IPO Delivery of Common Technology Components (CTC) - Phase 3

Description

Summary of the work IPO has started a Transformation programme (OneIPO) to deliver a range of new Digital Services. Common Technology Components (CTC) is a delivery workstream within the overall IPO Transformation Programme. CTC delivers reusable building blocks similar to microservices that will be assembled by other suppliers into end to end Digital Services. Expected Contract Length The initial contract length is 5 Months (July - November) Latest start date Friday 25 June 2021 Budget Range The aggregate potential value of this contract is £8m, encompassing Phases 3, 4 and 5 of the CTC project, with pricing submitted on this basis. However, as Phases 4 and 5 have not, at this stage, received approval, the IPO is only able to commit to engage the supplier in respect of works specified under Phase 3 only and will be under no obligation to commission works in respect of Phases 4 and 5. Why the Work is Being Done CTC has 3 remaining phases planned for delivery. This procurement covers all 3 however the initial contract will be for Phase 3 only. Phase 3 of CTC will deliver the core functionality to cover the most critical use case scenarios required by the Transformation programme, specifically: Stage 1 - Delivered by the existing team and will be handed over to the selected supplier. •Additional building blocks identified as covering the critical use case scenarios •Orchestration services to support the creation of end to end services Stage 2 - Expected to be delivered by the selected supplier from July onwards •Integration of components with a central Master Data Store •Provisioning of the CRM solution and integration of CTC components with CRM •Provisioning of CIAM and integration of CTC components •Provisioning of and integration with any other transactional data stores •The build of at least one end to end data flow use case moving data to and from the Master Data Store •Migrate existing production workload from the Kubernetes on-premise servers to the CTC OpenShift platform •Security and deployment improvements •Prioritised work fed from the Transformation programme through a backlog management process, including the build of any additional building blocks. Problem to Be Solved To support IPOs transformation programme, it is envisaged that the supplier will work alongside both IPO resources and other suppliers to bring valuable expertise and experience within the capability areas listed above in order to deliver outcomes which will ensure the programme is delivered efficiently and in line with IPOs overarching investment case. The supplier will also work with the IPO data team to integrate with the Master Data Store and build end to end data flows into CTC, and with the overall OneIPO Transformation partner to jointly ensure the successful integration of CTC within the end to end digital services. Who Are the Users IPO Transformation Programme is the user alongside wider IPO stakeholders such as Programme Board. The Common Technology Components Supplier is required to support the Programme and work alongside the Client-Side Programme Support and Strategic Delivery Partner. The CTC elements are a core dependency on the Strategic Delivery Partner and underpins the overall success of Programme Delivery. Early Market Engagement N/A Work Already Done CTC commenced in April 2020 and has completed Phases 1 and 2. CTC is currently about to commence Phase 3. To date, CTC has delivered: • Baseline platform and devops capability using an IBM software stack running on Azure • An initial range of building blocks, some examples being address lookup, calculate fee, create account, create order, find user • A CRM proof of concept resulting in the selection of Microsoft Dynamics • A CIAM proof of concept resulting in the selection of Microsoft B2C Existing Team The supplier will be working with existing IPO staff and the OneIPO Transformation Strategic Delivery Partner. The IPO staff is made up of permanent and augmented resources. Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • Previous experience of delivering and supporting complex transformation programmes within government (encompassing IT enabled change alongside complex organisation and process re-design) in-line with GDS service design principles • Proven track record of delivering effective outcomes to time, cost and quality • Demonstrable experience of successful knowledge transfer across a variety of skill sets • Proven ability to build and manage relationships with senior stakeholders and external suppliers • Experience of delivering digital projects within an existing Public Sector Governance model • Experience of the technology landscape used within the IPO Nice to Haves Experience of tailoring delivery approaches and scaling teams up/down in line with performance and requirements Work Location It is expected that work will take place flexibly between supplier offices, IPO locations and remote working. Resources will be expected to travel and work from locations within London as required, as well as occasional travel nationally. In line with COVID pandemic lockdown regulations, work will initially be completed remotely. The primary location for this work will be: Intellectual Property Office Cardiff Road Newport NP10 8QQ Resources may be expected to travel and work at locations within London/Wales as required, however this will be at the expense of the supplier. Working Arrangments Supplier resources will work alongside the IPO resources, working remotely but using IPO supplied equipment, Monday-Friday usual office hours. More flexibility may be arranged by mutual agreement after an initial onboarding process. We expect team(s) to reflect the roles and capabilities listed in the Essential Skills section. Team(s) will work within the IPO governance model using the Agile delivery methodology.. Security Clearance Given the nature of the work, SC clearance is required for all Consultants. IPO is able to support the SC Clearance process if necessary. Additional T&Cs Additional terms & conditions The IPO shall not accept suppliers submitting a proposal for both CTC and Phase 1 Strategic Delivery Partner procurement. Suppliers are required to undertake a business decision regarding which opportunity they wish to bid as applying for both may result in being discounted from the bidding process. