Procurement details: Development Partner to implement a Data Platform

• Term or acronym:

  CTP

• Definition:

  Corporate Technology Programme

• Term or acronym:

  MCA Digital

• Definition:

  Mayoral Combined Authority Digital Programme which sought to deliver the projects to allow the organisation to become Digital First.

• Term or acronym:

  RTI

• Definition:

  Real Time Information

• Term or acronym:

  OD

• Definition:

  Origin-Destination

• Term or acronym:

  GIS

• Definition:

  Geographical Information Systems

• Term or acronym:

  BIM

• Definition:

  Building Information Modelling

• Term or acronym:

  MS

• Definition:

  Microsoft

• Term or acronym:

  ETL

• Definition:

  Extract Transform Load

• Term or acronym:

  FME

• Definition:

  Feature Manipulation Engine

• Summary of work:

  The aims of the project are to: 1. Establish a data platform within the Combined Authority’s Microsoft Azure tenant that is capable of consuming and sharing data internally and externally. 2. Appoint a development partner to scope and plan for the data requirements of a franchised bus network. 3. Establish a data platform as a single source of truth for all bus data, ready for managing a franchised bus network by 2027. 4. Establish a data platform as a ‘data integration hub’ for all Mass Transit data throughout the programme life cycle. 5. Have well trained analytical and technical Combined Authority staff to manage and further develop the data platform. The objective of this project are to: • Commission a development partner to lead and manage a programme of work to implement a data platform. The development partner must offer a ‘full solution’, being significantly operationally involved in service delivery. • Commission services to design and setup a secure Microsoft Data Platform (or latest Microsoft equivalent e.g. MS Fabric) in the Combined Authority Azure environment. • Commission Technical Support to the Combined Authority for the data platform for at least 3 years with an option to extend at the Combined Authority’s sole discretion for 2 years. • The budget for this work is approximately £500k. • Commission services to ‘on-board’ a wide range of data sources using various methods (API’s, manual upload, etc.) • Commission data transformation services for onboarded data, to enable the Combined Authority staff to creation of PowerBi Dashboards consuming data from the data platform. • Commission data platform training to allow Combined Authority staff to onboard, manage, catalogue, and transform data within the data platform as well as training to manage security and optimise data storage. The project has 4 key requirements: 1. A Data Platform Development Partner A data platform development partner will be required to: • Refine the scope of requirements for a data platform based on the needs of the Combined Authority in relation to bus franchising and Mass Transit and suppliers previous experience of implementing similar systems in a public sector setting. • Act in the capacity of a range of roles such as project manager and systems architect to deliver the data platform in the context of the needs of bus franchising and Mass Transit. The development partner must offer a ‘full solution’, being significantly operationally involved in service delivery. • Develop a comprehensive plan for development of the data platform based on the emerging needs data needs of Bus franchising which is likely to cover: o Passenger data – detailed information on the number of passengers boarding at stop/station/service/corridor level, demographic data of bus passengers and their travel patterns and fares data including details of ticket pricing structures, ticket types and, payment methods and channel shift. o Operational data – including vehicle tracking data for location and speed across the network (real-time and historic), schedule adherence calculated from actual departure and arrival times vs scheduled times including aspects of disruption/delay, and vehicle performance such as maintenance records, fuel efficiency and milage. o Network data – including service configuration, network performance (e.g. service efficiency, coverage and optimisation), as well as demand forecasting to estimate future demand based on demographics, population growth and historical usage. o Service quality data – including perceptions surveys and complaints, service disruptions, breakdowns and incidents and accessibility data which may influence passenger satisfaction. o Financial data – including transitions related to fare collection, subsidies, operating/maintenance expenses, and revenue generated from advertising or ancillary services, as well as budgeting and financial planning data to support resource planning, and cost-benefit analysis for future tranches of bus franchising operations. o Regulatory and compliance data – including compliance with safety regulations, environmental standards, accessibility laws, and other regulatory obligations imposed on public transportation operators, as well as contractual agreements (terms, conditions, and performance indicators) specified in contracts between the Combined Authority (the franchising authority) and bus operators, including penalties for non-compliance. o Environmental data – including records of carbon emissions, air pollutants, and other environmental impacts, as well as metrics related to fuel consumption, energy usage, and the adoption of alternative fuels or environmentally-friendly technologies to reduce environmental footprint. • Develop a comprehensive plan for development of the data platform based on the emerging needs data needs of a Mass Transit system which is likely to cover: o Demand data – including origin-destination (OD) data for analysis of travel pattern

