SharePoint Online Migration

Description

Summary of the work We need to migrate our existing on-premise SharePoint sites to SharePoint Online to allow us to: Reduce our operating costs and contribute towards our intended exit from datacentres Improve our systems security through automated SharePoint updates, including security updates Optimise use of other MS products such as Teams and O365 Expected Contract Length 5 months Latest start date Friday 15 April 2022 Why the Work is Being Done The IT strategy supports the Service’s priority to ‘build the capability it needs’ by moving to solutions that are ‘as a Service’ in preference to on-premise options. One of the foundation projects arising from the cloud preferred strategy is exiting the data centres in 2022 and transitioning legacy on-premise solutions to cloud based options where possible. One of the major solutions on-premise is SharePoint, which must be relocated before the data centres can be exited. The intention is to contract with a third party for the development of SharePoint Online (SPO) sites mirroring our existing on-premise sites and the migration of existing content. Problem to Be Solved Four existing SharePoint 2013 sites are to be redeveloped in SharePoint Online and existing content, webapps, workflows, analytics and integrations migrated to the new platform. The four existing sites serve a variety of functions for the business. They comprise approximately 300GB of data, over 2000 pages and make use of Nintex workflows, forms, timer jobs, custom and third party webparts and API integrations. These include: - The Ombudsman’s knowledge platform - A quality assurance tool used across our casework teams - A database of decisions issued by our ombudsmen - A tracker used to ensure data retention and deletion policies are adhered to A fifth site, a repository for our technical documentation, has already been duplicated in SharePoint Online. A review of that development is required prior to it being launched. The Ombudsman’s knowledge platform is the largest and most complex site. It allows staff to access and share casework guidance, seek/provide support and use resources (designed by the Knowledge Team) which help them with their work. The sites must be quick and easy to update in order to provide accurate guidance to staff. There can be no interruption in service during the development and migration exercise. Who Are the Users The SharePoint sites are used by approximately 2,750 staff, across our casework areas and support teams. The sites are for internal use only. Several of the sites are used as repositories of technical documentation, casework guidance and legally binding decisions issued by the business. The majority of staff need to be able to easily search and navigate these repositories to find content, but require read-only permissions. A smaller number of users will require elevated permissions to design and approve content or to have full administrator control over individual sites or all SharePoint sites. Administrators are responsible for the creation and configuration of applications within their site and work closely with content owners and other support areas to ensure the various sites meet the Ombudsman’s knowledge needs. Our Knowledge Management team require permissions and tools that allow them to report on and adapt the platform whenever necessary. They will require access to the third-party applications which provide analytics and those which can be used to enhance the UX. The UX of any redeveloped site should, as far as is practical, retain existing solutions and features familiar to our staff. Work Already Done Some analysis of the sites has been conducted, but only limited development has taken place. A single site has been developed in SharePoint Online (a repository for technical documentation), although we are currently continuing to use the original SharePoint 2013 version of the site. Existing Team Our IT department contains SharePoint development capability, but it is intended that the supplier will lead on the development of the SharePoint Online sites detailed above. We also have a DevOps team who continue to support our existing SharePoint 2013 and SharePoint Online sites. In addition to those detailed above this includes our Intranet and evidence file system, both of which are operate on SharePoint Online. Each of the sites to be migrated to SharePoint Online is supported by business owners responsible for the content contained within the sites and ensuring that they continue to meet business needs. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Must have relevant experience of delivering Microsoft SharePoint Online sites (Describe a recent project to deliver an Microsoft SharePoint Online site - what, when, duration, result) • Must have technical expertise in Microsoft SharePoint Online. (Summarise your technical expertise in Microsoft SharePoint Online, citing relevant examples including what you have delivered.) • Must have experience of migrating existing SharePoint 2013 sites to Microsoft SharePoint Online, including site structure, workflows, webapps and content. (Explain how this experience was applied in a recent example). • Must have technical expertise in use of Nintex and PowerApps for the implementation of workflows. (Provide a summary of a relevant example where workflows have been implemented in a site) • Must have experience of delivering integrations involving Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft SharePoint Online. (Provide an example of an integration you have delivered.) • Must have experience of overcoming challenges delivering a migration of existing SharePoint sites to Microsoft SharePoint Online. (Describe the most significant challenge you experienced and how you overcame it.) • Must have experience of delivering a project jointly with a client. (Describe the ways which you built team cohesion, ensured the best use of skills and experience and managed issues.) • Must have experience of delivering a SharePoint sites to WCAG 2.0 or 2.1 standard at level AA or greater. (Describe how you designed, delivered and tested to these standards.) • Must have experience of successfully transitioning a new SharePoint Online system in service (Describe a recent example) • Must have experience of completing a content migration. (Outline a successful content migration that you have completed using Microsoft SharePoint Online and what best practices you recommend.) • Must have experience of integrating Microsoft SharePoint Online with other applications. (Explain how you have previously integrated Microsoft SharePoint Online with other Microsoft or third-party applications.) Nice to Haves • It would be good if the supplier has evidence of relevant certifications. (Outline Microsoft or other relevant certifications that your organisation has and explain why they are beneficial here.) • It would be good if the supplier has experience delivering projects involving a range of stakeholders with varying technical knowledge and appetite for change. (Please detail an example) Work Location Work can take place remotely and at Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR. Working Arrangments Work can take place remotely and at Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR. Additional T&Cs A completed Call Off including Order Form will be shared with the shortlisted suppliers and form part of the additional assessment. