Discovery Delivery Partner for the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme

Description

Summary of the work We require a Supplier to run the Discovery of a new cross-govt. programme of work, sharing and linking data between social policy departments to build a stronger evidence base for supporting vulnerable people. Our chosen partner will work with us to set the strategy and direction for the 3-year programme. Expected Contract Length 3 months Latest start date Wednesday 1 September 2021 Budget Range The maximum budget for this procurement is £1,400,000. Evaluators will welcome bids below this maximum budget value. Budget ranges for the extension period will be agreed if required. Pricing will be evaluated out of 20% and pricing submission documents will be issued to suppliers who pass Round 1. Why the Work is Being Done We require the expertise of a highly skilled Discovery Partner with a proven track record of successful delivery to deliver an initial discovery phase to scope, initiate and set the strategy for the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme, a new project aimed at linking cross-govt. data on vulnerable people to provide more joined up and effective services and build an improved evidence base to support policy creation and operational decision-making. The chosen partner will work with us for 3 months to scope what the programme will deliver and how, ensuring it builds upon what has gone before and meets a range of user needs from across local and national government. Additional information regarding this requirement can be provided at the following email address: Abby.Brown@justice.gov.uk. Problem to Be Solved The ability to monitor issues of vulnerability has been identified as a key data gap by both national and local forums. There are a broad range of datasets held by social-policy departments that, if shared and linked, could offer enormous benefits through better joining-up of services and understanding user-journeys. This project aims to: 1. Improve the evidence base around what works in support of various policy objectives, through joining up outcomes cross-departmentally 2. Manage and join-up our services more effectively by tracking users through multiple parts of the public sector to better understand where vulnerable adults may be using multiple government services 3. Reduce unmet need by identifying where vulnerable users only appear in one dataset but vulnerability flags suggest they are not (but should be) being picked up by other services. We can use this combined data to ensure that we are targeting appropriate support to these people to identify and thus minimise unmet need 4. Better identify how multiple government services impact on dynamic factors of vulnerability – i.e. what combination of services most effectively manages someone’s vulnerability. We can then use this insight to intervene earlier and divert vulnerable users to cost-effective services before problems escalate. Who Are the Users The ultimate end-users are cross-government analysts and their policy and operational (including frontline) customers who are UK government sector workers, who will be able to analyse the relationship between, for example, data on resettlement support provided to prisoners in custody (held by HMPPS), and data on settled housing outcomes for prison-leavers (held by Local Authorities / MHCLG) and build a more robust evidence base around which interventions are associated with better accommodation outcomes. Other users (all cross-government) include: • Strategy and legal officers responsible for developing and governing a common framework for sharing data in scope • Data engineers, developers and other technical users responsible for data access, integration and delivery • Data scientists who will link multiple datasets together and build tools through which visualisations and views on the data can be disseminated • Evaluation specialists who will be testing the viability of the broader programme as an experimental pilot As the requirement we are seeking support on is to deliver a discovery phase, the primary user needs here will be a fully scoped and evidence-based plan for the next phases of delivery. Early Market Engagement Initial market engagement was conducted with several possible suppliers. Questions included the scope and cost of the project, as well as realistic timelines for delivery. Work Already Done An initial business case has been approved for funding, and a programme office is in the process of being recruited. The programme is at inception stage and engagement and leadership roles between departments is being established. Existing Team This is an entirely new programme of work, which by the time of contract award and mobilisation will have a small core strategy and programme office function consisting of an interim Programme Lead, a Strategy Lead, 1-2 Lead Delivery Managers and a Programme & Reporting function, with a broader virtual team of key stakeholders across all participating departments. Additionally, the chosen supplier will be expected to report into programme and wider policy-led governance arrangements. Current Phase Not started Skills & Experience • Experience and proven track record of delivering agile, digital discoveries to and/or on behalf of, Government Agencies, meeting