advanced analytics. The challenges will range from bringing new products to life as well as shaping and further developing mature systems to support this aim with some solutions requiring GDS assessment. Users will be placed at the heart of each decision, ensuring all services are both accessible and user friendly. First user type: As an education provider (including Academy, School, Sixth form, FE College, Local Authority or Independent Training Provider) First user type: As an internal DfE data user Enter more details about this user type: I need to be able to submit Mandatory and Voluntary data collections to the Department for Education and ESFA. I also need to be able to download data, view reports and analysis provided by the Department for the my institution and compare to other similar ones. So that I am compliant with policy, report on Assurance and access further funding. I also need to be accountable for performance in areas and have the insights to know where performance can be improved. Enter more details about this user type: I need to be able to access the data for my policy area in an efficient manner and gain the insights, analysis and knowledge the data can provide. So that I can make evidence based decisions