Maritime Trade Information Centre Operations Room Management and Watchkeeping Service

Description

Summary of the work 24/7/365 operations room manning service, with management oversight. Expected Contract Length 2 Years Latest start date Thursday 1 April 2021 Budget Range Max £3.1m for 2 years for delivery to the volumes specified. Why the Work is Being Done The Royal Navy has a requirement for a maritime operations room service operating 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/year, to monitor, coordinate and manage the flow of maritime 'White Shipping' information around the world, but particularly where the Royal Navy is operating. Problem to Be Solved The Royal Navy requires continued provision of ‘White Shipping’ information in the RNMDA programme to ensure ongoing support to Maritime Security Operations and Maritime Trade Organisation activities. Who Are the Users Users and Customers of the service include Royal Navy maritime units, International Partner Organisations and International Shipping (agencies and vessels) and any other organisation/state who have a responsibility in supporting the wider maritime industry. Customers need to make operational decisions based on clear, accurate and reliable information to ensure crew and vessel safety; the RNMDA “White Shipping” information is a key enabler of these activities. Work Already Done There is an incumbent delivering this service Existing Team The supplier will be working with and for the Royal Navy. Current Phase Live Skills & Experience • The successful Supplier will have a track record, knowledge, skills and experience (KSE) delivering a 24/7/365 watchkeeping service with voice and data handling within an operational environment. • Detailed knowledge of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and specifically white shipping activities, Maritime Security (MS) risks, including geographical areas of high interest. • Experience in managing MS events, including incident management, and specific information outputs to support the International Maritime Community and Operational Commanders. • During MS events, the ability to contribute to solutions and decide how to act in conjunction with other international organisations (Govt, Mil and Civ) • The team will have KSE in the use of core Microsoft Office products. • The team will be responsive to training in the Authority’s bespoke ICT solutions, specifically MTIS, RNCSS, CENTRIXS and NSWAN. • KSE in the provision of a fully managed service with management structure, supervision and a watchkeeping team to support the volumes described within the supplementary document. • The team will have a surge capability to meet peak service volumes at an agreed notice, typically 4 hours. • The service is to be delivered at the client premises in the Portsmouth area. Nice to Haves • Experience with current MoD secure comms equipment such as Brent, Mercury, SSS. • Experience with current MoD secure ICT solutions, specifically MTIS, RNCSS, CENTRIXS and NSWAN. • Familiarity with JSP440 and Security Operating Procedures for MoD ICT systems. • The service will have a regular review cycle with a maximum time between reviews of 6 months. • The supplier will provide an ongoing training and mentoring service to the watchkeeping teams. Work Location Portsdown, Portsmouth Working Arrangments The service will be delivered in the Client operations room facility in Portsdown. The incumbent employs local people and operates 12 hour shift patterns to provide a service 24/7/365. Supplementary information will be made available to those suppliers who are successfully down selected to provide more detail regarding the volumes of information needing to be processed during a period and a video presentation will be made available giving a tour of the Ops Room and describing activities that take place. There is no accommodation onsite but there is a canteen (normal business hours, not weekends) and tea/coffee making facilities. Security Clearance All personnel delivering this service will need to have a MoD approved SC at contract start. MoD cannot sponsor clearances. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Approach and methodology for providing the service to the specified levels and volumes • Supervisory and training arrangements and escalation criteria • Risks, dependencies and mitigation arrangements • Proposed team structure and experience level of the delivery team • Onboarding and offboarding arrangements • Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as a team with our organisation and with other government organisations • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions • Have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes • Share knowledge and experience between team members, and with other teams and organisations including Government, military and industry. • Can work with customers with low technical expertise Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Work history • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 70% Cultural fit 10% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Will this be assessed as inside IR35? Off-payroll working rules (IR35) do not apply. 2. Is there a Cyber Risk Assessment? The Cyber Risk Level is Very Low. 3. Would you accept a DV cleared member in the team? Yes, we would accept a team member with a DV for this role. 4. How crucial is it that a supplier needs experience in all of the essential fields? This is a requirement for a service for one specialist supplier and we are therefore looking for a supplier with experience delivering services of this nature. Suppliers will need to provide one example outlining their experience in each essential area to be considered. 5. How will tenderers be evaluated? Stage 1 From the initial advert, each tenderer will be evaluated and scored either 0, 1 or 2 against their responses to each of the essential and nice to have criteria. The tenderers with the three highest total scores, who can deliver within budget and in time (provided they have not received a score of 0 for any of the essential criteria) will be down selected to the second stage. 6. How will tenderers be evaluated? Stage 2 At stage two, the three down selected tenderers will be provided with supplementary information regarding the volume of service needed and more details about the service delivery. Tenderers will be asked to submit a costed proposal, with workforce details, and then present the proposal to a panel of evaluators. This will be scored as outlined in the opportunity, combined with cultural response, (will be evaluated 0, 1 or 2) they will then be provided with an overall percentage score for technical, cultural and financial. The tenderer with the highest combined technical, cultural and financial score will be the winning tenderer. 7. Who is the incumbent supplier? Some of the services required are currently being provided by Carbon60 Ltd. 8. Are any recognised industry standards required? For Example – ISO, HSSEQ There are no mandated industry standards, however the organisation will look favourably on suppliers who are proficient in a recognised quality or performance standard. 9. Essential criteria 7 mentions a “Supplementary Document”. Would it be possible to supply a copy of that document please? No. The intent is not to supply the Supplementary Documentation at this stage in the tendering process. However, if you have a specific question please post it as you did this one. 10. Are the current delivery team in scope for TUPE? No, the current delivery team are not in scope for TUPE. 11. How many people are in the operations centre at Minimum Manning The 'Customer facing service delivery' team consists of 3-4 people under normal workload conditions. 12. How many people are in the operations centre at Surge capacity maximum? The 4 person 'customer facing service delivery' team may be augmented by 1 or 2 members of the 6 person 'Support and Oversight' team during surge workload conditions. The other members of this 'Support and Oversight' team conduct training, analysis, and administration and governance.