• Where the supplied staff will work:

  Yorkshire and the Humber

• Where the supplied staff will work:

  No specific location (for example they can work remotely)

• Who the organisation using the products or services is:

  West Yorkshire Combined Authority

• Why the work is being done:

  This work is an extension of the Combined Authorities MCA Digital Programe which aimed to address key priorities such as data and reporting, regional collaboration, social media, mobile workforce, information governance, security, and visitors. This has led to the creation of a technology vision "Delivering Confidence, Value and Empowerment." The vision aims to provide secure systems, quick and reliable basic ICT services, and be open and accountable. It also aims to implement solutions on time, reduce recurring problems, and empower customers. This work is being carried out to address key data challenges in preparation for bus reform and mass transit: - Multiple versions of the truth​ - Creating reports is complex, time-consuming, and inconsistent across the organisation​ - Lack of skills and general data literacy inhibit work and quality of insights​ - ICT Services spend too much time storing and maintaining data​ - Data has sprawled everywhere, and much is poor quality.​ - Lack of integration between systems prevents seeing the bigger picture To support bus reform and mass transit work must be completed by the following dates: - Project scope refined and confirmed in January 2025 - Development plan confirmed by April 2025 - Data platform setup complete by December 2025 - All data platform training complete by April 2026 - Continous data onboarding from December 2025 - Provide techncial support up to October 2027

• The business problem:

  The Combined Authority does not have an approved data/information management strategy. A draft Data Strategy exists, an output of an independent assessment conducted by Risual as part of the CTP in 2020. This assessment involved cross-directorate staff engagement and analysis of current technology and business applications. The report found that whilst the majority of staff recognised that the Combined Authority has a wealth of data, the current data infrastructure, lack of access to datasets, and lack of training, were barriers to being able to unlock that value. The Combined Authority has a Data and Information Management Strategy, specifically for Mass Transit, and a complementary strategy is currently being commissioned for Bus Reform (to be completed by Autumn 2024). Additionally, the Combined Authority are developing a Corporate Data, Information and Knowledge Strategy which will be completed by Autumn 2024. The Combined Authority seeks to improve its transport data insights to support Bus Reform and Mass Transit as well as future large capital programmes, but faces challenges due to a shortage of data, poor data governance, and lack of analytical capabilities. For Bus Reform, accurate and timely insights into bus usage (such as passenger counts, ticket preferences, purchase methods) and travel behaviour (such as frequency of use and multi-modal use) are needed, which will require all bus data to be collated, stored, catalogued and analysed in a centralised permission-driven data platform. For the Mass Transit programme, a data management platform is required for data storage, reporting and analytics. Mass Transit programme data will be managed in a variety of different systems and tools, some of which will be managed by the Combined Authority and others by delivery partners. As such the data platform is needed to act as a ‘data integration hub’ which would facilitate provision and management of data from a range of different systems (internal and external) ensuring data security is maintained and establishing a ‘single source of truth’ approach. The Combined Authority is a Microsoft first organisation and therefore this project must provide a Microsoft based solution that fits within the existing architecture. Non-Microsoft technology can supplement the solution where there is a strong business case but the Combined Authority’s preference is not to use propriety non-Microsoft software. All staff have a Microsoft E5 licence. Some members of the Combined Authority have PowerBi Professional licences and have attended training courses on its use. Development Partner • Essential - Must have extensive experience of implementing and managing Data Platforms (or latest Microsoft equivalent) in a Microsoft environment. • Essential - Must have the ability to undertake directed onboarding, pipeline building, transformations, and output creations in an agile way. • Essential - Must have the ability to scale services for example by running multiple workstreams in parallel. • Desirable - the successful supplier should be a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Data & AI (Azure), or demonstrate their proven capability in delivering comprehensive data solutions using the Microsoft cloud environment. • Desirable - Experience of designing and implementing a data platform with a focus on transport would be beneficial.

• User type:

  ICT Services Technician

• Definition:

  someone who manages systems including setting up user permissions, is able to configure/control Azure service costs efficiently and monitor usage and costs, ensure security, and add new users to the security roles created within the Combined Authority's environment.

