NHS England User Research for the Integrated Single Finance Environment (ISFE) II

Description

Summary of the work NHS England/Improvement plan to procure an ISFE service via Crown Commercial Services RM6181 Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services Framework. To further shape the design and implementation phase, we require: 1. Review of engagement research undertaken with recommendations for subsequent user research; 2. Design, plan and deliver user research. Expected Contract Length The work will continue for 8 months. Latest start date Monday 31 January 2022 Budget Range Budget range Phase 1 – review of existing work up to £5,000. Phase 2 – delivery of recommendations made in phase 1 up to £130,000. Why the Work is Being Done NHSE/I plan to procure a second generation Integrated Single Financial Environment (ISFE) service via the Crown Commercial Services RM6181 Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services Framework early 2022. The ISFE procurement is to award a contract to a business process provider to run NHS England Group’s core financial processes, along with the financial platform or ERP system to enable these. Suppliers wishing to bid for this opportunity should note that the winning bidder is unlikely to obtain approval from NHSE/I to also be affiliated to a bidder for the wider ISFE procurement. ● Phase 1: comprehensive review of user engagement and research undertaken to inform user research in Phase 2 (Discovery Phase). ● Phase 2: identify opportunities to improve the experience of users across NHS organisations using ISFE now and in the future. This phase should seek to understand the experiences of users of the existing service/system and include review of working changes due to COVID-19. This research phase must explore how users would like the system to work and operate in the future and understand their needs and requirements. Understand user issues, concerns, problems and difficulties with the present service to be tackled and resolved in the future service. Problem to Be Solved There are two phases of work: ● Phase 1 - conduct a review of engagement and user research undertaken to date. The review should make recommendations for user research activity. ● Phase 2 - delivery of user research activity recommended in the first phase. Research objectives: ● Understand how users are using the service at present, and identify how they are working with it and any issues or concerns they have ● Understand system users by what they are trying to do and their role and responsibilities (specifically the nine protected characteristics and accessibility factors) ● Understand system users according to their accessibility needs, for example: neurodiversity, impaired vision, motor difficulties, cognitive impairments or learning disabilities and deafness or impaired hearing. The provider should deliver/provide: ● Review existing user engagement and research undertaken and recommendations for further user research ● Develop research plan for user research, and outline all elements including user research methodology, recruitment and results analysis and evaluation ● Lead the delivery of user research working with existing communications and project teams, supplying resource as required to support and complement existing resources. ● Named leads for the following roles: Lead User Researcher, Content Designer and Interaction Designer. Who Are the Users There is a total 20,000 staff, of whom there are 2,000 core ISFE users (i.e. regular users across a number of modules rather than a single-use module only). Staff using the system currently are across NHS organisations including: NHSE/I (including TDA and Monitor), CCGs, CSUs and NHS trusts. We require the supplier to include in their response how they will deliver the following: Phase 1: ● Review user engagement and research undertaken so far ● Recommendations for the Phase 2 user research. Phase 2: ● Plan, manage, deliver and conduct the user research recommended in Phase 1 ● Timeline of proposed activities and deliverables. We appreciate that the successful supplier will be working in an agile manner and so work and timelines will be reviewed throughout the project. Provide the CVs for the individuals who will be the named leads for the following roles: ● User researcher ● Content designer ● Interaction designer ● Two sides of A4 per CV, font size 12 ● Details of the team and structure and operating model and working practices. Work Already Done As part of the work towards the procurement process, the finance team have undertaken some user research and engagement. This has taken the form of surveys and subsequent user events where changes and improvements to the existing service have been discussed and reviewed and additional feedback received. This feedback has been used to understand what is important to users so far, and also to amend the existing service as well as help shape the specification for a second generation ISFE. Existing Team MLCSU Communications Team and NHS England ISFE Project Team Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • Experience of delivering user research against the Government Service Standards (3%) • Strong quantitative and qualitative user research experience (3%) • Experience in developing a variety of user journeys (3%) • Experience of leading a process to develop the vision, scope and roadmap (3%) • Strong stakeholder management skills and experience (3%) • Experience of participant recruitment and carrying out contextual research (3%) • Experience of working in public health (or related) projects (3%) • Experience of working with local government or the NHS. (3%) Nice to Haves • Experience of working collaboratively, sharing knowledge and experience (3%) • Evidence of leading in project governance and delivery (3%) • Evidence of building relationships quickly (3%) • Experience of engaging and working with a range of staff groups (3%) Work Location We envisage all work will be predominantly done online using communication tools such MS Teams or email Working Arrangments We'd like