BEIS Digital Technical Delivery Partner

Description

Summary of the work BEIS is seeking to partner with a highly skilled and proven Technical Delivery supplier with extensive knowledge of working to Government Digital standards. The supplier will be able to rapidly onboard resources within 5-10 days when required Expected Contract Length 24 months, with the option of a 12-month extension Latest start date Monday 2 August 2021 Budget Range There is no commitment to a minimum spend over the term of the contract. Statements of work shall be agreed so that we can ensure we’re delivering discrete projects or activities that meet user needs and deliver value for money. The maximum spend under the contract will be £3 million excluding vat. Why the Work is Being Done There is a need for a flexible supplier to respond to urgent requirements. Core capabilities for the proposed contract would be: Solution/ Application Architect DevOps Developer SharePoint Developer SDET Business Analyst Power Platform Developer Power Platform Functional Consultant Power Platform Architect Data Architect Data Scientist Database Developer Delivery Manager Agile Coach Scrum Master Project Manager Programme Manager The contract will allow for rapid scaling up of resources allowing time for critical work to commence. Problem to Be Solved This contract will fill technical and delivery capability gaps within existing and new teams, supporting a range of projects from inception through to live and continuous improvement. This will be through the delivery of outcomes based on user needs and in line with government service standards. Who Are the Users Users will vary from project to project, but broadly fall into 3 main categories. 1) BEIS and ALB internal teams 2) Businesses 3) UK Citizens Work Already Done Projects may be at various stages and suppliers will be briefed relative to specific statements of work. Existing Team The supplier will be working with a project team in BEIS. This may comprise of a Delivery and Product Managers, Business Analyst, SRO, Service Design, User Research and Development Teams. There may be other resources, both FTE and other suppliers to align with and work closely with throughout this phase.  They will also be expected to engage with other stakeholders in BEIS Digital  i.e. the Security and Architecture teams  if and when required. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Provide evidence of building funding systems and/or services within the last 2 years • Experience in successfully building services on Microsoft Azure and Gov PaaS using c#, razor, MVC .net core, mySQL and node.js • Experience of successful agile development, software patterns, continuous integration and Test-Driven Development • Proven experience of building and maintaining test automation framework written c#, selenium, specflow • Proven experience delivering case management solutions using power platform • Demonstrable understanding of applying appropriate security controls within a complex digital transformation. • Ability to scale up development teams quickly to meet requirements • Evidence of designing micro-service-based architectures Work Location Though the team will be working remotely there may be a need to travel to the 1 Victoria Street HQ in London for occasional workshops. Travel expenses will not be reimbursed. Working Arrangments The supplier will be expected to be available during the typical working hours of the policy team (Monday to Friday 9am-5pm) in order to maximise knowledge transfer. Microsoft Teams, JIRA, Azure DevOps, Mural, Microsoft Whiteboard and Office 365 will be used for collaboration. Security Clearance All team members must have BPSS as a minimum. In some cases, certain roles will require SC clearance. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Examples of effective communication across organisational, technical and political boundaries, understanding the context. • Evidence of ability to make informed decisions based on user needs, available technology and value for money. • Evidence of working with users to understand their work, their operating context and constraints and identifying and implementing improvements. • Describe how you ensure development aligns to the UK Government Design Principles, Service Standard and Service Manual. Evidence work that has successfully passed a GDS Service Assessment or equivalent. • Describe your approach to delivering digital service on the AWS, Azure or Gov PaaS • Describe your approach to delivering to the NCSC cloud security principles • Describe your approach to building automated pipelines in Azure DevOps • Describe your approach to solutions to WCAG 2.1 to AA Standard • Describe your approach to designing services for users with low digital  literacy. • Decribe your approach to integrating SharePoint, Verto and Power Platform • Describe your experience of working through the service lifecycle of Discovery/Alpha/Beta/Live. • Describe your experience of working with Orchard Core CMS Cultural Fit Criteria • Experience of working with multi-vendor teams and understanding of how to be part of a multidisciplinary, agile service team. • Evidence of integrating into an organisation's existing ways of working ensuring a healthy working culture. • Evidence of supporting health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health, in the workforce • Evidence of supporting a strong User Experience, Research and Design based culture of service and continuous improvement. • Evidence of collaborating and communicating with personnel at all levels of the organisation in a diverse environment, including with other suppliers • Evidence of of transferring knowledge to permanent staff within a client organisation. Payment Approach Time and materials Assessment Method Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 50% Cultural fit 20% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. Who is the current incumbent for this opportunity? Or is this a brand-new type of engagement for you? There is not an incumbent for the initial work package. However, future work packages may involve taking work from an incumbent supplier. 2. For each response to the Essentials and Nice-to-haves, are single examples required or can we use multiple examples? If relevant, you can use multiple examples. 3. Can you please confirm if there is an incumbent supplier, and if so, the name of the supplier. There is not an incumbent for the initial work package. However, future work packages may involve taking work from an incumbent supplier. 4. Can you provide guidance on whether you would prefer to see single or multiple examples of previous work to evidence bidder capability? In DOS responses some clients mark differently according to this preference so an indication of preference is helpful to you and us. If relevant, you can use multiple examples. We will be marking on relevance to the brief not the number of examples. 