• User type:

  Data Analyst

• Definition:

  someone who can store, manage, and access anonymised data for strategic reporting purposes, manually upload new or updated data to the Data Platform, set up regular automatic uploads of data, able to connect to internal and external data sources, transform data and record metadata for each data set

• User type:

  non-technical user

• Definition:

  a member of Combined Authority staff who wants to see what data exists within the Data Platform, as well as who is responsible for it and how often its updated, as well as consume dashboards created by data analysts.

• Any pre-market engagement done:

  Pre-tender market engagement was undertaken in August 2024. The feedback received is summarised below:  The specification - Most suppliers agreed that the spec provided enough information for them to bid confidently.  Data Sources - Some suppliers wanted more detail about the data sources include the types of data, the expected volumes, the frequency of update (generally complexity). This has now been included. See attached document 'Appendix 1E - Data Sources'  Azure and Alternative solutions – Some suppliers asked whether the platform should be entirely custom-built within Azure environment, or if there were opportunities to integrate existing proprietary solutions. They mentioned that integrating a pre-existing solution into Azure could reduce costs/risks vs a fully custom build. This approach would be acceptable to the CA providing full costs for on-going support are provided  Data quality expectations – some suppliers referenced the need for clear expectations on data quality standards and processes for data cleansing and validation. Some suggested that data quality management should be a key part of the project scope – i.e simply copying datasets onto the platform without a robust data quality strategy would perpetuate issues like "multiple versions of the truth".  Transport focus - Some suppliers seemed a little unsure about focus of the project (e.g., transportation data or general corporate data) and wanted the scope made clearer. This commission is purely related to transport data.  Resource – Some suppliers referenced achieving the milestones depends heavily on the availability and engagement of stakeholders and CA resource. Suppliers should be clear on any assumptions they make with regards to the support from the CA  Timescale - Most suppliers said that project milestones and timelines were achievable - but emphasised it depends on refining the project scope during the discovery phase. The Project Team has then addressed the raised gaps in best way possible,

• Work done so far:

  Risual were comissioned to produce a data strategy and create a specification of requirements for procurement of a data platform 2019-2020. Risual has worked with the CA to help so we could move into a position where we can procure the services needed to modernise our technology and consolidate to a single data platform. Risual conducted an extensive period of business analysis (with 65 stakeholders completing workshops, questionnaires and interviews) to understand how the Combined Authority use data (in 2019). The sessions were used to build up a picture of how each directorate (reflecting the structure at the time) operates today and what objectives they have for data and analysis in the future. ANS conducted a proof of concept in 2021 confirming that a MS Azure data platform could be used on the CAs Azure Tenant.

• Which phase the project is in:

  Not started

• Existing team:

  The suppliers will be working with a DTS project manager, infrastructure technicians in DTS services, data analysts in Research & Intelligence, policy officers in Bus Reform, and project managers in Mass Transit.

• Address where the work will be done:

  West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Wellington House, 40-50 Wellington St, Leeds, LS1 2DE

• Working arrangements:

  The supplier: • Must provide support during normal business hours 08:30 – 17:00 Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. • Must provide various contact methods to allow support for different levels of urgency. • Must have a single point of contact and a secondary contact (which may include generic mailbox/call number) if this person is not available. • Must provide an Account Manager for escalation and other matters of importance with availability between 09:00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. • Must provide an architect responsible for architectural validation and platform efficiency focused on continuous improvement with availability between 09:00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. The architect/platform manager will have oversight of the workstreams involved in this commission. • Must have the capacity to manage multiple workstreams running in parallel. • Must have a defined escalation process. • Must provide written update on any critical failures. • Must discuss with the Combined Authority at set up stage whether Azure services should run; o 24/7/365 o during business hours o on demand. The impact on running costs must be presented and regularly reviewed. • Must provide continuous overview and recommendations on how to optimise the Azure hosting included controlling and managing Azure costs. • Must highlight Microsoft changes that will affect the Data Platform (or latest Microsoft equivalent) with recommendations on how to mitigate them so no/little downtime is experienced. • During the first 12 months of the contact must provide monthly reviews of the Data Platform (or latest Microsoft equivalent), providing recommendations for improving its use (e.g., making use of the range of services within a Microsoft Platform to maximise demonstration of value).

• Security and vetting requirements:

  Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

• More information about the Security requirements:

  in an instance when supplier's personnel visits the WYCA site.

