Dynamics 365 MI Reporting

Description

Summary of the work NPL are moving to a new ERP system. MS Dynamics 365. In order to continue managing the business effectively we need to build out a MI reporting solution against the new system. Knowledge of Dynamics, MS Azure Data capabilities, Power BI are essential. Expected Contract Length 6 months + Latest start date Tuesday 4 January 2022 Why the Work is Being Done As part NPL's transformation programme we are moving to a new ERP system. MS Dynamics 365. In order to continue managing the business effectively we need to build out a MI reporting solution against the new system. Existing legacy MI solutions will cease to refresh Go live date currently set at 2022 Q4 Problem to Be Solved Require a MI Solution primarily based on Dynamics 365 data. As part of ask and in some cases we have the need to merge in legacy data to enable trending and analysis over time. Data from other sources including excel may also be required. Three core D365 applications are being implemented, HR, F&SCM, CE. We will be approaching this in phases Phase 1 - Detailed Requirements Phase 2 - Technical Design Phase 3 - Build, Test, Productionise Phase 4 - User Training & KT The current ask is limited to Phase 1 only as this will drive the effort and costs for the subsequent phases. Business Process Owners currently understand current processes and reporting,.We are currently in the build phase for D365 which will introduce new processes and reporting requirements. Supplier are expected to have Business Domain knowledge of the 3 D365 applications as well as experience with build MI solutions using the MS Azure product offerings. Who Are the Users Users are from across the business. They need to effectively manage their part of the business Early Market Engagement None Work Already Done High level requirements have been gathered and we understand the technologies required in order to build out an effective MI solution. Any partners should be aware of the MS roadmap for D365 reporting and analytics and have experience in the Azure technologies (Datalake, Synapse, Data Factory, SQL and Power BI) Existing Team NPL's BI Team and business SMEs Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • have working knowledge of Dynamics 365 • have proven experience of building MI Solutions for D365 • Strong Power BI skills • Strong Azure Datalake, Data Factory, SQL, • Exposure to Azure Synapse Analytics • Exposure to MS CDM • Strong Data Warehousing skills • Align to MS Roadmap for D365 MI Reporting Nice to Haves • manage senior stakeholders • effectively project manage • Exposure to Azure Databricks Work Location A hybrid working arrangement. Both at NPL's offices in Teddington TW11 0LW, UK and working remotely. Working Arrangments This is flexible and and depends on the length of any sessions/workshops etc. Short meetings can be remote, however, longer 1/2 day sessions etc should be face to face where possible. Initial stages are often best face to face and as trust and working relationships grow move to remote working. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Technical Solution • Approach and methodology • Examples of where projects have been delivered with referenceable sites • Team Structure and Roles Cultural Fit Criteria • work as a team with our organisation • e transparent and collaborative when making decisions • take responsibility for their work • share knowledge and experience with other team members • challenge the status quo Payment Approach Fixed price Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. Do we have a budget Budget discussions are currently taking place. Business and Finance understand the need to deliver the ask. For the complete work I have positioned the total ask in the region of £0.5M. 2. Do you have a vision for your data and analytics function, that this programme is delivering against and if so, can you share the business objectives and project objectives? NPL's vision for Data & Analytics (BI) is to align with the MS Azure software stack and Power BI. We will promote a centralised data hub and self-serve reporting. The project has MI requirements that need to be met and the BI Team will oversee the design and build approach. 3. Do you have any intention to include external data sources, for use in benchmarking or relative trend analysis? Do you have any other business applications or secondary systems you want to include in your reporting initiative or that might be on your future roadmap? There are requirements that do include other internal and external data sources, mainly HR and Marketing related. Some of these are more important than others, some are a nice-to-have. We will have to further refine the requirements and importance. 4. What entities are you using across these applications? & What work been undertaken as part of your current build activities to extend standard entities, or create new entities in either F&O or DataVerse (CE etc.)? At this moment I cannot clearly define a complete list of Entities along with which ones have been extended as the D365 applications are currently in build and Data Migration in process from legacy Oracle and Sales Force systems. From what I understand CE is highly customisable. This answer box will not allow me to provide details to that level. 5. Would it be possible to share the outlines of the overall project/programme landscape, and how the BI project is intended to integrate with the business application project team? Essentailly the BI Team is part of the project. There is a joined up approach. The BI team cannot work in isolation as how we use the applications and the context of the data is key. 6. Other than the D365 Apps specified, are any other ISV solutions being implemented as part of the D365 project Other existing systems will be interfacing with D365, such as Zellis. MI reporting will primarily involve data from D365 but also from other sources like Sharepoint Lists, Excel 7. Other than the D365 Apps specified, are any other ISV solutions being implemented as part of the D365 project Adding to the above. Historical data not migrated in to D365 will be landed on the AZure Data Lake, this will be required to be brought together with D365 data 8. Is the D365 implementation being undertaken by the NPL internal team or by a specialist D365 partner We are using a partner - Quantiq 9. Who was responsible for gathering the current high level requirements i.e. the NPL BI team /Business users/3rd party specialists? Internal exercise - Business Analyst Team 10. With regards the proposed overall project budget, is this a CAPEX cost, or are NPL open to solutions that could include an element of subscription based pricing This would be a Capex cost to the project. We are also looking at the possibility of a pre-built MI solution to get us up and running quickly (SaaS).All options are on the table. 11. How open are you to joint bids (incl. organisations acting as prime delivery partner with some subcontractor support to maximise project value)? I will only engage a single partner in terms of a SoW and delivery responsibility. If the partner chooses to partner with another partner then that is an internal discussion for them. However, I will expect clear communications on who is doing the work.