AT1275 - Strategic Microsoft Partner

Description

Pre-market engagement Starting in June, we reached out to several suppliers to explore potential routes to market for our Microsoft 365 integration project. Despite our efforts to engage a broad range of providers, only two suppliers responded. Following discussions around approach we have worked on these requirements. Work done so far - High level Internal review of our on premise unstructured data - Cloud storage options explored - On premise data storage extended Which phase the project is in Discovery Existing team Natasha Snookes (Service Manager - Product and Delivery) Su Gill (Head of IT contracts) Michael Rae - Technical Specialist Richard Pacheco (Service Manager - Product and Delivery) Frank Thomas - Technical Specialist Address where the work will be done Luton Borough Council 3rd Floor Arndale House, Luton, Beds LU1 2LI or Luton Town Hall Remote sessions also Working arrangements Engagement with the supplier will be through mutual agreement of the best approach to achieve the outcomes. Many sessions are likley to be remote sessions via Teams which will enable those in the office and working from home to take part. As part of the tender we welcome supplier recommendations from lessons learned on how best to achieve this. Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Latest start date 2025-05-01 Enter the expected contract length: 2 years Write the term or acronym: E3 - Microsoft 365 E3 subscription tier Write the term or acronym: EIR Write the term or acronym: FOI Write the term or acronym: GDPR Write the term or acronym: Microsoft 365 Write the term or acronym: SAR Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: £50000 Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource Supply of resource: the off-payroll rules may apply Summary of work Luton Council is exploring future options for its on-premise corporate file storage, focusing on document classification, retention, and file structures. This initiative has prompted a broader review of the Microsoft 365 (M365) suite to modernise data management and collaboration across the organisation. Given the scope and potential impact on working practices, Luton Council seeks to partner with a specialist to guide this transformation, drawing on lessons learned from similar implementations in local authority setting. Where the supplied staff will work London Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Who the organisation using the products or services is Luton Borough Council Why the work is being done The Council seeks to enhance GDPR compliance, streamline document classification/retention, and improve collaboration by utilising M365 E3 licenses (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive) to create an efficient data storage and collaboration platform. Key requirements: • M365 Expertise: Experience in local government and guidance on leveraging current licenses. • Strategy Development: Define clear use cases for M365 tools, specifying data storage practices and restrictions. • Collaboration: Enable multi-user document editing with audit features to track changes while retaining original versions. • Data Classification: Deploy sensitivity labels and ensure compliance with SAR, EIR, FOI, etc. • Corporate Share Review: o Assess AD group permissions, streamline access, and align with new structures. o Propose methods for automating archiving/deletion of historic files per retention policies. o Address exceptions like Macro-enabled files or those transferred via automation tools. • Storage Solutions: Evaluate cost-effective options for document storage and transfers from the on-prem corporate share, including batch format conversions. • Governance Policies: Establish retention, access control, sharing, and compliance protocols. • Training & Skills: Assess staff skills and recommend training to support implementation and ongoing development. • Use Case Scenarios: Propose Teams/sites/folder layouts with easy access and permission review processes. • Pilot Program: Implement a pilot (e.g., Digital, Data & Tech Team) with scalable support options from guidance-only to technical setup. • Adoption & Security: Develop a user adoption strategy with training, retention policies, and access monitoring. Provide best practices for data loss prevention, conditional access, threat protection, and backup/recovery. • Costing: Outline indicative costs for scalable support during the pilot. The business problem you need to solve Luton Council faces challenges with its current on-premise document storage system, which is outdated, difficult to manage, and not optimised for collaboration. The current system relies on a deep file structure that limits accessibility and is labor-intensive to maintain, especially in terms of permissions, document retention, and compliance with GDPR regulations. The system’s limitations restrict efficient collaboration across departments, impacting productivity and data governance. With existing Microsoft 365 (M365) E3 licenses in place but underutilised, Luton Council seeks a solution that enables a secure, accessible, and