the Government Service Standard and technology code of conduct. • Experience of developing strategies and project plans for new and innovative large-scale projects • In-depth understanding of the data lifecycle and what is required to transform raw data into useable insight for analysis • Expertise in data sharing, associated legislation and legal frameworks, developing data sharing agreements, common barriers to effective data sharing and how to overcome these • Technical skills and experience in data linking, integration and engineering • Knowledge of appropriate data protection standards relevant to the sharing and linking of government data, both for policy/research and operational purposes • Extensive knowledge and experience of the broad policy landscape of vulnerability • In-depth knowledge of government data on vulnerabilities, including physical and mental health • Knowledge, track record and proven understanding of a range of analytical tools and techniques, including both established government analytical professions and modern data science techniques • Evidence in-depth understanding and experience of presenting clear, compelling, evidence-based recommendations for change based on primary and secondary research, particularly in relation to the use of data and evidence. • Appointment of appropriate project management structures to ensure the timely and efficient delivery of the project, including dedicated Account Manager for single point of access. • Experience and expertise in providing comprehensive reporting to Customer teams on progress and upcoming schedule. • Proven track record of working effectively and collaboratively with multi-disciplinary client teams of policy, operational and analytical civil servants. • Expertise in a range of evaluation methodologies, including those set out in the Treasury Magenta Book, and a proven track record of designing and implementing evaluation plans Nice to Haves • Proven track-record of supporting policy development in one or more of the following: Reducing Reoffending; Supporting Victims of Crime; Combating the Misuse of Drugs; Reducing Homelessness & Rough Sleeping • Experience working within a large government program of work, with multiple teams, dependencies and stakeholders. • Experience of working to and across multiple government departments • Expertise in user-centred service design principles • Knowledge of the Civil Service Code and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality Work Location Predominantly virtually, with the possibility of London based physical working, if required and allowed under relevant restrictions at the time. Occasional travel to other locations in the United Kingdom may also be required. Expenses for travelling between Government Department office locations and base locations are to be incorporated into the pricing. Working Arrangments A mixture of in-person meetings where possible and remote working, in order to engage with the BOLD programme, building broader engagement with the style of working (e.g. through show and tells), and capability building activity through activities such as pair programming/design review. However, we also know that remote working is both possible and will also be necessary over the next few months. Security Clearance A minimum of BPSS is required. Where access to live production data is necessary, SC may also be required, as well as NPPV2/3 where access is required to specific datasets. The successful Supplier will be requested to provide copies of BPSS, SC and NPPV2/3 clearances prior to contract signature. Additional T&Cs A 4-week inception period will be included in the final contract term (in addition to the 3 month contract term) as contingency. Suppliers should only price for a 3-month Discovery. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Provide examples of how you have identified and taken ownership of risks, issues and dependencies and how you have managed their mitigation and resolution • Provide examples of where you have successfully delivered Discoveries for large projects and programmes and detail how you achieved this • Provide examples of where you have successfully negotiated data sharing agreements and detail how you have achieved this. • Provide examples of where you have worked as part of multi-disciplinary teams including policy, operations and analysis • Provide examples of where you have successfully delivered projects contributing to better outcomes for vulnerable people and outline how you achieved this • Evidence where you have worked with data and data systems, particularly where you have supported the integration and linking of multiple data sources, outlining your method and the outcomes • Provide evidence of expertise in and compliance to the Government Digital Service Standard and Technology Code of Practice • Evidence how your proposed approach and methodology for delivery will successfully meet user needs and meet specified acceptance criteria • Evidence how you will work with the client departments to map and prioritise outcomes, data linkages, and the datasets in scope, to share for this wider programme • Please specify how you will manage and account for the views of a broad range of multi-disciplinary stakeholders from across multiple government departments • Please