Home
Digital Outcomes opportunities
Procurement details

Procurement details: Technical Delivery Partner

7

Applications submitted

£8,250,000.00

Indicative Budget

Outside scope

Off-payroll status

31 March 2023

Application Closing Date

1. Context and requirements

About adding context and requirements: test
Work done so far: The Agency have been supported thus far by our Strategic Partner who has aided ICI in developing a business vision, target operating model, and early draft Technical Strategy. These design artefacts are currently at a minimum of OFFICIAL SENSITIVE and will be provided to the successful bidder.
Which phase the project is in: Not applicable
Existing team: The ICI Transformation Programme is being formed via a combination of Crown Servants, consultancy expertise in business design and architecture, and contingent labour specialists. The supply chain consists of the in house DDaT Special Operational Services function, responsible for infrastructure and platform services to ICI. The evaluation of the bids will be conducted by Crown Servants and relevant SMEs within the business, all measures have been undertaken to prevent insider advantage.
Address where the work will be done: The vast majority of the work will be delivered at the Agency’s current London site (Vauxhall) with the expectation that some work will also be required at our Warrington site. For awareness, the NCA will be relocating from Vauxhall to a new a new site within the M25 corridor by 2025. Remote working may be applicable depending on the SOW.
Working arrangements: The resource provided by the TDP will be expected to be available during the typical working hours of the NCA ICI team (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm). Interactions with the ICI team will either be on-site or virtually via MS Teams. There could be potential for weekend working, however this will be agreed during SOW development (and additional cost for overtime and T&S will be included in SOW).
Provide more information about your security requirements: Security Check (SC)
Provide more information about your security requirements: Developed Vetting (DV)
Provide more information about your security requirements (optional): Initially, a pool of candidates with Security Check (SC) and Developed Vetting clearance is required as a minimum. Following contract award, the supplier must be willing to put candidates through the SC Enhanced clearance process which will be sponsored by the Customer.
Latest start date: 2023-04-21
Enter the expected contract length: 2 years
Extension period: 1 year
Special terms and conditions: Official Secrets Act 1911 to 1989 and S182 of the Finance Act 1989 (details will be provided to successful bidder prior to contract award)
Special terms and conditions: Contractor's Staff (details will be provided to successful bidder prior to contract award)
Special terms and conditions: Publicity and Branding (details will be provided to successful bidder prior to contract award)
Special terms and conditions: Freedom of Information (details will be provided to successful bidder prior to contract award)
Special terms and conditions: Security Measures (details will be provided to successful bidder prior to contract award)
Special terms and conditions: Security Requirements and Information Security (details will be provided to successful bidder prior to contract award)
Write the term or acronym: ICI
Write the term or acronym: TDP
Write the term or acronym: UKIC
Write the term or acronym: DDaT
Write the term or acronym: SOW
Write the term or acronym: RFP
Write the term or acronym: CDLI
Write the term or acronym: SOC
Explain the term or acronym: Integrated Communication Intelligence
Explain the term or acronym: Technical Delivery Partner
Explain the term or acronym: United Kingdom Intelligence Community
Explain the term or acronym: Digital, Data and Technology
Explain the term or acronym: Statement of Work
Explain the term or acronym: Request for Proposal
Explain the term or acronym: Communications Data Lawful Intercept
Explain the term or acronym: Serious and Organised Crime
Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes
Indicative maximum: 8,250,000.00
Indicative minimum: 0
Provide further information: Indicative Total Contract Value (for 2+1) is up to a maximum £8,250,000.00 (£2,750,000.00 per year). The TCV is the limit of liability (LoL) and there will be no minimum spend commitment over the term of the contract. Any commitment to spend will be via Statements of Work (SOW) which are agreed to by the customer, up to the maximum LoL. The contract will use a SOW mechanism to agree work-packages, whereby the customer (in some cases with the TDP’s support) will develop a request for proposal (RFP) and in response the TDP will produce a SOW that describes how it meet the customers needs outlined in RFP. Once agreed the SOW will be signed by the customer following internal approvals .
Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource: Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply
Summary of work: The National Crime Agency require a Technical Delivery Partner to provide the requisite technical skills to support the transformation of its Integrated Communication Intelligence capability.
Where the supplied staff will work: North West England
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: National Crime Agency