compliant digital workspace that supports modern, collaborative work practices. The goal is to leverage M365 to centralise document storage, streamline workflows, and ensure data governance is in line with legal requirements. Expected Outcomes - High-level review of current file storage practices and identification of improvement areas within the M365 suite. - A comprehensive M365 modern workplace strategy, detailing use cases for Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. - Recommendations for optimal document storage, data classification, and retention, focusing on secure access and compliance. - A pilot rollout within a designated team to validate the new document management approach, assess user adoption, and gather feedback. - An overarching, scalable rollout plan that minimises operational disruption and provides a step-by-step transition path for all departments. - Defined policies and procedures for data retention, access control, and document classification to ensure alignment with GDPR and other regulatory requirements. - A skills assessment and tailored training plan to empower Council staff with the knowledge to use and maintain M365 tools effectively, ensuring long-term sustainability. - A detailed business case that outlines the budget, projected benefits, and long-term operational costs for the Council’s full adoption of M365. First user type: Internal IT Users First user type: External IT Users Questions and Clarifications 0. Is the £50k budget inclusive of VAT? Thank you for your question, no the budget will not be inclusive of VAT. Last Updated: <strong>20 December 2024, 13:17</strong> 1. Is the £50k budget inclusive of VAT? Thank you for your question, no the budget will not be inclusive of VAT. Last Updated: <strong>20 December 2024, 13:18</strong> 2. Pilot – can we assume the pilot will be for a subset of capabilities? Thank you for your question, the pilot will be for one service area and is aimed to show how to approach the wider roll out, including how we plan, then move from our current ways of working to the new approach, in a well-coordinated and informed approach. Last Updated: <strong>20 December 2024, 13:19</strong> 3.  In the Introduction section (Specifications document) you mention you are looking for a recommendation for “expanding the use of Microsoft 365 suite, mainly Teams, One Drive and SharePoint”, but then in Section 2 you mention developing M365 modern workplace strategy and clearly define use case “for each of the M365 products”. Can you please clarify whether you want us to focus only on Teams, One Drive and SharePoint or on all M365 products which are a lot more?  Thank you for your question, we would like to expand our use of Teams, One Drive and Sharepoint as the primary objective however if there is a better approach or other M365 products, we welcome your experience and recommendations for us to consider. Last Updated: <strong>2024-12-20T13:21:22.53845Z</strong> 4. Can you kindly advise if the character limit (Max 750 characters including space) set for Essential skills and experience applies to the whole section? We believe having the character limitation applies to each individual question is more reasonable for tenderer to provide a valid response. Can you confirm our understanding? Thank you for your question, we have consulted with CCS who have confirmed that the allowance is 750 characters (including spaces) per question (not for all questions combined) Last Updated: <strong>20 December 2024, 13:22</strong> 5. Are we allowed to include pictures or diagrams in our response and, if so, would they be included in the character count? Thank you for your question, no we will not be allowing diagrams at this stage. Last Updated: <strong>2024-12-20T13:23:02.89978Z</strong> 6. Please confirm your required timeline. What is stated in the SPECIFICATION document differs to the Contract Start date stated in the Provisional procurement timeline in Attachment 3? Thank you for your question, contract start is 01-05-2025, please refer to the provisional procurement timeline on line provided in the question documents for the correct dates. Last Updated: <strong>20 December 2024, 13:23</strong> 7. Could you please confirm whether the character limit for the Essential Skills and Experience section is 750 characters or 750 words? Additionally, does the limit apply to all three questions combined or to each question individually? Thank you for your question, for the Essential Skills and Experience section there is a character limit of 750 characters (including spaces ) for each question within that section. (750 characters (including spaces) PER question). Last Updated: <strong>20 December 2024, 13:24</strong> 8. Please confirm your required timeline. What is stated in the SPECIFICATION document differs to the Contract Start date stated in the Provisional procurement timeline in Attachment 3? Thank you for your question, contract start is 01-05-2025, please refer to the provisional procurement timeline on line provided in the question documents for the correct dates. Last Updated: <strong>30 December 2024, 15:56</strong> 9. Regarding the