Procurement details: UKHO Maritime Environment Data Store (MEDS) Application Replacement

• Term or acronym:

  MEDS

• Definition:

  Maritime Environment Data Store

• Summary of work:

  The current MEDS service is used internally by UKHO staff and the service is only accessible from the Authority’s IL5 environment. The Authority requires: - A replacement Map/GIS Viewer software capability to support the viewing of MEDS datasets and the provision of external chart products for the customer - Bespoke development within the software product to meet the specific workflows of the operational team when receiving requests from the customer. This is to be part of the initial software offering but future enhancements may be agreed via a separate work package - The ability for the Authority to make changes to the UI to enter data as new job types emerge - Operational technical support for the software capabilities supplied by the awarded supplier for MEDS Service - The ability to request enhancements (e.g. COTS Upgrades) to the software capabilities as and when requirements change, or further enhancements are needed, to be agreed on a time and materials basis The contract to develop the work will take as long as agreed by the Authority and the Supplier, based on Supplier responses. The Supplier would like the work completed within FY 23/24. Support will be required for the delivered solution for the duration of the contract.

• Where the supplied staff will work:

  South West England

• Where the supplied staff will work:

  No specific location (for example they can work remotely)

• Why the work is being done:

  The Authority has an on premise service called the Maritime Environment Data Store (MEDS) for internal use within a single geographical location. The service is out of date and makes use of a number of hardware and software components which are no longer supported. This work is to replace a number of components that make up the service to allow the service as a whole be brought back in to support and to provide a more robust and modern solution. The service is used to store and extract data related to the marine environment. Data can be ingested electronically, using a variety of formats including bespoke UKHO ones, or entered manually from paper records using bespoke UI. This UI will need to be replaced by the Supplier Data is extracted, based on request for specific data, using a GIS tool to search, visualise, and export data to common formats.

• The business problem:

  A number of components of the MEDS service are no longer supportable and the service overall is out of date. The Authority requires certain components to be replaced with a more modern, robust, and supportable solution in order to provide a more reliable service to users. The work will be centered around the replacement of the existing out of support GIS tool with a more modern, open source, tool, and a new UI to allow for the manual input of data to the existing database (this database is not part of the changes so any solution will need to work with the existing schema). Other work will include making the UI configurable and dynamic so that it presents the correct form for data entry, based on the job type of data selected, and allowing the UI to manage and edit existing data within the database.

• User type:

  Internal UKHO staff

• Definition:

  All users of the system are internal UKHO staff using the Authority IL5 network. The service is not externally facing and has no users outside of the Taunton location. The data is provided by external parties, in a variety of electronic and paper based formats, and extracted based on requests from both internal and external parties. The Marine Environments Team within the UKHO mange and operate the service and this includes adding, managing, visualising, and extracting data based on customer requests as well as admin type work such as managing user accounts and permissions.

• Work done so far:

  An internal review phase has been completed to determine the elements of the service that need replacing. This was undertaken by a UKHO Solutions Architect working in conjunction with the users. The output of this work has been reviewed internally and the proposed solution to use an external supplier approved.

• Which phase the project is in:

  Not started

• Existing team:

  A Project Manager, Solutions Architect, and Business Analyst are available to work on the Authority side along with the user Team and SME's.

• Address where the work will be done:

  All major user interactions such as Discovery workshops, show and tells, UAT etc, must take place at the UKHO site (Admiralty Way, Taunton, TA1 2DN). Development work, general meetings, updates etc can be done remotely.

• Working arrangements:

  The Supplier will be expected to work standard business hours, M-F 9-5, to align to Authority working practices. Work may be undertaken outside of these hours and maybe required for any implementation work The Supplier will be expected to be on site for all activity that involves user interaction such as workshops, show and tells, testing, agreed stakeholder updates etc and any costs should reflect that. All expenses will require prior approval. Expenses are not expected to be charged for known activity on site, such as workshops etc, but for more ad hoc attendance. The supplier is expected to work in an Agile, iterative, way with users closely involved in the work and the Authority kept updated with regular show and tells to manage progress and delivery. The Supplier is expected to provide regular reports and updates covering progress, costs, RAG status, etc. The Supplier is expected to manage their own delivery and resources and will not be under the immediate direction of the Authority. The Supplier is expected to appoint an identified resource to be responsible for Supplier delivery, to act as the point of contact for day to day delivery, and to liaise with the Authority Project Manager.

• Security and vetting requirements:

  Security Check (SC)

• More information about the Security requirements:

  All Supplier workers must be SC cleared and, due to the timescales involved, preference will be given to those already holding clearance or able to provide workers who hold clearance. All workers must be UK nationals with all work undertaken onshore.

• Latest start date:

  13 December 2023

• Contract length:

  2 years 0 months 0 days

• special term or condition:

  Suppliers will adhere to the Secure by Design principles to ensure that any supplied or developed service or component can be accredited in line with UKHO and MoD policy. The supplier is expected to fully participate in security activity including the arranging and facilitating of PEN tests, remediation of identified risks, provision of monitoring and logging where appropriate, etc Information on Secure by Design can be found at https://www.security.gov.uk/guidance/secure-by-design/

• Indicative maximum:

  £433000

• Indicative minimum:

  The contract value is not specified by the buyer

• Further information:

  The maximum budget for the duration of the contract is up to £433,000.