• Latest start date:

  6 January 2025

• Contract length:

  2 years 0 months 0 days

• Optional extension:

  1 years 0 months 0 days

• Indicative maximum:

  £450000

• Indicative minimum:

  The contract value is not specified by the buyer

• Further information:

  The maximum budget for this project over the entire contract life (2 years + 1 year) is £450,000.

• Contracted out service or supply of resource?:

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

• How many suppliers to evaluate:

  5

• Technical Competence:

  60%

• Cultural fit:

  10%

• Social values:

  10%

• Price:

  20%

• Essential skills and experience:

  10%

• Nice-to-have skills and experience:

  5%

• Technical questions:

  85%

• Description:

  Must have extensive experience of implementing and managing Data Platforms (or latest Microsoft equivalent) in a Microsoft environment.

• Weighting:

  25%

• Description:

  Must have the ability to undertake directed onboarding, pipeline building, transformations, and output creations in an agile way

• Weighting:

  20%

• Description:

  Must have the ability to scale services for example by running multiple workstreams in parallel

• Weighting:

  15%

• Description:

  Must have the capacity to act in a range of roles required for the lifecycle of the project to achieve the desired outcomes e.g. project management, system architects, trainers, operational support, service management etc

• Weighting:

  15%

• Description:

  Muist have experience of advising and mentoring staff within a client organisation with very little knowledge of data platforms

• Weighting:

  10%

• Description:

  Must have experience of designing and delivering training to a range of roles including technical IT and analytical colleagues in the CA

• Weighting:

  15%

• Description:

  The successful supplier should be a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Data & AI (Azure), or demonstrate their proven capability in delivering comprehensive data solutions using the Microsoft cloud environment

• Weighting:

  60%

• Description:

  Provide evidence of experience of designing and implementing a data platform with a focus on transport would be beneficial

• Weighting:

  30%

• Description:

  Experience of implementing and utilising AI and machine learning tools (for example Copilot for Fabric) would be beneficial

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Drawing upon previous experience (ideally working with the public sector - particularly in transport or similar industries), describe your approach to working as a development partner to develop and deliver a data platform as set out in attached 'Appendix 1A - Statement of Requirements'. Please consider the following aspects in your answer:  How you will support the Combined Authority to refine the scope of requirements for a data platform. Specifically, your approach to creating a comprehensive plan for development of the data platform based on the emerging needs data needs of bus franchising and Mass Transit.  How you will use you prior experience with Microsoft Azure (or equivalent) and component technologies to implement a Data Platform.  How the experience of your proposed project team will fulfil the roles of a development partner (e.g. project manager and systems architect)

• Weighting:

  15%

• Question:

  Describe your approach to designing and implementing a Microsoft Azure-based data platform (or equivalent) as described in the attached 'Appendix 1A – Statement of Requirements' and 'Appendix 1B – Data Platform Functionality'. Please consider the following aspects in your answer:  How you would deliver the functionality criteria set out by providing examples and highlighting any areas of concern.  How will you ensure the platform's scalability to accommodate future growth, with specific reference to managing data storage.  How you will work with Combined Authority staff to integrate a range of data sources, including real-time data from APIs and static data from manual uploads.  Please detail any dependencies (roles and time requirement) on the Combined Authority’s staff to enable you to meet the Delivery Milestones as detailed in the statement of requirements.

• Weighting:

  20%

• Question:

  Can you provide examples of where you have implemented AI and machine learning within a data platform (for example MS Copilot for Fabric) explaining the specific skills and technologies you used. Please describe how you believe these tools could be beneficial within the context of this project and how these benefits could be demonstrated

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  The attached 'Appendix 1A - Statement of Requirements' sets out the Combined Authorities requirement for tecnhical support for the data platform, which should include maintenance and proactive management. Describe your offer of a this technical support considering the following aspects in your answer:  Your approach to support and maintenance  Your proposed approach to managing and optimize data storage costs.  Monitoring performance of the data platform