5. We note that you have specifically called out ‘funding systems’ as part of the initial responses being asked for. Can you please explain what it is that suppliers will be asked to work on as regards existing or ‘to be’ applications? (we note that detailed SoW will not yet be available but a high level view of what it is you need help with would be useful). Suppliers will possibly work on public-facing government services where users can apply for grants / funds. At a macro level, these services involve registration, application forms with a mix of input types and integration with other services to process the applications. These will be new services (or maintaining existing services that have been built in the last 6 months). 6. in relation to the question... “Provide evidence of building funding systems and/or services within the last 2 years” Could you give us an example of a funding service please Thanks Suppliers will possibly work on public-facing government services where users can apply for grants / funds. At a macro level, these services involve registration, application forms with a mix of input types and integration with other services to process the applications. These will be new services (or maintaining existing services that have been built in the last 6 months). 7. To avoid any potential misunderstanding or incorrect assumptions, could you please clarify what is meant by ‘funding systems and/or services’? (First essential skills and experience requirement listed) Suppliers will possibly work on public-facing government services where users can apply for grants / funds. At a macro level, these services involve registration, application forms with a mix of input types and integration with other services to process the applications. These will be new services (or maintaining existing services that have been built in the last 6 months). 8. Also, how many roles do you envision are needed from beginning of August? Between half-a-dozen and up to about a dozen. 9. Is there an incumbent? There is not an incumbent for the initial work package. However, future work packages may involve taking work from an incumbent supplier. 10. What specific elements of the power platform are you looking for someone to be experienced in, for the question below? Thanks. “Proven experience delivering case management solutions using power platform” Power Apps, Power BI and Power Automate. 11. in relation to the question... “Provide evidence of building funding systems and/or services within the last 2 years” Could you give us an example of a funding service please Thanks Public-facing government services where users can apply for grants / funds. At a macro level, these services involve registration, application forms with a mix of input types and integration with other services to process the applications. 12. In relation to the question... “Provide evidence of building funding systems and/or services within the last 2 years” Could you give us an example of a funding system please. Public-facing government services where users can apply for grants / funds. At a macro level, these services involve registration, application forms with a mix of input types and integration with other services to process the applications. 13. Can I ask who the current incumbent is for this opportunity? There is not an incumbent for the initial work package. However, future work packages may involve taking work from an incumbent supplier. 14. What specific elements of the power platform are you looking for someone to be experienced in, for the question below? Thanks. “Proven experience delivering case management solutions using power platform” Power Apps, Power BI and Power Automate. 15. Can the Authority please advise the timelines of this procurement (e.g. shortlisted companies notified, anticipated contract award)? Also, can you confirm if shortlisted suppliers will be required to present as part of the next stage for those suppliers who have been down-selected? Provisional timetable: Shortlisted suppliers notified to submit written proposal 14/07 Shortlisted suppliers submit written proposal 21/07 Anticipated contract award 26/07 There is no supplier presentation 16. The maximum TCV on this engagement is estimated to be approximately £3m. The DOS5 framework offers a data breach liability up to £10m, which is not commensurate with the anticipated TCV. Would the authority consider a liability value more commensurate with the overall contract value? Yes, we would consider a liability commensurate with the overall contract value. £3 million is reasonable and proportionate. 17. We would be grateful if you can confirm who currently provides this support and services to BEIS? There is not an incumbent for the initial work package. However, future work packages may involve taking work from an incumbent supplier. 18. By funding system we assume this means systems and associated processes for the receipt of grants and funding requests and subsequent issue and management of those Public-facing government services where users can apply for grants / funds. At a macro level, these services involve registration, application forms with a mix of input types and integration with other services to process the applications. 19. Can the Authority confirm if resources to be based only based in UK, or whether EU/Global resources can be considered subject to attainment of requisite security clearance? We do not expect this work to be outsourced to EU/Global resources Resources may be required to attend BEIS offices at 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET, throughout the project. 20. Can you please expand on this ‘essential requirement’ regarding funding, as it’s not mentioned anywhere else in the proposal... Provide evidence of building funding systems and/or services within the last 2 years Thank you Public-facing government services where users can apply for grants / funds. At a macro level, these services involve registration, application forms with a mix of input types and integration with other services to process the applications. 21. We are a specialist quality engineering firm and can only provide DevOps and SDETs staff. Can we still participate in this journey? You can still participate if you partner with another supplier that can meet the requirements you can't.The prime supplier will have sole responsibility for the contract. The subcontractor will have not a direct relationship with BEIS. 22. Can the Authority confirm if a prime Supplier can partner with other SME suppliers to deliver desired outcomes? Suppliers can partner with other suppliers to deliver the desired outcomes. The prime supplier will have sole responsibility for the contract. The subcontractor will have not a direct relationship with BEIS.