• 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:

  60%

• Cultural fit:

  10%

• Social values:

  10%

• Price:

  20%

• Essential skills and experience:

  40%

• Nice-to-have skills and experience:

  10%

• Technical questions:

  50%

• Description:

  At least three years’ experience of delivering solutions in line with GOV.UK guidelines for content design, service design, and accessibility

• Weighting:

  20%

• Description:

  At least five years’ experience of delivering GIS solutions and working with the storage, extraction, and visualisation of data using GIS tools

• Weighting:

  30%

• Description:

  At least three years’ experience of delivering solutions that require the Supplier to integrate with legacy solutions and tooling to ensure the full end to end solution

• Weighting:

  30%

• Description:

  At least three years’ experience of delivering solutions based around Oracle databases

• Weighting:

  20%

• Description:

  Experience of working under MoD constraints and processes

• Weighting:

  50%

• Description:

  Experience of delivering solutions to IL5 environments

• Weighting:

  50%

• Question:

  Provide examples of where you have delivered a solution that integrates with existing client technology to build an overall service

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Provide examples of where you have used GIS tools to extract and visualise client data in an innovative and user-friendly way

• Weighting:

  15%

• Question:

  Provide examples of where you have built solutions on top of Oracle database technology

• Weighting:

  15%

• Question:

  Provide details of how you ensure that your delivery lifecycle is secure, and all solutions are secure by design and can be accredited

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Provide examples of where you have worked with clients to ensure knowledge transfer or training was undertaken so that the users could confidently use the solution delivered

• Weighting:

  5%

• Question:

  Provide an example of where you have delivered collateral for use by client internal helpdesks and support staff

• Weighting:

  5%

• Question:

  Provide an example where you have delivered a solution accessed using forms-based authentication rather than single sign on

• Weighting:

  5%

• Question:

  Provide an example of where you have delivered solutions based around open-source products and ensured that these were fully secure, supportable, and up to date. This should include your approach to ongoing patching and maintenance where no remote access to infrastructure is available

• Weighting:

  15%

• Question:

  Provide an example of your experience providing support to delivered solutions in a "third line" type model and working with internal helpdesks

• Weighting:

  5%

• Question:

  Please provide a potential, realistic, delivery timeline along with milestones. The Authority would prefer the work to be completed within FY 23/24 so preference will be given to responses that can demonstrate this

• Weighting:

  10%

• Question:

  Please set out any risks and dependencies that you may have identified associated with this work including your dependencies on UKHO

• Weighting:

  5%

• Question:

  How do you identify the challenges associated with remote and hybrid working and how do you then manage them?

• Weighting:

  25%

• Question:

  Please provide an example where you have used your innovative approach to provide value and improve solutions for the end client

• Weighting:

  20%

• Question:

  Please provide an example of how you have worked iteratively with an end client's team to deliver the most appropriate solution

• Weighting:

  15%

• Question:

  Please provide an example of where you have had to work in restrictive environments and how you overcame the associated challenges

• Weighting:

  25%

• Question:

  How do you ensure that decisions are taken in an open and collaborative way and ensure common agreement and understanding?

• Weighting:

  15%

• Question:

  Tackling Economic Inequality - Please detail any activities, in the delivery of the contract, that support the delivery of social value through tackling economic inequality e.g. creation of new businesses, jobs, skills; increasing supply chain resilience and capacity.

• Weighting:

  50%

• Question:

  Fighting Climate Change - Please detail any activities, in the delivery of the contract, that support the delivery of social value through fighting climate change e.g. effective stewardship of the environment

• Weighting:

  25%

• Question:

  Equal Opportunity - Please detail any activities, in the delivery of the contract that support the delivery of social value through equal opportunity e.g. reducing the disability employment gap; tackling workforce inequality.

• Weighting:

  25%

• Pricing model:

  Fixed price

• Additional assessment methods:

  Reference

• Level:

  Poor

• Score:

  0

• Description:

  No response or response which is irrelevant to question

• Level:

  Weak

• Score:

  1

• Description:

  Response only partially answers question, with major deficiencies apparent. Little relevant detail.

• Level:

  Fair

• Score:

  4

• Description:

  Response almost meets question requirements but remains basic and missing some detail.

• Level:

  Adequate

• Score:

  7

• Description:

  Response satisfies question requirement and has provided detail requested.

• Level:

  Excellent

• Score:

  10

• Description:

  Comprehensive and useful response which answers the question and exceeds minimum expectations. Including a full description of techniques and measurements employed, and a level of detail which adds value to the tender.

• Publication of stage 1:

  09/10/2023

• Clarification period closes:

  13/10/2023 16:00

• Deadline for suppliers to submit their stage 1 responses:

  23/10/2023 12:00

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