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria • How well the proposed solution meets requirements as set out in the work order. (40% weighting) • Confidence that the delivery will be completed within the required timeline. (15% weighting) • The proposed delivery approach and methodology (15% weighting) • How the supplier identified risks and dependencies and offered approaches to manage them (15% weighting) • Team structure (10% weighting) • Case Study (5% weighting) Cultural Fit Criteria • Take responsibility for the delivering a successful outcome for the Ombudsman Service • Adopt a “one-team” culture. • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions • A culture of quality assurance is embedded in the team • Be challenging of the Ombudsman Service where appropriate • Share knowledge and experience with other team members Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 65% Cultural fit 5% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. There was a Digital Opportunity published in January – the “Build Enterprise Data Warehouse in the Cloud Project”. Was this work awarded to a supplier and is the migration project part of the same area? This contract was awarded and is not related to this requirement. 2. Do you have any idea of the budget range for this piece of work that you are able to share? We are not sharing budget information at this time, but hopefully the description provided gives an idea of the scale of work required. 3. You state that suppliers “must have technical expertise in use of Nintex and PowerApps for the implementation of workflows. (Provide a summary of a relevant example where workflows have been implemented in a site)”Are you going to be looking for suppliers to assist in the implementation of Nintex Online or replace Nintex with, for example, something like the Power Platform ? The intention it to use Nintex Online. Our existing SP2013 estate makes use of Nintex and our licencing allows use of Nintex Online without incurring additional cost. 4. Are there any significant customisations to the current SharePoint solution that would need to be taken into account when moving to the cloud-based SharePoint solution and achieving accessibility standards? There are a number of Amrein webparts in use at present for which alternatives would need to be identified. In addition, the Ombudsman's knowledge platform has a heavily customised UX. The preference would be for as much of that UX to be retained as possible, although it is accepted that there may need to be changes as a result of moving to SharePoint Online. Our Knowledge Management team would also want there to be flexibility built into the design to allow them to adapt to future knowledge requirements. 5. “Reduce our operating costs and contribute towards our intended exit from datacentres” – Are there any other related data centre applications (other than SharePoint) that contribute to the overall SharePoint migration as part of this project? No, not as part of this project. 6. Microsoft Dynamics – can you be any more specific about your use of any individual Dynamics products? We use MS Dynamics 365 as our casehalndling system. There is limited integration between MS Dynamics and the in-scope SharePoint sites. Our quality assurance tool allows checks to be done one on casework and relies on the case reference and staff details being passed to SharePoint. The database of decision also ingests decision documentation produced by our ombudsmen in MS Dynamics. 7. Licencing – Nintex is a yearly licence cost, On prem is different to Cloud, has that licence been secured yet and can you confirm this will be secured prior to the project commencing? Our existing licencing arrangements allow for use of Nintex Online. 8. Third Party Web Parts and API Integrations are mentioned. Are there any significant integrations we should be aware of that would cause issues when transferred to the cloud-based instance? There are several Amrein webparts in use at present for which alternatives would need to be identified. In addition, two of the sites have limited integration with our existing MS Dynamics casehandling system. Our quality assurance tool allows checks to be done one on casework and relies on the case reference and staff details being passed to SharePoint. The database of decision also ingests decision documentation produced by our ombudsmen in MS Dynamics. 9. “Opitmise the use of other MS Products” Can you clarify what those products are please? We currently use O365 and MS Teams. In addition, our core casehandling system is MS Dynamics. 10. Work can take place remotely and at Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR.” Are there expectations about the ratio of remote to on site on this point? We are in the process of a phased return to the office, but for now most of our teams are working from home. In 2022 the current expectation is that staff will be in the office approx 8 days per month. We do see an advantage in face-to-face meetings during the project, but would expect the majority of work to be conducted remotely. We have no set requirement on frequency of attendance at Exchange Tower. 11. Could we ask who your current SharePoint partner is please? We do not have an incumbent SharePoint partner at present, this is a new requirement as part of our migration to the cloud. 12. Can I check the budget range please? We are not sharing budget information at this time, but hopefully the desciption provided gives an idea of the scale of work required. 13. Are there current SharePoint partners that the Financial Ombudsman Service are working with? We do not have an incumbent SharePoint partner at present, this is a new requirement as part of our migration to the cloud. 14. You’ve listed experience of ‘transitioning a new SharePoint Online system in service’, are you interested in an example of a SharePoint Online site which hosts a business application (a business system) as opposed to a site which is primarily used as a content repository? No, this is intended to be a like-for-like transition to SharePoint Online. We recognise that there may be a need to make some changes to the sites, but do not intend to introduce any new business systems. 15. Are there any integration points between your ‘Line of Business’ systems and your existing SharePoint solution? If so, what are they? See previous response. 16. How would you describe the level of customisation within your current SharePoint 2013 environment? See previous response. 17. What role would you like the chosen supplier to take in User Adoption of the new solution? This is intended as a like-for-like transition to SharePoint Online, so we hope that the need for user adoption will be limited. However, we recognise that moving from SharePoint 2013 will result in some changes. We would like for the chosen supplier to be able to highlight those areas where there's change from the existing estate. This should be documented and in a form that we can use in our internal communications in support of the transition. We also expect the chosen supplier to provide a handover to our internal teams ensuring that they have an understanding of the solution.