specify how you will develop the programme strategy and plan in a way that enables seamless knowledge transfer to in-house teams • Provide evidence of the team’s experience of working in a vulnerability policy area • Provide evidence of each team member’s experience of working as part of a managed service team delivering agile, digital discoveries • Provide evidence of each team member’s expertise and experience in data sharing • Provide evidence that your proposed team will include members with experience of data analytics and working with data systems • Provide evidence that your proposed team will include members with technical skills and expertise relating to data engineering, linking and integration • Provide evidence of the team’s experience of working together, and with in-house multi-disciplinary stakeholders, in designing evaluations for government programmes Cultural Fit Criteria • Share knowledge and experience with team members and the wider service • Work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers in a diverse environment • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions • Have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes • Take responsibility for their work • Able to demonstrate how this approach and solution will drive social value. Payment Approach Fixed price Assessment Method Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Can you please provide a list of the potential suppliers invited to the initial market engagement ? This is commercially confidential information, and due to the confidentiality nature of the procurement process we are unable to divulge any information about other Suppliers. 2. You mentioned market engagement on this opportunity, who was involved in this engagement ? This is commercially confidential information, and due to the confidentiality nature of the procurement process we are unable to divulge any information about other Suppliers. 3. You mentioned market engagement on this opportunity, who was involved in this engagement ? This is commercially confidential information, and due to the confidentiality nature of the procurement process we are unable to divulge any information about other Suppliers. 4. Is the £1.4M budget quoted for the 3 month discovery phase or for the duration of the 3 year programme? The £1,400,000 budget is for the 3 month Discovery period only. 5. What proportion of staff are you anticipating would need SC/NPPV clearances? Is it reasonable to assume that access to live data is likely to be minimal during Discovery? We anticipate that only 1 or 2 staff would require SC clearance, but this is subject to change. The number requiring NPPV clearance is still to be confirmed and will likely be zero; this is also subject to change. As this is a discovery exercise, access to datasets will be for the purpose of familiarising with broad content and assessing readiness for sharing and linking only. 6. It sounds like this is a new approach / never tried before – are you interested in partners who can demonstrate integrating different data sources or those familiar with social justice datasets only We are interested in partners who can demonstrate knowledge, skills and experience in integrating different data sources from across organisational boundaries. It is desirable but not essential that this experience is in the social policy space. 7. In relation to Q15, are responses allowed to reference examples of supporting policy implementation? Yes, we would consider policy implementation as part of the development process. 8. Are you expecting demonstrator pilots will be part of the scope of Discovery, or would that follow in a subsequent Alpha phase? No, these pilots are to be delivered later in the programme and will be staffed by in-house resource. However, the Discovery will help to scope the desired outcomes and corresponding data linkages we are seeking to deliver in support of these pilots. 9. Should we be successful in the initial round, when would you be expecting the full proposal to be submitted? Notification to successful Suppliers who have progressed to Round 2 is anticipated to be released in the week commencing 19th July 2021. The final date for submitting a proposal is being determined, but is anticipated to be prior to 30th July 2021. 10. Does the £1.4M budget stated for the Discovery period include any budget assigned to products/tooling? So that we may answer your question fully, please may you provide clarity regarding your question, in relation to products/tooling. 11. In relation to Q15, are responses allowed to include evidence of supporting policy development in other areas to Reducing Reoffending; Supporting Victims of Crime; Combating the Misuse of Drugs; Reducing Homelessness & Rough Sleeping (such as Environmental Management)? Whilst it is desirable for suppliers to demonstrate evidence in the specific policy areas outlined, we will accept responses that cover other similar areas of policy. 12. Will you sponsor SC and/or NPPV2/3 clearance for those consultants who need it? Individual Departments will advise if they will sponsor SC and NPPV2/3 clearance. It has been confirmed that the Ministry of Justice and Public Health England will sponsor SC and NPPV clearances for consultants who require this clearance to access to datasets from these departments. 