On-Premise document storage system, please can you confirm the system being used (Windows Server), how many drives, the storage quantity used and if you have considered or previously undertaken a data cleanse exercise. Reference: "Problems to be solved" Thank you for your question, This is a windows file server running as a failover Cluster. There are 6 drives storing the data with an overall capacity of around 50TB and over 40 million files. There is historic data going back to the early 2000's, there has been some review of the data but while some data cleansing of specific areas has been carried out this has not been significant across the board. Last Updated: <strong>30 December 2024, 15:56</strong> 10. Can you describe how the following M365 services with your M365 E3 subscription are being used currently: SharePoint Online - For example: How many active sites, storage used, file storage, intranet services, custom developments OneDrive - For example: is the service enabled, when was it enabled, are Home drives synced to OneDrive Teams - For example: Are Ms Teams and Channels being used for file storage and collaboration, quantity of Ms Teams Purview - For Example: Are any of the Information Protection tools you have with M365 E3 configured, like DLP and Sensitivity Labels, Retention Policies. "Thank you for your question, Sharepoint Online - Sharepoint online is currenlty used for perdominantly intranet sites. We have Around 120 sites in total currently. These are not used for general file storage. We have some sites configured to allow sharing with external organisations. We do not have general sites configered on a per department / team basis and are for specific use cases. Onedrive - Onedrive is currently used and available to a small number of users as an initial pilot however this had been paused. This is set up to sync local document areas on users laptops only. MS Team - MS teams is in use across the council but predominantly for messaging and meetings. File storage is avaialable but not widely used currently. Purview - This is not currently in use for sensitivity labels and retention, this is a critical area to explore during the engagement with the aim to have this in place before significant further adoption of the above services" Last Updated: <strong>30 December 2024, 15:56</strong> 11. Please confirm the type of documents in scope for the migration? For example, Office Documents, PDF, CAD, Video (MP4), Audio (MP3, WAV), Image (JPEG) What is the total number of files to be migrated? What is the percentage of files owned by individuals and a team (i.e. files owned by individuals are usually saved to named individuals folder/folders to see and use by a single person)  Thank you for your question, This has not yet been fully considered and would form part of the engagement and discovery piece. Last Updated: <strong>30 December 2024, 15:57</strong> 12. At present, what is the segregation criteria used for organising the folders and files? Is that based on departments? If yes, How many departments are present? Thank you for your question, Currently existing file stores are broken out into departments and teams. This would need to be included as part of an initial discovery activity. Last Updated: <strong>30 December 2024, 15:57</strong> 13. Is there any external integration utilities that automatically feed data in to these file shares or read data from these file shares?  Thank you for your question, There will be some external integrations with the current filesystem, however the extent of this would need to be determined as part of discovery phase. Last Updated: <strong>30 December 2024, 15:58</strong> 14. Does everyone in the organisation have a M365 E3 Subscriptions? Thank you for your question, Yes the users that access the file storage will have an O365 subscription in general. Any exceptions would be very limited and need to be identified Last Updated: <strong>30 December 2024, 15:58</strong> 15. Please clarify that the project is to run a discovery engagement, output an M365 workspace strategy and deliver a pilot? Can you also confirm how the remaining work following the pilot will be delivered? In-house or by the awarded partner?  Thank you for your question, Yes the initial scope would be to run a discovery excersise and to implement a modern workplace pilot taking the discovery into cosideration. Following the pilot further engagement is expected with the awarded partner to expand the deployment. Depending on the output of the initial engagement we could carry out in-house activities where appropriate. Last Updated: <strong>30 December 2024, 15:58</strong> 16. Good afternoon, I have noticed several potential providers inquiring about the word limit. I would like to suggest increasing this limit, if possible. Allowing more words would enable organisations to provide more detailed and valuable bid responses, which I believe would ultimately enhance the quality of submissions. Thank you for your consideration. Thank you for your question, the word limit is something we cannot change and is set by CCS. Last Updated: <strong>30 December 2024, 16:00</strong>