to be a call-off approach, we will work with the successful contractor to agree frequency of meetings No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria • Discovery approach and methodology (3%) • How the approach would meet our requirements (3%) • Estimated timeframes, including milestones (3%) • Identified risks and dependencies, with mitigations (3%) • A clear research plan that demonstrates how they will conduct the discovery research (3%) • Approach to producing low fidelity ideas that could be explored in subsequent alphas (3%) • Team structure, details of the personnel to be involved including their role for this project and their relevant experience (3%) Cultural Fit Criteria • Ability to show data evidence for insights and recommendations (2%) • Be comfortable in advocating for agile practices, user centred and inclusive design. (2%) • Transparency and collaboration in working practices (2%) • Ability to share knowledge and experience and communicate recommendations with non-technical groups (2%) • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions (2%) • Challenge the status quo (2%) • Work as a team with our organisation (2%) • Have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes (2%) • Take responsibility for their work (2%) • Can work with clients with low technical expertise (2%) Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Work history • Reference • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Regarding essential question ‘Experience of working in public health (or related) projects (3%)’, NHS defines public health as:• protecting people’s health (for example from environmental or biological threats, such as food poisoning or radiation)• improving people’s health (for example by helping people quit smoking or improving their living conditions)• ensuring that our health services are the most effective, most efficient and equally accessible• academic public health which builds the evidence on which all public health activity is based.Are you happy for the case study to focus on just one of these bullets? We are happy for the case study to focus on just one of these bullets but please try to cover as many as possible. 2. Regard in previous experience refer the below DOS5 guidelines: https://assets.crowncommercial.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/RM1043.7-DOS-5-Buyer-webinar-how-to-create-an-opportunity-with-notes.docxExtracts (page -8)“It is discriminatory to suppliers to state that they must have previous experience working in the public sector or within your specific industry."What is it about the public sector that requires specific skills or experience? Suppliers may have worked for complex commercial organisations which are highly regulated (eg financial or pharmaceutical) and could therefore demonstrate the required skills and experience within a different environment.” We would welcome responses from providers who are familiar with working in public and understand the structure of the NHS and organisations. There will be a requirement to work with a number of NHS organisations, to liaise with individuals across these organisations and appreciate how the ISFE operates within this environment. 3. This is not the RM6181 marketplace. Are you sure you have not mistakenly placed your advert on the wrong framework marketplace? The main ISFE reprocurement will be a call-off from RM6181 – the reference in the documentation was provided for information only within this user research procurement. So it has been advertised in the correct place. 4. Within our individual 100-word responses, would you like to see one, more detailed example or multiple examples with less detail? We would appreciate examples to assist in the shortlisting process. Perhaps 1 or 2 so detail can be provided. 5. Is the 8 month duration for Phase 1 and 2 anticipated to be so long due to the wider engagement required across multiple organisations? We have suggested this amount of time to complete the engagement for phase 2 because of the multiple organisations. However, if a supplier can effectively deliver in less time this would be welcomed. 6. 1) You’ve published your request under the CCS RM1043 Digital Outcomes & Specialists 5 (DOS5) Framework; however, you state that you will procure under RM6181 Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services Framework.Please clarify your route-to-market, as many suppliers aren’t on both Frameworks. The main ISFE reprocurement will be a call-off from RM6181 – the reference in the documentation was provided for information only within this user research procurement. So it has been advertised in the correct place.We will procure the ISFE service/system under RM6181, however the user research ELEMENT IS BEING PROCURED UNDER THIS RM1043 FRAMEWORK 7. 2) Please confirm the reason the tender was withdrawn and re-released. Are there other key differences aside from the Framework query above? The tender was removed and re-released to amend some of the introductory wording. The requirements have not fundamentally changed. 8. 3) In the section ‘Who the users are and what they need to do’, you’ve asked that suppliers’ responses include how they will deliver elements of Phases 1 & 2, CVs, team structure etc. Please confirm:a) Are you expecting bidders to submit these at this initial stage by 14 January? If so, please confirm where/how to submit it; ORb) If this is something you’ll request of the shortlisted bidders at the next (proposal) stage No we are not expecting suppliers to provide this by the 14 January this is something which the shortlisted bidders will be required to provide. 9. Do applications cover both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the work? Yes, applications do cover both phases 1 and 2 of the work. 10. What piece of work specifically would the winning bidder be unlikely to obtain approval from NHSE/I to be affiliated with? Is it the ISFE system that would potentially be built as a result of the user research conducted in Phase 2? The user research will inform the ISFE service/system delivery model.