NU/1435 Supply of Website Development Services for VOICE Digital Platform

Description

Why the Work is Being Done VOICE was established by Newcastle University to capture the vast experience and mental capital of the public. The digital platform was launched in Autumn, 2016, and has revolutionised the ways in which members of the public can contribute their experience, ideas, insights and vision to benefit research and innovation, especially around ageing. We will require a comprehensive review of the current digital platform, work to understand current and future organisational needs and develop planned solutions to deliver a leading digital infrastructure to support the achievement of our aspirations. Phased implementation with initial functionality completed by March/April 2019 Problem to Be Solved We are seeking to review the web platform with a view to future-proofing the organisation, scaling activity, building enhanced functionality and ensuring that we can meet the demands of a number of anticipated contracts with organisations looking to use the platform to coordinate their own "Patient & Public Involvement" activities. Who Are the Users USERS: - collaborating organisations/content editors Upload, manage and coordinate content via an Admin dashboard - researchers/industry Submit requests for posting new Opportunities (promotion of workshops & events, online discussions, live stream events); Facilitate online discussions - public View & register for available opportunities to get involved with research and innovation (workshops, online discussions, live stream events); manage their involvement in activities via a Profile dashboard; to stay informed about cutting edge research about health and ageing across the life course. Early Market Engagement Work Already Done The existing digital platform has allowed us to significantly scale our activity to better serve the public, as well as offering innovative ways for researchers and businesses to harness the public’s ideas and knowledge. This will be the third phase of development and will review and improve the existing functionality, as well as developing new features to enable us to enhance the platform and meet future demands. Existing Team You will be working with the VOICE team, including the Director of VOICE, the in-house developer, project manager and project support officer. There may also be a requirement for communication with existing and future stakeholders, as well as focus groups with VOICE members. Current Phase Live Work Location This will be determined as per the requirements of the commission. Newcastle University (occasionally for meetings) but you can work remotely. Working Arrangments As this is online development we expect the majority of work to be done remotely but we would expect to have regular update and development meetings. Security Clearance Additional T&Cs Skills & Experience Good technical knowledge and significant experience of Umbraco CMS Available capacity to provide sufficient, suitably qualified and experienced resources to meet project deadlines and requirements Use a form of version control for testing developments and releasing scheduled updates Experience of integration with external systems via API or Web Services Capability developing GDPR compliant systems Have proven experience designing and building secure databases Nice to Haves Provide professional User Experience services to review and redesign the site layout Demonstrate experience of designing services for users with low digital literacy Demonstrate experience of co-designing web platforms with input from different stakeholder groups. Excellent frontend development skills Wireframing and prototyping for redesigning and new feature design Highly experienced in optimised mobile design for accessibility Initial and then iterative research and testing Proven method of project management (Agile) Provide experience of delivering at scale No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria Technical solution Approach and methodology How the approach or solution meets user needs How the approach or solution meets the project goals Estimated timeframes for the work Identification of risks and dependencies and approaches to manage them Team structure Value for money Cultural Fit Criteria Transparent and collaborative working culture Work as a team with our organisation and other stakeholders Strong focus on user experience Proactive approach to problem-solving Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Written proposal Case study Work history Reference Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 40% Cultural fit 10% Price 50% Questions from Suppliers Budget range £100k-£200k