Procurement details: RM1043.8-1-DSIT - BDUK Transformation Delivery Partner

• Summary of work:

  BDUK is responsible for delivering superfast broadband and mobile coverage across the UK. So, there is a need to utilise a variety of data and digital solutions to manage crucial projects like the Gigabit Programme and the Voucher Scheme, facilitating access to broadband for residents. These digital tools require ongoing maintenance, support, and development to function effectively. The summary of work pertains to support to manages these solutions such Evaluation App, data ingestion on core data services for Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy, Urban Vouchers, Data Backbone, etc. To provide draw-down resource for these services and digital projects which ensures continued functionality and avoids disruption to critical services.

• 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:

  BDUK

• Why the work is being done:

  BDUK rely complex infrastructure of data and digital solutions. These solutions play a vital role in managing critical projects like: • Gigabit Programme: This program aims to expand access to high-speed internet in underserved areas. Data and digital solutions likely support tasks like mapping coverage areas, managing applications, and tracking progress. • Voucher Scheme: This scheme helps residents access vouchers for broadband installation. The solutions might handle applications, eligibility checks, and potentially even payment processing. The Importance of Ongoing business, Maintenance and Development: They require constant attention to ensure they function effectively: • BAU Work: This encompasses the routine tasks necessary to keep existing solutions running smoothly. Providing ongoing technical assistance who utilise these solutions in their daily work. • Maintenance: Over time, software can develop bugs or become outdated. Regular maintenance is necessary to fix issues, update systems, and ensure optimal performance. Continuously monitoring the health and performance of the solutions to identify and address potential issues proactively. • Development: As BDUK's projects evolve and user needs change, the solutions need to adapt. Ongoing development allows for adding new features, integrating with new systems, and keeping pace with technological advancements. In essence, BDUK needs to maintain and develop their data and digital solutions because these tools are fundamental to their ability to deliver superfast broadband and mobile coverage.

• The business problem:

  This procurement is necessary to ensure that BDUK DDAT retains the resource balance and expertise to support our existing technology solutions, with some capacity for small to medium enhancements that are likely to be required by BDUK programmes in FY 2024-25

• User type:

  Wider BDUK

• Definition:

  Wider BDUK : Digital and Dats Professionals and service teams in BDUK.

• Which phase the project is in:

  Beta

• Existing team:

  The existing team are a rainbow team of internal civil servant and contractors.

• Address where the work will be done:

  Activity will be aligned to a DSIT Hub within the UK, where required partial off shore delivery maybe required.

• Working arrangements:

  T&M - 8 hours per day including the core hours of 10.00-14.00pm. Where required supplier will work from a DSIT hub location in line with DSIT Hybrid working policy. Expenses will be inline with DSIT expenses policy

• Security and vetting requirements:

  Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

• More information about the Security requirements:

  Suppliers personnel are required to be in possession of BPSS Security clearance from day 1.

• Latest start date:

  1 July 2024

• Contract length:

  2 years 0 months 0 days

• special term or condition:

  N/A

• Indicative maximum:

  The contract value is not specified by the buyer

• Indicative minimum:

  The contract value is not specified by the buyer

• Contracted out service or supply of resource?:

  Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply

• How many suppliers to evaluate:

  6

• Technical Competence:

  60%

• Cultural fit:

  10%

• Social values:

  10%

• Price:

  20%

• Essential skills and experience:

  60%

• Nice-to-have skills and experience:

  10%

• Technical questions:

  30%

• Description:

  Project Management Proven ability to plan, execute, and deliver projects on time and within budget. Experience managing complex programs with multiple stakeholders. Strong understanding of project management methodologies like Agile or Waterfall.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Description:

  Business Analysis Deep understanding of BDUK's business needs and objectives. Ability to translate business requirements into clear and concise technical specifications. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to bridge the gap between business and technical teams.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Description:

  Solution Design Expertise in designing robust, scalable, and secure solutions that meet BDUK's functional and non-functional requirements. Ability to consider both Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure as potential cloud platforms and recommend the best fit. Experience in designing solutions that are maintainable, reusable, and future-proof.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Description:

  4. Cloud Platform Expertise In-depth knowledge of either Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services like GCP Networking, Cloud Storage, Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Cloud SQL, and others as specified in the requirements document or Microsoft Azure services relevant to BDUK's needs, along with experience in migrating or developing solutions on Azure.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Description:

  Data Management Experience with data modeling, data warehousing (BigQuery or Azure Synapse Analytics), data engineering tools (RStudio), and data security best practices. Ability to design and implement data pipelines for efficient data movement and processing. Understanding of data governance principles to ensure data integrity and compliance.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Description:

  Software Development and CI/CD Proficiency in development methodologies like Agile or Waterfall. Experience with version control systems like Git and CI/CD tools like Concourse or Azure DevOps. Strong understanding of secure coding practices to minimize vulnerabilities.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  DevOps and Security Experience with DevOps principles like infrastructure as code using Terraform. Ability to conduct security vulnerability assessments using tools like Checkmarx or its equivalent for Azure. Experience with security operations to identify, respond to, and prevent security threats.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  Application Development Strong skills in application design and development using languages like Python, Flask, and PHP. Ability to develop and maintain web applications, APIs, and backend services. Understanding of different application architectures and when to use each.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  API Integration Experience with integrating applications using APIs (Managed File Transfer, R Studio, Tableau, Atamis). Ability to design, develop, and maintain robust and secure API integrations. Understanding of different API protocols and best practices.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  Support and Maintenance Proven track record in providing ongoing support, maintenance, and incident response for business applications. Ability to diagnose and resolve technical issues efficiently. Strong commitment to customer satisfaction.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  Service Management Understanding of service management frameworks like ITIL, with a focus on service transition and operation. Ability to implement ITIL processes to improve service delivery and quality. Commitment to continuous service improvement

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  Communication and Stakeholder Management Excellent communication skills to collaborate effectively with BDUK stakeholders at all levels. Ability to manage expectations, communicate progress clearly, and resolve issues promptly. Strong presentation and negotiation skills.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  Collaboration Tools Familiarity with project management and collaboration tools like Jira and Confluence. Ability to use these tools to manage tasks, track issues, and foster team communication. Experience in utilizing these tools to promote transparency and collaboration.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  Ticketing System Experience working with a ticketing system like Zendesk for handling customer or user support requests. Ability to use the ticketing system to track and resolve support issues efficiently.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  Data Visualization Tools Proven experience and expertise in configuring, developing, and supporting data visualizations using Tableau and Power BI. Ability to connect to various data sources, create dashboards and reports that are clear, concise.

• Weighting:

  5%

• Description:

  User Experience Design Experience in designing user-friendly interfaces that are intuitive and meet the needs of our target audience is desirable.

• Weighting:

  40%

• Description:

  Integration Technologies Cloud Integration Platforms (iPaaS) (e.g., MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, Boomi): Knowledge of iPaaS can facilitate seamless data exchange between various cloud applications.

• Weighting:

  25%

• Description:

  Data Analysis Log Analysis Tools (e.g., Splunk, ELK Stack): Experience with log analysis tools can help identify trends, troubleshoot issues, and improve support effectiveness.

• Weighting:

  20%

• Description:

  4. Problem Solving Skills The ability to analyse complex problems and develop solutions is essential for successful IT support

• Weighting:

  15%

• Question:

  Project Management & Delivery: Project Planning: How do you estimate project timelines, budgets, and resources for software development projects? Communication & Reporting: Describe your process for communicating project progress and issues to stakeholders. What reporting tools do you use? Risk Management: How do you identify and mitigate potential risks throughout the project lifecycle?

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Business Analysis & Design: Requirements Gathering: How will you gather and document our business requirements for the software solution? Solution Architecture: Can you walk us through your approach to designing and documenting software architecture? Data Modeling: Do you have experience developing data models for similar applications? Can you share some examples?

• Weighting:

  15%

• Question:

  Cloud & Infrastructure Azure & GCP Expertise: Can you describe your team's experience and certifications in working with both Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP)? Hybrid Cloud Management: How do you approach managing hybrid cloud environments that involve both Azure and GCP? Migration Experience: Given our recent migration to Azure from GCP, can you share your experience with similar cloud migration projects?

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Data Management & Development: Database Management: Do your team members have experience managing databases on both Azure (e.g., Azure SQL Database) and GCP (e.g., Cloud SQL)? Application Development: What programming languages and frameworks do your developers typically use? Security in Development: Describe your secure software development lifecycle (SDLC) practices. Multi-Cloud Development: Can you explain your approach to developing applications that can be deployed across both Azure and GCP?