Why the work is being done: Integrated Communications Intelligence (ICI) is part of NCA’s Intelligence Collection capability, and is responsible for gathering, understanding and assessing the digital communications of the most serious and organised criminals harming the UK. To combat the continual evolution in criminal use of communication technology and support the NCA and policing partners to tackle ever more complex digitally enabled criminality, ICI is transforming from a set of interdependent Investigatory Powers Act enabled business areas to a coherent Criminal Communications Intelligence function. This will include a complex multiyear change across people, process, facilities and technology. ICI will maximise the yield of intelligence by creating a multi-source, multi-functional capability operating at OFFICIAL up to TOP SECRET that will systematically infiltrate all forms of criminal communications and produce mission impacting intelligence. The ICI team is enabled by technology across all aspects of the business workflow, from tasking and mission management through to data analysis and intelligence reporting. Unfortunately, much of this technology has passed end of life and/or is not fit for the ‘data age’. Working in partnership with NCA DDaT, ICI needs to deliver and maintain the technical ecosystem to keep pace with technology change, increase data volumes, and more complex communications patterns.
The business problem you need to solve: ICI need to undertake a technical overhaul, bringing systems, services, and people in to the digital age, within the time period of a move to a new London Headquarters in 2025. ICI must better understand and manage data flows, ensuring maximum value can be extracted from disparate sources for mission requirements across the SOC system – from real time high risk scenarios to strategic intelligence development and target discovery. To achieve this ICI requires a Technical Delivery Partner (TDP) with the ability to scale technical services in response to demand (in the form of a customer Statement of Requirement (SOR) and responded to in form of a Statement of Work (SOW)), deliver flexible but robust infrastructure at the highest security tier, create simple and effective capabilities for the volume user, build bespoke solutions for more complex analytic needs, and maintain an always on capability level. The TDP also needs to do this with integration in mind, both internally and with external partners to ensure data and intelligence flows quickly and efficiently to the point of need, in a robust and compliant manner within the obligations of legislation e.g. Investigatory Powers Act and Human Rights Act. The TDP also needs the ability to not only quickly create capability on an ongoing basis, but to have a mature model for managing the run and maintain burden of infrastructure, applications, and digital services across core operational and DR sites. Following previous work already completed at a strategic level, the ICI will provide the TDP with a suite of artefacts, such as outline designs of minimum viable capabilities, to-be data modelling, draft business vision, target operating model, and early draft Technical Strategy. It is anticipated that the first SOW to be delivered by the TDP will be to review the artefacts (listed above) and develop a roadmap of potential TDP activity in FY23/24 and beyond, including an options paper for consideration by the customer. It is anticipated that the scope of the roadmap may include the delivery of some of the following activities (this list is estimated and non-exhaustive): • development and initial support of user facing applications for key areas such as data analysis, data enrichment, and workflow management (both bespoke and built on an existing framework) • development of APIs and integrations between bespoke and COTS applications within ICI and in external partners • data engineering effort, ensuring incoming feeds are normalised and presented to officers in an understandable manner. • build, commissioning, integration, deployment, testing, and support of infrastructure using virtualised, hyper-converged, or similar approaches. Hosting of these will be a blend of on premises and data centre. • supporting the build and provisioning of desktop IT • design and delivery of data analysis platform(s) on the new infrastructure services • design and controlled transition of applications, infrastructure, and platforms into sustained enterprise service • design and delivery of integration/transition of ICI technology in NCA enterprise services To deliver the above activities, a TDP will need to have the flexibility to provide resources across the ICI estate, at all technology layers, at all security tiers, including supporting the customer with some IT service management responsibilities if the business require. It is therefore anticipated that the skillsets required to deliver these activities will need to include the following or similar (this list is estimated and non-exhaustive): • Lead Programme Manager • Lead Technical Architect • Agile Project Manager • Quality Manager • Software Developer • DevSecOps Engineer • Enterprise Architect • Network Architect • Test Engineer • Data Architect • Security Architect • Infrastructure Architect • Cloud Architect • Infrastructure engineering • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line application support • 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line infrastructure support Relevant technology experience in the following is welcomed but not essential: typescript, REACT, JAVA, VMware, JIRA, cloud services (AWS, Azure, other), containerisation services (e.g. Kubernetes, Docker).
First user type: NCA Officers
Enter more details about this user type: The primary users of services from this arrangement are officers within the ICI business who are responsible for the assessment of multiple digital collection sources. They need to quickly make judgement on the importance of data to an operational requirement, working closely with intelligence and investigative customers to draw conclusions and support onward actions. They need to be enabled to work efficiently and at pace, supported by technology in maintaining compliance with rigorous legislative requirements. They also need to be able to work with internal and external partners to understand, assess, and deliver strategic intelligence from digital collection. There are additional users across innovation, data acquisition, compliance, training, and business management functions who have unique technology needs, underpinned by the requirement for dataflow across the ICI application stack.

