Discovery / Alpha Squad

Description

Summary of the work We are looking for a small squad to run an 8 week rapid discovery/alpha for a new digital service. Selection of the service is being scoped. Expectation is it will be a service(s) where the user journey crosses multiple public sector organisations such as Welsh Government, NHS and local government. Expected Contract Length Up to six months Latest start date Saturday 1 August 2020 Budget Range Up to £190,000 + VAT Why the Work is Being Done The Centre for Digital Public Services is a new arm's-length body funded by Welsh Government that aims to support the transformation of the design and delivery of digital public services in Wales. We are looking for a small squad to join the Centre to run an 8 week rapid discovery/alpha project for a new digital service. The specific service is still being decided, but the user journey will ideally straddle multiple public sector organisations such as Welsh Government, the NHS and local government. Problem to Be Solved Last year's discovery phase for the Centre identified a lack of skills across the Welsh public sector to deliver digitally transformed services using agile delivery techniques and user centred/service design approaches. We're looking for a small squad/team to help us show, through rapid research and prototyping, what can be done using service design, research and agile methodologies. Who Are the Users This is yet to be confirmed and will depend on which public service(s) is selected for this discovery/alpha squad to work on. Work Already Done The Centre is still being set up so work has not started and there is no incumbent supplier. A high-level discovery was done last year which identified a number of themes. See https://docs.google.com/document/d/10xx4Iz8fY5MTGQv4rcaXn017HhcrQz1GYqFF7YkrEjg/ for more information on the background to the creation of the Centre Existing Team The Centre is being established. There is a: * Chair of the Centre * Business Director * Programme Delivery Manager (being appointed) The Centre and the team will be expected to work with: * other suppliers * the devolved Welsh public sector including local government, NHS Wales and Welsh Government * external organisations based in Wales Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • Have experience of successfully delivering rapid or compressed discovery/alpha phases • Have experience of defining and structuring a Minimum Viable Product (MVP • Have experience of working on agile projects as part of a multidisciplinary team • Have experience of delivering user journey mapping and/or service blueprinting • Have experience of working with public sector teams, particularly those with no or limited experience of agile and discoveries • Have experience of turning research data into clear findings to inform what you build • Have experience prototyping in code and testing with users and stakeholders • Have experience of transferring knowledge to internal staff Nice to Haves • provide evidence of establishing remote working practices • provide evidence of how you work in the open • provide evidence of producing tangible outputs and not just research reports Work Location The Centre for Digital Public Services has an all-Wales remit. We expect that the squad can be delivered remotely for the foreseeable future making extensive use of video conference technologies. Depending on guidance and circumstances during these unprecedented times, the Centre plans to take physical office space in Ebbw Vale, South Wales. The Business Director and Chair are both based in South Wales. Working Arrangments We expect this work will be done remotely for the foreseeable future. Should official guidance change during the duration of this engagement, you may be expected to attend meetings across Wales. Security Clearance At minimum a security clearance at Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) will be required for all members of the team/squad. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Your proposed team and their roles • Your approach and methodology • How your approach will help us meet our needs • Your proposed timeframes for the work • Costs • Your approach to risks and their mitigations • Cultural fit criteria below • A case study (as part of your presentation) of having delivered a rapid prototype based on user-centred design methods Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions • Share your work frequently, openly, honestly and constructively challenging preconceptions • Challenge the status quo Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Is the budget of £190,000 max for the 8 weeks discovery phase or for the 6 months contract length? The stated budget covers the full contract length. We expect to run more than one discovery/alpha in this time. 2. How many team members do you expect as your small squad? Suppliers do not need to suggest their team shapes/sizes at this point. We will share more details of the potential services with shortlisted suppliers at proposal stage to allow them to suggest their approach on this proposal criteria. 3. You say "We are looking for a small squad to run an 8 week rapid discovery/alpha for a new digital service." but contract length is "up to 6 months" – can I just clarify the work duration is c. 8 weeks even if the contract duration is longer? We expect to run more than one discovery/alpha in this time. 4. Is the budget of £190,000 max for one discovery/alpha Project or are several discovery /alpha Projects encompassed in the stated amount? The stated budget covers the full contract length. We expect to run more than one discovery/alpha in this time. 5. Can you provide more info on what you are looking for in the question "Evidence of provide evidence of how you work in the open" Please refer to the Government Design Principle and the Service Standard. 6. 1. Who’s in the incumbent and how long they have been the incumbent?2. Who is on the panel? There is no incumbent supplier. The Centre for Digital Public Services has only just been established. A panel has not yet been finalised but is expected to include the Centre's Business Director, the Programme Delivery Manager and other representatives from different parts of the Welsh Public Sector. 7. If we were to supply a small squad for an 8-weeks rapid Discovery/Alpha, could we assume a budget of up to of £190K? The budget for 6 months is £190k to run a series of rapid discoveries/alphas with a small squad. 8. Would having native Welsh-language expertise within the small squad be advantageous? We cannot comment on the advantageousness of your bid. Please respond to the criteria set out in this opportunity. 9. Will you be able to specify which projects will be covered before the second round of the bidding as this will affect team size, shape and pricing or do you want suppliers to submit a rate card as part of the second round bid process? We may be in a position to share some further information about this at proposal stage. How suppliers define their costs and present those to us is up to the supplier. 10. Will you cover costs of software licenses e.g. user research tools or will the winning supplier have to cover these? We would expect suppliers to pay for the use of any tools they would use as a routine part of their work. 11. Will you cover the costs of user research recruitment or do you expect suppliers to cover that from the budget? If the latter, will you specific projects and users in the second round of the bidding process as user research recruitment costs can vary significantly depending on types of user to be researched with? We will endeavour to share as much further detail as we can at the proposal stage with shortlisted suppliers. There will be a chance for further clarification questions at that point. 12. Is there a particular blueprint you would like the supplier to follow during the discovery phase? We expect suppliers to complete discovery in line with GDS guidance. 13. Hi, do you anticipate any travel for the duration of the 6 months considering the situation around Covid-19? If so, how frequent and what would the travel be for? Please refer to the information given in the "Working arrangements" section in the opportunity. 14. In the event where user research is found to be required, suppliers frequently find that the costs associated have not been factored in, How do you propose to manage this extra cost if the budget only covers costs for the squad? The budget is £190k + VAT. We will endeavour to share as much further detail as we can at the proposal stage with shortlisted suppliers. There will be a chance for further clarification questions at that point. 15. Given the exceptionally challenging budget for this work and the fact that the GOV.UK Service Manual advises that Alpha phases will need potentially 13 or more specialist skill-sets, can the Authority advise if any in-house specialists will be working with the Supplier squad and in what capacity? This budget has been costed using DOS rate cards for the likely roles in a basic, small team. The particular capabilities required for each project will vary according to the specifics of that work. There are currently no in-house specialists. We expect the potential services to provide subject matter experts and they may be able to supply additional roles, but this will vary. 16. In your Nice to Have skills, you mention evidence of how we work in the open. Do you mean open, transparent, collaborative working, or use of (or working in) open source? Please refer to the Government Design Principle and the Service Standard.