Procurement details: Contracted content design service for Digital Communications Team

• Summary of work:

  The Digital Communications Team (DCT) are responsible for over 10,000 GOV.UK webpages. DCT requires a Contracted Content Design Service. It is a user-centred service core to the department’s policy and delivery, and our requirement is for a managed service contract to deliver this. We must publish content in an accessible format on GOV.UK. We are procuring a service that operates alongside and contributes to DCT’s overall content design function.

• Where the supplied staff will work:

  Yorkshire and the Humber

• Where the supplied staff will work:

  London

• Where the supplied staff will work:

  No specific location (for example they can work remotely)

• Why the work is being done:

  The Department for Education (DfE) Digital Communications Team (DCT) are responsible for over 10,000 GOV.UK webpages. Failure to provide this service is not an option as we have a legal duty to provide information as a department of state, which we must publish in an accessible format on GOV.UK. We need a managed service of content design experts to add value for our users, ensuring that specific requirements are met in a flexible and timely way.

• The business problem:

  We are procuring a service that will provide high-quality, user-focused content for GOV.UK against a range of specific user and departmental needs. Whilst complementing the wider work of the Digital Communications Team (DCT), without this service, we would not be able to meet our obligations and responsibilities as a Department of State. Accurate and accessible content helps our users to do the things they need to do first time. It inspires trust and confidence and safeguards DfE’s reputation. It means less demand on other contact channels like correspondence and the helpline which in turn realises savings for the department. There are significant parliamentary, ministerial and user expectations for speed, accuracy and suitability of content. Related to this, the service will be expected to publish content to align with parliamentary activity and occasional out of hours news media activity.

• User type:

  Multiple Users

• Definition:

  Our users range from education professionals (inc school managers, education workforce etc) to the general public (parents and students etc). They access information from GOV.UK that will help them make decisions or take action against the full range of education policy and delivery. To be effective in generating content, the service will be required to work with a range of internal stakeholders and subject matter experts elsewhere in the department. This will require a pragmatic and diplomatic approach.

• Any pre-market engagement done:

  Contract Content design - Market Engagement event (11-07-24) Slides in attachment upload.

• Which phase the project is in:

  Not applicable

• Existing team:

  The managed service will operate alongside a civil service team comprising a mix of digital and communications skills. The 2 team leaders will act jointly as contract managers, helping to ensure integrated provision and manage our presence on GOV.UK across the full range of departmental business and a contracted support service supporting the delivery of the content.

• Address where the work will be done:

  "Subject to delivery requirements, a hybrid model of home and office working is expected to support delivery of a programme of works with KPIs to be formally reviewed monthly/quarterly. Delivery may require attendance at meetings and other collaborative work in the office. The two main sites where the contracted team would need to attend are: London (Sanctuary Building 20 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT) or Sheffield (2 St Paul's Place, Sheffield S1 2FJ). "

• Working arrangements:

  The content designers will need to be available during core office hours Mon-Fri 9-5 and sometimes Mon-Fri 10am-6pm when required to support the Digital Communications Team. Other occasional out of hours work may be required. There is no expectation that they will be required to work from Government Offices, although face to face meetings may be hosted at one of our DfE offices as required. This will be agreed with the successful supplier when appropriate.

• Security and vetting requirements:

  Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

• More information about the Security requirements:

  All must have BPSS as a minimum.

• Latest start date:

  1 December 2024

• Contract length:

  2 years 0 months 0 days

• Optional extension:

  0 years 6 months 0 days

• Indicative maximum:

  £4900000

• Indicative minimum:

  The contract value is not specified by the buyer

• Further information:

  We anticipate the total contract value over the 2.5 years to be £4,900,000 Inc. VAT. The total value cannot exceed £1,960,000 Incl. VAT per annum over the 2.5-year maximum term of the contract. Please note these figures include the optional 6 months extension.

• Contracted out service or supply of resource?:

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

• How many suppliers to evaluate:

  3

• Technical Competence:

  55%

• Cultural fit:

  5%

• Social values:

  10%

• Price:

  30%

• Essential skills and experience:

  10%

• Nice-to-have skills and experience:

  5%

• Technical questions:

  85%

• Description:

  1. At least 3 years expertise in content design which meet user needs and accessibility. (50%)

• Weighting:

  50%

• Description:

  2. Track record of delivering to tight deadlines and being flexible in the approach to tackling a problem. (50%)

• Weighting:

  50%

• Description:

  1. Experience supporting a content design environment (50%)

• Weighting:

  50%

• Description:

  2. Evidence of delivering at pace (50%)

• Weighting:

  50%

• Question:

  1. Experience supporting a content design environment (50%)

• Weighting:

  50%

• Question:

  2. Evidence of delivering at pace (50%)

• Weighting:

  50%

• Question:

  1. Please detail how you strive for excellence and continuously improve (25%)

• Weighting:

  25%

• Question:

  2. Please detail how you take and implement a collaborative approach (25%)

• Weighting:

  25%

• Question:

  3. Please detail how you will work and manage workloads (25%)

• Weighting:

  25%

• Question:

  4. Please detail how you use diplomacy, pragmatism, and negotiation to deliver the best outcomes (25%)

• Weighting:

  25%

• Question:

  1. How would you create employment or development opportunities for new/existing staff? (50%)

• Weighting:

  50%

• Question:

  2. How would you encourage local awareness and interest in technical education? (50%)

• Weighting:

  50%

• Pricing model:

  Capped time and materials

• Additional assessment methods:

  None

• Level:

  Unacceptable

• Score:

  0

• Description:

  The tenderers proposals are absent or incomplete and or the tenderer has proposals that are not relevant to the authority’s requirements.

• Level:

  Very Poor

• Score:

  1

• Description:

  The response clearly fails to meet a number of criteria detailed in the question, or the response exhibits clear and significant omissions with regard to meeting the criteria detailed, or inadequate or no supporting evidence has been provided to support the response.

• Level:

  Poor

• Score:

  2

• Description:

  The response lacks any convincing evidence to provide confidence that the potential supplier shall meet the service requirements relating to the question, demonstrating some misunderstanding and/or failure to meet the service requirements in many ways and/or materially in one or more ways.

• Level:

  Satisfactory

• Score:

  3

• Description:

  The response is of a quality and level of detail that provides a satisfactory degree of confidence that the potential supplier shall meet all of the service requirements relating to the question, demonstrating a satisfactory understanding of the issues and what is being asked for. The response to the question is clear and detailed (with only minor omissions).

• Level:

  Good

• Score:

  4

• Description:

  The response is of a quality and level of detail that provides a high degree of confidence that the potential supplier shall meet all of the service requirements relating to the question, demonstrating a good understanding of the issues and what is being asked for.

• Level:

  Excellent

• Score:

  5

• Description:

  The Tender fully and successfully meets the criteria detailed and has provided proposals which demonstrate that they can deliver the requires services to an excellent standard and will bring significant value and benefit to the authority and eligible providers.

• Publication of stage 1:

  16/07/2024

• Clarification period closes:

  23/07/2024 13:00

• Deadline for suppliers to submit their stage 1 responses:

  06/08/2024 16:00

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