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria • Case study of previous experience of component delivery - 10% • Technology experience - 10% • Delivery approach and methodology - 10% • Onboarding and Implementation Plan - 10% • Team structure, role by role competency - 5% • Your organisation’s primary activity and size and scale of this project - 5% • Risk mitigation strategy - 5% • Through life contract management & reporting approach - 5% Cultural Fit Criteria • Has an inclusive approach to engaging with internal stakeholders that will support project success - 2% • Will work transparently, and collaboratively as one team with our organisation and other suppliers - 2% • Will share their approach, knowledge transfer and experience with other team members and seek actionable feedback - 2% • Has experience of working with Government or other highly regulated departments - 2% • Has evidence of how the supplier takes ownership of problems and resolves issues - 2% • Has a diverse supply chain that is accessible to all types of businesses, including where appropriate SMEs and VCSEs - 2% • Can recruit, train, retain and support employees and other persons engaged or to be engaged in performance of the contract - 4% • Can perform the contract to ensure that environmental impacts are reduced - 2% • Encourage increased representation of people with disabilities in the workforce, and how you would monitor and measure this - 2% Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Hello, can you confirm who the current incumbent is please? There is currently no single supplier. A Managed Service is provided by Tria, Empyrean and Empiric. 2. Hello, can you confirm who will be on the judging panel please? IPO 3. Is there a current incumbent or preferred supplier for this work? There is currently no single supplier. A Managed Service is provided by Tria, Empyrean and Empiric. 4. Could you share some background information about your technology so we can answer the following: “Experience of the technology landscape used within the IPO”? CTC is built using IBM API Connect management (APIC) and IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE) platforms with IBM Open Shift running on Azure to provide connectivity and integration. CTC uses a small number of off the shelf products including IBM Business Automation Workflow (BAW) and Microsoft Dynamics. 5. Who is the incumbent supplier for IPO, and do you need Microsoft Partnership? There is currently no single supplier. A Managed Service is provided by Tria, Empyrean and Empiric. 6. Is there an incumbent for this opportunity? There is currently no single supplier. A Managed Service is provided by Tria, Empyrean and Empiric. 7. Does this work fall inside or outside of IR35? This opportunity is for outcome-based deliverables and IPO expects that all supply chain staff/contractors/resources are compliant with IR35 rules. 8. Regarding the statement in the opportunity description that ‘The IPO shall not accept suppliers submitting a proposal for both CTC and Phase 1 Strategic Delivery Partner procurement. ‘, would it be acceptable to contribute as a subcontracted partner for the Transformation Programme (under a prime contractor), while bidding for the CTC as prime contractor? IPO envisages to award a contract to two different suppliers. 9. Please advise who is the incumbent delivering this service and how long they have been the incumbent? There is currently no single supplier. A Managed Service is provided by Tria, Empyrean and Empiric. 10. Is there an incumbent supplier?If so – what is their name and will they be applying for this project also? There is currently no single supplier. A Managed Service is provided by Tria, Empyrean and Empiric. At this stage we do not know which suppliers are applying. 11. Who’s in the incumbent and how long they have been the incumbent? There is currently no single supplier. A Managed Service is provided by Tria, Empyrean and Empiric. 12. Who’s on the panel? IPO 13. On ‘Experience of the technology landscape used within the IPO’, Can you please elaborate what is the current technology landscape within the IPO ? Like many organisations, the IPO’s current technology landscape consists of a range of on-premise and cloud-based systems including windows and unix servers, databases and file feeds.For the future technology landscape, CTC is built using IBM API Connect management (APIC) and IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE) platforms with IBM Open Shift running on Azure to provide connectivity and integration. CTC uses a small number of off the shelf products including IBM Business Automation Workflow (BAW) and Microsoft Dynamics. 14. What is the budget for phase 3 alone? We anticipate the value of the Phase 3 element of the contract would be no more than £2.5m (Excluding VAT) 15. What is the value of the Phase 3 contract for the 5 months duration? We anticipate the value of the Phase 3 element of the contract would be no more than £2.5m (Excluding VAT) 16. What is the technology stack behind Master Data Store? The Master Data Store and Data Tooling technologies are currently being evaluated. The Master Data Store is likely to be SQL based and require API and/or publish/subscribe interfaces. 17. I’m assuming if we can demonstrate experience with the tech stack that this will sufficiently meet this criteria? Will we be marked down if we’ve not worked directly with IPO previously? All Suppliers will will be treated on a level playing field. 18. This is to perform Phase 3 work. Can you advise what external support was provided to deliver either Phase 1 or Phase 2 of the work? If external support was provided, please advise whether the supplier(s) are eligible to bid for this Phase 3 work? Phases 1 and 2 were built using a mixture of IPO and external resources. External resources were provided from three suppliers: Tria, Empyrean and Empiric. Existing suppliers can bid for Phase 3 19. Could you confirm the status of the Phase 1 Strategic Delivery Partner procurement activity, please? We are unable to prioritise without visibility of both procurements. Phase 1 tender is currently live, with proposals due on 14th May 20. Regarding the statement in the opportunity description that ‘The IPO shall not accept suppliers submitting a proposal for both CTC and Phase 1 Strategic Delivery Partner procurement. ‘, Would it be acceptable to contribute as a subcontracted partner for the Transformation Programme (under a prime contractor), while bidding for the CTC as prime contractor? IPO envisages to award a contract to two different suppliers, as such IPO shall not accept a tender response from a OneIPO Phase 1 subcontracted partner/prime supplier. It should be noted that whilst the IPO expects both winning prime Suppliers to sign a collaboration agreement there should be a clear separation of responsibilities. 21. CLARIFICATION FROM IPO ON CONTRACT DURATION Suppliers should note that this procurement covers overall contract duration for Common Technology Components (CTC) for a duration of 18 months in total for all Phases, however the contract awarded will be for Phase 3 only, Phases 4 and 5 will be subject to funding approval and review of delivery performance of Phase 3. Subject to these two factors, the IPO will further execute SOW's for Phase 4 and 5. The initial SOW award will be Phase 3 only.