Maritime Resilience Analysis tools: Deep Port and the Port Analysis Dashboard (PAD)

Description

The Department is publishing this PIN to notify and engage with the market to understand the capacity, capability and experience of suppliers to provide the digital expertise necessary to refresh, update and maintain the data sets within an existing Departmental resilience tool called Deep Port, which was first built over ten years ago. The tool is designed to gather various strands of data in one place to create a more holistic interpretation of the flow of goods and people through the UK’s main ports. As a result of the UK leaving the EU, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on industry and transport (both on land and at sea), as well as the growing risks arising from climate change and risks to the security of supply chains from UK ports to the rest of the mainland, the importance of Deep Port as a tool to inform policy decision-making at all levels has become crucial. It will be an important tool to support the Government’s commitment to build robust resilience across the sector, supporting and protecting the UK from future challenges and risks. By combining this data with key port profiles, transport hubs, such as road and rail, flood plains, and types of goods, targeted response and solution becomes quickly accessible, enabling effective policy decisions to be made. The Department would also consider offers to create a new tool as substitute if a suitable proposal is presented and could be delivered within the very tight timeframe. Additionally, the Department would also be looking to incorporate a secondary tool to increase the scope and effectiveness of Deep Port, but in real-time, rather than as a downloadable data set. This would be a system designed to capture real-time data related to port resilience from existing data feeds/sensors (PAD). The overall objectives are • to have a tool(s) that, once fully functional, can be transferred over to the Department in a user-friendly format which enables the tool(s) to continue to be of ongoing value and, • to ensure that the integrity of any data can be assured so it may be confidently provided to senior managers and Ministers to better inform policy-making decisions. Provision must be made to train and advise relevant DfT staff so such transition can take place seamlessly. The overall contract length for updating the tool is likely to be 2 years, but the Department would be strongly supportive of activating Deep Port much sooner than that, ideally by the end of 2021 as the UK reaches the EU transition deadline. Lot 1: The supplier will be expected to work in close collaboration with DfT’s Maritime Operations staff and the potential DfT analysis team which will undertake the data maintenance needs following the end of the contract. The basic requirement will run for a minimum of 2 years, with the option to extend should the circumstances or needs of the Department change. There is the opportunity for an additional year for the build of the secondary real time system. The supplier shall be expected to deliver at a minimum the following throughout the duration of the tool building contract: • Specialist software assistance to update current software and/or to develop new software within the scope and as directed by Maritime Operations. • Gather data from a number of sources and provide the layers within the tool to deliver an informative build which addresses the specified needs of the department. • Physically training and effectively producing user-friendly materials and guidance to enable the handover of tool maintenance and operation following the end of the contract’s duration. • Hold meetings with DfT contacts to discuss progress and take on-board considerations in the production of the updated tool(s). Additional information: Suppliers that feel they have the capability and capacity to deliver the Department for Transport’s potential requirement within the timeframe stated are requested to register their interest, alongside relevant information pertaining to the organisation’s capabilities in relation to this requirement, via email to jenny.lloyd@dft.gov.uk