2. Assessment Criteria
Select your pricing model: Capped time and materials
Additional assessment methods: Presentation
Additional assessment methods: Work history
Create your scoring criteria: 3
How many suppliers to evaluate: 4
Technical competence: 50
Cultural fit: 15
Social value: 15
Price: 20
Essential skills and experience: 30
Nice-to-have skills and experience (optional): 10
Technical questions: 60
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Experience of working with any of the following types of organisations: Law Enforcement, Serious Organised Crime (including their Investigative Practices and Operating Models), UKIC, Defence and Security environments, the Home Office CDLI Partnership and/or the NCA.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 8
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate that a pool of SC and DV candidates will ready for deployment. If companies require sponsoring to achieve SC or DV clearances for candidates, the NCA will act as sponsor but will not pay.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 8
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate ability to supply the following types (non-exhaustive) of roles: Lead Programme Manager Lead Technical Architect Agile Project Manager Quality Manager Software Developer DevSecOps Engineer Enterprise Architect Network Architect Test Engineer Data Architect Security Architect Infrastructure Architect (Tier 3) Cloud Architect (Tier 2)
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate track record in delivering workflow/mission management solutions and data analysis platform services in Law Enforcement
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate knowledge, track record, and relevant certifications for design and delivery of data storage, processing, and visualisation solutions on cloud service architectures on AWS and Azure
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate track record in developing apps and services low side (OFFICIAL) that are then demonstrate that you've operationalised the app and services in a high side environment (SECRET and TOP SECRET)
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate experience in elaborating requirements and developing bespoke applications using secure engineering techniques and Agile/Lean methodologies (e.g. Scrum, Kanban etc).
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate experience in scoping, designing, and delivering integration between new and legacy applications and services
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate experience designing and implementing secure on-premise virtualised and scalable infrastructure
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate track record in engineering and operating solutions to bring together multiple disparate data sources
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Ability to apply and embed cloud design principles and cloud readiness culture within technical services.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Experience of integrating new cloud-based applications with existing services to improve information and data flows.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Demonstrate that you have obtained or will be obtained before contract award Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation or exemption by meeting the specific CE+ conditions within ISO/IEC 27001 ISMS Certification.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the essential skill or experience:: Experience of using a SOW-based contract with an LoL to deliver outcomes and achieve objectives.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 7
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Experience of working with public bodies to develop digital communication capabilities
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 20
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Experience of supporting candidates through Enhanced Security Clearance and Developed Vetting processes.
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 20
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Demonstrate track record in delivering workflow/mission management solutions and data analysis platform services in UKIC and/or wider HMG
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 20
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Demonstrate ability to provide resources with experience in one or more of the following: typescript, REACT, JAVA, VMware, JIRA, cloud services (AWS, Azure, other), containerisation services (e.g. Kubernetes, Docker).
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 20