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Development & DevOps: CI/CD Implementation (Consider Azure DevOps): How will you implement continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) for ongoing support and future development, potentially using Azure DevOps? Version Control: What version control system (e.g., Git) do you use to manage code changes? Development Tools & Languages: What programming languages and frameworks do your developers typically use for support and potential future development?

• Weighting:

  15%

• Question:

  Support & Maintenance: Incident Response: Describe your approach to handling and resolving IT service incidents, including escalation procedures. Service Level Agreements (SLAs): How do you define and measure service level agreements (SLAs) for support services? Monitoring & Alerting: What tools and processes do you use to monitor our systems for performance and security issues, considering both Azure and GCP environments?

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Security Tools & Practices: Can you elaborate on the security tools and practices you use to ensure the security of our applications and data?

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Team Experience: Can you provide information on the experience level and qualifications of the team members who would be assigned to our project?

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Value for Money: How do you ensure your pricing models are competitive and deliver value for our IT support and development needs?

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Suppliers should provide detail of working with the public sector (or other organisations of a similar size and scale of the Contracting Authority), describing how they support operation of a Rainbow Team accountability model.

• Weighting:

  100%

• Question:

  The Department is committed to delivering the Government Social Value goals, as detailed in the Social Value Model: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/940826/Social-Value-Model-Edn-1.1-3-Dec-20.pdf. In support of this, the Department requires the successful Supplier under this procurement to demonstrate and report on their commitment to the following Social Value Theme and Policy Outcomes: Theme 2 – Tackling economic inequality Policy Outcome – Create new businesses, new jobs and new skills Sub-Criteria for MAC 2.3: Education and training Suppliers should describe their planned commitment during the life of the contract for activities to support digital sector skills growth and sustainability in Local communities, in addition to pre-existing Corporate Social Value commitments, specifically focused on the education sector. Illustrative examples: careers talks, curriculum support, literacy support and volunteering. Suppliers should provide a method statement, stating how they will achieve this and how the commitment meets the award criteria including how you will implement your commitment and by when. Suppliers should also state how they will monitor, measure and report on their commitment and the anticipated impact of the proposal. This must include the relevant reporting metric as described in the Model Award Criteria i.e. number of learning hours suppliers plan to achieve as part of their proposal. Proposals should be over and above the suppliers existing commitments to Social Value/Corporate Responsibility and bespoke to the contract. The page limit on attachments is set at 2 sides of A4 pages. Only one attachment is permitted for this question. Note: Social Value commitment should be forward facing ie not what the organisation has already done/is doing but is a commitment of what they would deliver as a direct result of the contract and for the duration of the contract.

• Weighting:

  100%

• Pricing model:

  Time and materials

• Additional assessment methods:

  Reference

  Interview

  Case study

  Work history

• Level:

  Not met

• Score:

  0

• Description:

  The response does not meet any of the requirements or no response has been provided. An unacceptable and / or non-compliant response with serious reservations, demonstrating no understanding of the requirement.

• Level:

  Partially met

• Score:

  1

• Description:

  The response has met some, but not all elements of the requirement, which poses risk that the proposal will not meet the deliverables required. The response does not demonstrate a full understanding of the requirement posing major concerns.

• Level:

  Met

• Score:

  2

• Description:

  The response is acceptable and meets all the basic requirements. However, the response is not sufficiently detailed to minimise risk and / or the proposed approach may require additional support (in addition to that outlined in the Statement of Requirements) from the Contracting Authority to meet its deliverables.

• Level:

  Exceeded

• Score:

  3

• Description:

  The response exceeds requirements, providing detail that minimises risks to delivery. The response is comprehensive and unambiguous, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the requirements and providing details of how the requirement will be met in full without additional support from the Contracting Authority, other than that outlined within the Statement of Requirements.

• Publication of stage 1:

  22/05/2024

• Clarification period closes:

  30/05/2024 23:59

• Deadline for suppliers to submit their stage 1 responses:

  06/06/2024 16:00

Return to RM1043.8-1-DSIT - BDUK Transformation Delivery Partner

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