Adult Social Care - Workforce Data Discovery

Tender description

Work done so far The NHS Transformation Directorate (NHS-TD) led pre-discovery, engaging internal stakeholders to explore future options for ASC workforce data collection, analysis and reporting. No external stakeholders have been engaged with at this point. The Discovery will need to engage with external users in the ASC sector. This clarified that robust workforce data remains essential for policy and sector support but highlighted its limitations with the current system and the need for a more strategic, future-proof approach. The outcome of the pre-discovery was that the preferred approach was to conduct a discovery to explore both new and existing solutions. Further information from the pre-discovery is found within the information pack. Which phase the project is in Discovery Existing team The supplier will work with a DHSC team comprising 1-2 policy delivery specialists, with input from analysts as required. There will also be a full handover from the NHS Transformation team who ran the discovery. The supplier's staff will also be expected to report to Grade 6 and Deputy Director level staff on a regular basis to provide progress updates in show and tell format. Address where the work will be done Work can be carried out in multiple locations, including the Supplier's offices. Most work can be done remotely, but we expect suppliers to attend occasional in-person meetings or workshops when helpful. DHSC offices are in London (39 Victoria Street) and Leeds (Quarry House), and any visits to other settings may be required and would be agreed in advance. Working arrangements The supplier’s staff will be expected to work collaboratively with the DHSC team. To support effective collaboration, the supplier should be available during standard working hours (Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm). We expect the supplier to lead on agile delivery practices and provide weekly progress updates, and show-and-tell sessions. This will ensure that delivery remains transparent and iterative. Expenses will need to be included within the agreed upon budget. The supplier should also support internal capability-building by working in the open, sharing methods, and documenting key decisions, artefacts, and lessons learned. This will ensure that knowledge generated during the Discovery can be easily handed over to a future Alpha team or internal owners. The supplier will be expected to record and collate key information as the Discovery progresses, in a way that supports the production of a comprehensive end-of-phase report. This will include the outputs outlined in the business needs section. We will introduce governance around the milestones agreed between the successful provider and DHSC and hold monthly governance calls to monitor against those milestones, any agreed KPIs and to monitor spend. Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Latest start date 2026-02-16 Enter the expected contract length: 3 months Extension period: 1 month and 15 days Special terms and conditions Conflict of Interest 1. The Supplier must promptly notify the Buyer in writing of any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest in connection with this procurement or any resulting contract. 2. Where a conflict is identified (by the Supplier or by the Buyer), the Buyer may: a. Request further information from the Supplier. b. Require the Supplier to take reasonable steps to mitigate the conflict (including, where relevant, entering into an ethical walls or other similar agreement). Failure to take such steps may result in exclusion from the procurement process. 3. The Buyer reserves the right to exclude any Supplier that fails to declare a conflict of interest. Special terms and conditions The Buyer reserves the right to require the winning bidder to enter into an Ethical Wall Agreement. Write the term or acronym: ASC Write the term or acronym: BPSS Write the term or acronym: DHSC Write the term or acronym: KPI Write the term or acronym: MAC Write the term or acronym: UKSA Write the term or acronym: PQP Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: 330000 Provide further information: FY 25/26 Max £220k (Ex VAT) FY 26/27 Max £110k (Ex 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 Summary of Work for Supplier Bidding The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) seeks to undertake a Discovery to define the future approach for collecting, analysing, and reporting adult social care (ASC) workforce data. This work is critical to ensuring long-term access to high-quality workforce data that underpins policy development, monitoring, and pivotal initiatives such as fair pay agreements. Please see Attachment 4 for the full breakdown Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Why the work is being done Access to ASC workforce data is crucial for DHSC. We are looking for ways to improve our ability to deliver data services to ensure value for money and build in flexibility. We need to demonstrate value for money in the delivery of the system, whilst looking to reduce the burden on care providers and offering benefits for providing data. Currently our workforce data needs are met by several services. We do not want to replicate existing data collection systems, instead want to explore new ways for collecting ASC workforce data that give us flexibility and reduce burden for care providers. Additional information can be found in our information pack. Reliable, timely date and analysis are necessary to provide evidence to support in implementing high quality, sustainable adult social care policy interventions.​ Such data allows central and local government officials and researchers to appraise, monitor and evaluate the impact of market trends and government interventions for adult social care. As an additional benefit, such data may allow ASC employers to monitor and evaluate their own workforce policies, including training, and provide a basis for benchmarking those policies against competitors. This is just an outline of some of our user needs; further information can be found in our information pack. We expect user needs to be refined within the discovery. The work must be completed by 15th May 2026. The business problem you need to solve This Discovery needs to take place to allow DHSC to have access to have long term ASC workforce data and the analysis and the reporting of such. The department needs to have a flexible approach to collecting, analysing and reporting of workforce data, that will allow us to adapt to developments within ASC policy. This is crucial to continually supporting Departmental policy development, implementation and monitoring. We also need to consider long term government plans to have simplified data and digital services. Please see Attachment 4 for the full breakdown First user type: ASC workforce data First user type: Department of Health and Social Care First user type: Departmental analyst First user type: Policy advisor First user type: ASC service owner First user type: ASC researcher