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Describe your overall approach to planning and managing the implementation of the data platform as set out in the attached 'Appendix 1A - Statement of Requirements'. Please consider the following aspects in your answer:  How you will coordinate the project team and ensure effective collaboration with Combined Authority staff to implement and develop the data platform.  How you, as the development partner will manage any changes in project scope, requirements and timelines, identifying and mitigating any potential risks and challenges. Please see the attached 'Appendix 1A - Statement of Requirements' document for a list of risks and issues identified by the Combined Authority  How you propose to monitor and evaluating project performance.  Details of any subcontracting arrangements and how you will manage subcontractors to ensure a high level of service.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  The attached 'Appendix 1A - Statement of Requirements' sets out the requirement for in-depth training for Combined Authority staff covering both data platform design and maintenance (ICT/technical) and use (analytics). Describe your approach to this, considering the following aspects in your answer:  How you will ensure staff proficiency in data on-boarding and management, security, and data analytics.  The methods you will use to deliver the components of your training program (e.g., initial training, ongoing training, user manuals).  How you will provide ongoing user support post-training.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Outline the security measures and data protection protocols you will implement to ensure compliance with GDPR etc, and how will you ensure the Combined Authority safeguards against cyber threats and unauthorized access? considering the following aspects in your answer:  How you will implement and handover (to ICT) management of user access and authentication.  Describe your approach to monitoring and logging to detect and respond to security incidents taking into account our use of Microsoft Sentinel (or equivalent) and our Managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) partner.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Please specify how your contract management methodology meets the Combined Authority’s requirements detailed 'Appendix 1C - Contract Management and Performance Monitoring'.

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Please provide details of 2 similar projects that you have undertaken and provide reference contact details

• Weighting:

  5%

• Question:

  Provide evidence of a clear process for transferring knowledge to permanent staff within a client organisation

• Weighting:

  50%

• Question:

  Provide evidence of being able to work as part of an integrated, effective, and efficient delivery team, integrating into, and improving client culture and capability

• Weighting:

  50%

• Question:

  Qualitative submission to relevant TOMs as per Social Value attachment

• Weighting:

  60%

• Question:

  Value submission to relevant TOMs as per Social Value attachment

• Weighting:

  40%

• Pricing model:

  Fixed price

• Additional assessment methods:

  Presentation

• Question and answer session details:

  Suppliers will be asked to produce a 30 min presentation that shows how they will deliver the requirements of the project including information around: 1. Delivery approach 2. Resources, 3. Contract Management 4. Risks 5. Relevant case studies and experience/qualifications.

• Level:

  Unacceptable - Does not meet the requirement

• Score:

  0

• Description:

  Does not comply and/or insufficient information provided to demonstrate that the Tenderer has the ability, understanding, experience, skills, resource & quality measures required to provide the Services, with little or no evidence to support the response

• Level:

  Serious Reservations - Appears to satisfy the requirement with major reservations

• Score:

  1

• Description:

  Considerable reservations of the Tenderer’s relevant ability, understanding, experience, skills, resources & quality measures required to provide the Services, with little or no evidence to support the response

• Level:

  Minor Reservations - Appears to satisfy the requirement with reservations

• Score:

  2

• Description:

  Some reservations of the Tenderer’s relevant ability, understanding, experience, skills, resources & quality measures required to provide the Services, with limited evidence to support the response

• Level:

  Acceptable - Appears to satisfy the requirement (Minimum Threshold)

• Score:

  3

• Description:

  Demonstration by the Tenderer of the relevant ability, understanding, experience, skills, resources & quality measures required to provide the Services, with evidence to support the response

• Level:

  Good - Satisfies the requirement and provides confidence of ability to deliver Services

• Score:

  4

• Description:

  Above average demonstration by the Tenderer of the relevant ability, understanding, experience, skills, resource & quality measures required to provide the Services. Response provides sufficient level of detail and evidence of a proven track record in delivering similar services so as to give the Combined Authority confidence that the Tenderer will be able to deliver the Services in a way which fully complies in all material respects with the Combined Authorities requirements

• Level:

  Excellent - Exceeds the requirement

• Score:

  5

• Description:

  As for "Good" but Tenderer additionally provides exceptional demonstration of its ability, understanding, experience, skills, resource & quality measures required to provide the Services. Response also identifies factors that will offer potential added value over and above the CA’s requirements as set out in the Specification, with evidence to support the response

• Publication of stage 1:

  27/09/2024

• Clarification period closes:

  04/10/2024 17:00

• Deadline for suppliers to submit their stage 1 responses:

  11/10/2024 16:00

Return to Development Partner to implement a Data Platform

Help

You can contact us by email, phone or using the enquiry form .

Email:

info@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Telephone:

0345 410 2222

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