Describe the nice-to-have skill or experience:: Demonstrate hands on experience with datasets acquired from digital communications sources such as smartphones
Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30: 20
Explain the technical question:: Provide case study of delivering or supporting change programmes in Law Enforcement, Serious Organised Crime organisations (including their Investigative Practices and Operating Models), UKIC, Defence and Security environments, the Home Office CDLI Partnership and/or the NCA.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 10
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate your recruitment process including how staff are assessed for the correct skills and qualifications during onboarding and how they are matched to a contract to meet the customer’s needs.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate your mobilisation approach for deploying flexible resources that are capable of assessing current ICI capability and assist in developing high-level requirements.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate ability to turn high-level requirements into robust and effective Statements of Work within 20 working days (notwithstanding time taken for customer to respond to clarification questions).
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Explain the technical question:: Give examples/case studies where you have developed a solution from assessment to proof of concept to live service for a public organisation.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate ability to build and deploy scaled versions of successful prototypes across the user base in conjunction with Business Change leadership.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate ability to Prototype new applications across the business workflow (e.g. demand planning, tasking, data processing, data ingest, data exploitation, intelligence analysis, intelligence reporting, intelligence dissemination, performance management) based on business requirements using secure engineering techniques.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate ability to collaborate with DDaT Engineering teams to ensure applications are supportable, sustainable, and do not adversely affect the existing technology enterprise.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate experience in managing and maintaining infrastructure services on premises and in data centre environments
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Explain the technical question:: Experience of supporting customers in making a shift toward a more digitally adept culture and operational model
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Explain the technical question:: Demonstrate experience or ability to conduct training and ongoing knowledge transfer to Crown Servants.
Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30: 9
Your question: Demonstrate ability to work with customers and other supplier across multiple sites, sharing components, reviewing each other’s work and promote a collaborative working environment
Enter a weighting for this question: 25
Your question: Demonstrate a clear understanding of working within an environment with tight security controls with appropriate governance and monitoring
Enter a weighting for this question: 25
Your question: Explain how you currently or intend to retain resource to provide the Agency continuous, undisrupted support, and prevent regular turnover of resource.
Enter a weighting for this question: 25
Your question: Experience of contributing to a “one team” ethos and going on a journey with a customer to deliver strategic change.
Enter a weighting for this question: 25
Explain the social value question: Demonstrate action taken to increase the representation of disadvantaged or minority groups and action taken to identify and tackle inequality in employment, skills and pay, either in support of this proposal and/or other business areas.
Enter a weighting for this question: 25
Explain the social value question: Demonstrate action taken/to be taken to deliver additional environmental benefits and reduce carbon footprint/emissions, either in support of this proposal and/or other business areas.
Enter a weighting for this question: 25
Explain the social value question: Demonstrate measures taken/to be taken to support the health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health, of the contract workforce before, during and after the delivery of the contract.
Enter a weighting for this question: 25
Explain the social value question: Demonstrate action taken/to be taken to identify, mitigate and prevent the risks of modern slavery in the delivery of the contract, and your broader supply chain.
Enter a weighting for this question: 25