13. Aside from the pre-market engagement, have any other suppliers been involved with shaping requirements thus far? No other Suppliers than those engaged in the pre-market engagement were involved in shaping these requirements. 14. You mention a 4 week Inception period included for contingency. Is the budget for this in addition to the published budget of £1.4m? The 4 week Inception period shall be included as part of the Discovery contract as contingency term only. Budget for this contingency term should not be included in the overall pricing for this service, as it is anticipated that all Discovery work will be completed within 3 months. Suppliers should only price for a 3-month Discovery. 15. Are you expecting suppliers to lead on, or provide expert advise, on policy development? Or primarily focus on user research to provide an evidence base that will help inform policy decisions led by the programme? No, we are not looking for the supplier to support forming policy. Instead, we are seeking a supplier who can work with a range of policy teams to understand where there are potential evidence gaps that could be filled through linking multiple government datasets, and to use this to identify and prioritise the specific data linkages in scope for the programme. 16. Which activities in “ANNEX A – Details on BOLD programme” are in scope for Discovery? Are all these included:• Work across government to map the broad range of issues shared by social policy departments, and their corresponding datasets• Develop the strategic case for data sharing and a common, agreed framework to share key datasets to the ONS...• Make this linked dataset available to pilot a range of analytical policy projects...• Demonstrator Pilots – the linked dataset can then be made available...to run pilot projects, including four planned pilots funded within this programme as ‘demonstrators’ The first activity is included in full. The second activity is partly included. The Buyer would like the Supplier to help us create some options for how we could pursue the data sharing identified as being in scope. The Supplier is not expected to develop the data sharing framework.The other activities are not in scope for this Discovery, and would be part of future phases. Within the Discovery, it is expected the Supplier would support the Buyer develop a more detailed programme scope, based on user-needs, and robust plans for future phases which shall be delivered by in-house resource. 17. Will formal GDS assessments be undertaken subsequently at Alpha and Beta? This is unconfirmed at this stage, and will be dependent on some of the outcome of the Discovery. Depending on the recommendations emerging from Discovery, we may seek to put this through a formal GDS process. 18. Do you anticipate detailed analysis of live data sets will be part of this Discovery phase? We do not require the supplier to provide detailed analysis of live datasets. We anticipate the supplier may need read-only access to both source data and any tools or platforms used to process, analyse and disseminate that data. 19. Are you expecting suppliers to develop data sharing agreements as part of this engagement? Or is the requirement to undertake Discovery activities to understand requirements, concerns and constraints thus providing an evidence base to enable the programme to effectively develop data sharing agreements? We are not expecting suppliers to develop data sharing as part of this engagement. As correctly identified, the requirement is to undertake Discovery activities to understand requirements, concerns and constraints thus providing an evidence base to enable the programme to effectively develop data sharing agreements. 20. Please can you elaborate on the anticipated complexity factors that are driving the need for a Discovery with a longer than average duration and large (for a Discovery) budget allocation? There are a number of complexities which have steered us toward the budget allocation and longer duration:1. What we are trying to achieve across the broader programme is likely to be complex2. We have secured funding for this programme from an innovation fund but have yet to do the full scoping required for us to commence delivery3. This is a cross-govt. initiative with a very broad range of stakeholders across multiple disciplines and in at least 5 different organisations. 21. For question “Evidence in-depth understanding and experience of presenting clear, compelling, evidence-based recommendations for change based on primary and secondary research, particularly in relation to the use of data and evidence” please can you clarify what you mean by change? Do you mean presenting data and evidence to support a new initiative (such as this one)? We mean evidence of using data, evidence and analysis to support recommendations to senior leadership teams. This could relate to redesigning processes/operating models, to business cases for future investment or to the development of new policy. 22. Can the Authority clarify whether it is within the scope of the Discovery to make data within identified datasets available and accessible (e.g. for pilots)? No, this activity is not within the scope of the Discovery. 