BEIS Digital User Centered Design Partner

Description

Summary of the work BEIS is seeking to partner with a highly skilled and proven User Centered Design 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: Service Design User Research Interaction Design UX Design Content Design Product Management 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 user centred design 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 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 using service design to frame whole problems for users and facilitating design thinking through workshops with users, SME, policy, senior leaders and other stakeholders. • Provide evidence of designing end-to-end services across a range of on-line and off-line channels for participants who are digitally excluded or have access needs. • Provide evidence of integrating service design with other disciplines such; research, content design, product, business analysis, data analytics, behavourial insight and policy, to deliver end-to-end services in challenging circumstances. • Provide evidence of prioritising the understanding of user needs and behaviour to underpin and drive design decisions. • Provide evidence of analysing failure within a service and identifying root causes which can be resolved or documented for future learning. • Provide evidence of designing and developing a service through an iterative, user-centered approach informed by user research and data analytics. • Provide evidence of designing accessible and compliant services that met Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. • Provide evidence of working in partnership with both in-house teams and other suppliers to achieve a shared outcome. • Provide evidence of analysing user research findings and effectively communicating actionable insights. • Provide evidence of upskilling and mentoring internal user research capability. • Demonstrable experience of using a variety of qualitative (focus groups, ethnography, in-depth interviews), quantitative and mixed-methods research approaches, remotely and in-person, evidence of guiding teams to applying them appropriately. • Evidence of running inclusive research practices (including users with access/low digital skills/language barriers/severe deprivation/ethnic minorities), helping teams design and deliver accessible services. 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 • Experience of working through the service lifecycle of Discovery/Alpha/Beta/Live. • Experience of inclusive particpatory design and designing services for under-represented groups. • Evidence of ways of working that are compatible with the Government Service Standard. • 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. Cultural Fit Criteria • Evidence of supporting a strong User Experience, Research and Design based culture of service and continuous improvement. • 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 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. Also, how many roles do you envision are needed from beginning of August? Between half-a-dozen and up to about a dozen. 4. 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. 5. you mentioned “1) BEIS and ALB internal teams” What is meant by ALB? Arm's length body 6. Please could you tell us if we can provide multiple examples per question? If relevant, you can use multiple examples. 7. Is there a service design method you favour or in use within the department We do not have a preference service design method, however, please review the service design role here for more information https://www.gov.uk/guidance/service-designer 8. What delivery phases will the roles work across? Is it just discovery/alpha, or including beta through to live? The initial piece of work is for a discovery. However, for future work packages the roles could work across discovery, alpha, private beta and live. 9. What is meant by ‘failure’ in question 5 (Provide evidence of analysing failure within a service and identifying root causes which can be resolved or documented for future learning)? This could be where a service fails to meet a user need or a user's expectation. 10. Would the client be willing to sponsor SC clearance? All resources will require BPSS check as standard. Some roles will require SC clearance. BEIS will not be sponsoring SC clearance. 11. In Question 2 (Provide evidence of designing end-to-end services across a range of on-line and off-line channels for participants who are digitally excluded or have access needs), what specifically are BEIS looking at when referring to participants who are digitally excluded or have access needs? Accessibility and Assisted Digital Users. 12. Can you please confirm what your definition of a Service Designer is? Details regarding the service designer role can be found at the following link https://www.gov.uk/guidance/service-designer 13. Please can you provide a procurement schedule for this opportunity? 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 14. 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. 15. Are there any incumbents for this work? There is not an incumbent for the initial work package. However, future work packages may involve taking work from an incumbent supplier. 16. Can you confirm if there is an incumbent supplier for this capability? There is not an incumbent for the initial work package. However, future work packages may involve taking work from an incumbent supplier. 17. Is there more information available re: the programmes and projects that will fall within the scope of this contract? The initial work package will focus on building a funding service which aligns with the Industrial Net Zero agenda. 18. You mentioned “Projects may be at various stages” approx how many projects are at various stages? Between 2 –4 projects but there is no commitment that these projects will go ahead under this contract. 19. Are you seeing this contract as mostly individuals sourced to support projects or small teams being deployed? This will be a mixture of both, the initial piece of work will be individuals to augment a team. 20. Can you please outline the timelines for proposals and presentations, following the shortlisting phase? 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 21. What part of BEIS will the supplier be working with? And can you please share any more information about the existing team? This could be any directorate within BEIS. For the initial package of work the existing team is made up of civil servant product managers, service designers, user researchers, developers, service owners and SME. 22. How will BEIS evaluate price? Will it be based on a rate card? And if so, will there be a rate cap applied to roles provided under the contract? BEIS will require a final cost based from a submitted supplier's rate card. BEIS will supply details of the skill-sets required for each work package. 23. Will BEIS accept existing BPSS or arrange the clearance process? An up-to-date valid BPSS clearance will be required. BEIS will not arrange BPPS checks. 24. Question 3 refers to … experience in ‘deliver end-to-end services in challenging circumstances’ – can you be more specific please – are you referring to vulnerable/disadvantaged consumers, citizens etc. or does this refer to a challenging business environment/conditions? Please give examples. This applies to challenging business environment and disadvantages users/citizens. 25. 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.