3. Timeline
Publication of stage 1: February 17, 2023, 12:00 AM
Clarification period closes: February 23, 2023, 4:00 PM
Deadline for suppliers to submit their stage 1 responses: March 3, 2023, 4:00 PM

Clarification questions and responses

There are 12 questions and clarifications relating to this opportunity.

1. Could you please clarify and define in more detail what the authority means by “digital communication capabilities"? Do you mean experience of developing capability to produce Communications Intelligence?

The authority can confirm the capabilities to be developed relate to digital communications intelligence, this includes telecommunications intelligence. The Authority means demonstrate experience of developing capabilities to derive from/exploit communications source data."

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:26

2. here are several different contexts that could be described as "digital communication capabilities" e.g. user digital comms like public relations websites/social media, telecommunications type digital comms or services like gov notify Can you clarify what type you are referring to here?

The authority can confirm the capabilities to be developed relate to digital communications intelligence, this includes telecommunications intelligence.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:25

3. Is there any scope to delay submission?

There is no scope to delay submission deadline date.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:17

4. Will the NCA accept existing clearances or will the individual have to go through NCA enhanced clearance?

Existing SC and DV vetting is acceptable for initial work, however, the successful supplier will need to be willing to put forward candidates for SC Enhanced to ensure continuous support over the duration of the contract.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:16

5. What are the resourcing expectations with regards to being on-site and how often (if at all)? Or can this be delivery primarily remotely?

Please refer to the requirement in regards to locations and working arrangements. Where the work will need to be completed is dependent on each Statement of Work, in which the location will be agreed by both customer and successful bidder. At this moment in time we cannot determine which site will require the majority of work to be completed at or the level of work that can be completed remotely.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:16

6. For this project, will the NCA provide the IT equipment and infrastructure or will the supplier be expected to supply?

The Authority will be responsible for supplying/purchasing the IT equipment and infrastructure based on recommendations of the successful supplier via agreed Statements of Work.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:15

7. Could the Authority confirm whether or not your Strategic Partner supplier can bid for this opportunity? 2. Does the Authority consider there to be an incumbent for this work, or closely comparable work? 3. Would the Authority welcome proposals from consortia or teams of companies?

1) The Strategic Partner is a registered supplier on RM1043.8 and was sent the requirement. 2) The Authority does not consider there to be an incumbent to this work, this is a new transformation programme for capability that is over ten years old. 3)The Authority would not accept bids from a consortia or a team of companies as we require a contractual relationship with a single entity. However, a prime contractor/subcontractor model is acceptable and can be demonstrated throughout the proposal process.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:14

8. Does ISO/IEC 27001 Certification automatically exempt a supplier from the need to gain Cyber Essentials Plus Accreditation in addition to Cyber Essentials accreditation?

If the bidders ISO/IEC 27001 ISMS Certification includes the same cyber security controls as Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+), then there is no need to obtain CE+ in addition to ISO/IEC 27001 Certification. However, ISO/IEC 27001 is a broad standard and just being accredited does not automatically mean that the bidder is exempt from obtaining CE+, the bidder must demonstrate that their ISO/IEC 27007 accreditation includes the cyber security controls listed within CE+

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:12

9. Does the 750 character limit include spaces or not

CCS have confirmed that the 750 character limit does include spaces.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:11

10. In question 1 of the ‘Nice-to-have skills and experience’ section you have asked for public body specific examples. Would the Authority accept a Private Sector example?

As this is a 'Nice to have' criteria, the Authority will only accept public body specific examples.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:10

11. Under "Any work that’s already been done" it is mentioned that "The Agency have been supported thus far by our Strategic Partner who has aided ICI in developing a business vision, target operating model, and early draft Technical Strategy." Is it possible to understand who this Strategic Partner is and whether they are also able to bid for this Technical Delivery Partner role?

We do not wish to share this detail at this time, however, the Strategic Partner (SP) is listed as a supplier on DOS 6. All steps have been taken to ensure that the SP does not have a competitive advantage and the NCA can confirm that the SP will not have access to bids received nor will it be involved in the tender evaluation exercise.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:09

12. Please can you share the number of organisations who have been invited to this first round of the tender exercise.

2730 suppliers received the published requirement for Project 10028 via RM1043.8. CCS have confirmed that the due to the filtering selections made to questions such as location of services and security clearance, the requirement was sent automatically to only those suppliers who have listed those requirements in their service provision.

Last Updated: 27 February 2023, 14:08

Help

You can contact us by email, phone or using the enquiry form (opens in a new tab) .

Email:

info@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Telephone:

0345 410 2222

CCS customer services team is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Cookies on Contract Award Service (CAS)