23. Expertise in user-centred service design principles” – is it referring to the general principles of user-centred service design as a practice, or is referring to developing principles for a user-centred service? This refers to the general principles. 24. Can the Authority clarify what it means by ‘reporting to customer teams on progress and upcoming schedule’ outlined in skills and experience bullet point 12? This refers to transparent progress reporting. 25. Can the Authority provide a definition or clarify / expand on the ‘established government analytical professions’ in scope outlined in skills and experience bullet point 9? This refers to the following badged analytical professions within government- Government Economic Service (GES)- Government Statistical Service (GSS) - Government Social Research (GSR)- Government Operational Research Service (GORS)This list also includes Data Science, which although not a badged analytical profession is increasingly recognised as part of this group. 26. For question “In-depth knowledge of government data on vulnerabilities, including physical and mental health”, please could you elaborate on what sort of in-depth knowledge you are seeking to be demonstrated? For example, experience working with digital solutions that interface such data? Or deep understanding of the data and associated characteristics and typical trends? The primary requirement is knowledge of the actual data, associated trends and value as an information asset. 27. Can the authority clarify exactly which questions it is seeking responses to at this stage (N.B. there appears to be a disconnect between the guidance to applicants and the submission portal in relation to skills/experience and proposal criteria)? The Ministry of Justice requires responses to Essential Skills and Experience and Nice to Have Skills and Experience only at this shortlist stage. 28. Can the authority provide further information as to which department is leading this effort? The Ministry of Justice is the lead Department for this competition. 29. Will you consider providing a four-week window for suppliers taken to the next stage to prepare and submit their proposal? Your answer to clarification Q9 implies a period of less than two weeks. Such a short window to prepare a proposal, especially during what is effectively the first holiday season for two years, will disproportionately disadvantage SME bidders and is likely to result in fewer / poorer quality applications. It would be possible to allow four weeks for proposals and still meet the 1st Sept start date. The Ministry of Justice have agreed to extend the submission date for the second evaluation stage. Whilst the final date for submitting a proposal is being determined, it is anticipated to be prior to 6th August 2021. 30. The answer to clarification 9 implies that the round two process will be at most 11 days from 19th to 30th July, possibly less. This is insufficient time for an SME to construct a high quality proposal for a £1.4m piece of work, particularly during the school summer holidays when many staff take leave. Can you reconsider this timing please? The Ministry of Justice have agreed to extend the submission date for the second evaluation stage. Whilst the final date for submitting a proposal is being determined, it is anticipated to be prior to 6th August 2021. 31. In the interests of setting a level playing field for those suppliers who participated in the pre-market engagement and those who did not, are you able to share the outputs of that engagement will all suppliers? All Suppliers who attended the market engagement were provided with the following information:The broader programme of work and what we aim to achieve What we look to put into place in terms of other workstreams to be staffed by civil servants Our requirements from a DiscoveryTheir experiences of running discoveries in similar programmes, working across multiple departments.Advice on how we set up our requirements for success Would the Supplier be interested in this opportunityWhat resourcing Suppliers would expect to be needed for an opportunity like this.Answers from this engagement are reflected in this competition’s requirements. 32. Can the authority clarify who is sponsoring the initiative – particularly at SCS and/or Ministerial-level? If not yet identified, will this be DG-led, Director-led, or Deputy Director-led? The Programme is sponsored and endorsed at SCS level and Ministerial level. 33. Can the authority provide more information as to who it sees as ‘vulnerable users’? We have a broad definition. This refers to individuals with multiple complex needs who are prolific users of one or more government services. This could include, but is not limited to, an individual who has been released from prison, individuals who are rough sleeping, individuals who have substance dependencies. 34. For question “Extensive knowledge and experience of the broad policy landscape of vulnerability”, what sort of experience are you seeking? And how broad are you seeking supplier’s experience to be? We expect the successful supplier to demonstrate experience of having delivered assignments for clients whose primary business purpose is to support vulnerable people. By 'broad' we mean having delivered assignments dealing with vulnerable users and understanding of how these intersect. Please also refer to the response to question 33.