DWP Digital Debt Management - Product Design and Development Services

Description

Summary of the work The Partner must enable DWP to develop new and existing digital services that will transform the citizen and contact centre agent journeys for Debt Management and Compensation Recovery. Delivered through SoW and partner-provided muti-disciplinary teams, providing services under Service Delivery, Software Development, User Research, User Experience and Design capabilities. Expected Contract Length Up to 24 months, with an optional extension of up to 6 months. Latest start date Monday 2 May 2022 Budget Range It is anticipated the budget is up to a maximum value of £3m. This is not a commitment to spend up to this value and the Authority reserves the right to consume at its discretion. Further Statements of Work (SoWs) to be agreed as the digital pipeline materialises (subject to approval). We anticipate that successful supplier will have sufficient capacity in the following digital roles to deliver the required outcomes: Product Managers Agile Delivery Managers User Researchers Interaction Designers Content Designers Business Analysts Front End Developers/Application Engineers Test Engineers Dev Ops Engineers Data Engineers Solution Architects Data Architects Why the Work is Being Done DWP Debt Management (DM) specialises in the management and recovery of monies owed to Government, this includes benefit overpayments, compensation recovery and loan recovery. DM currently manages around 5.1m debtor accounts (non-zero balances). The number of debtor accounts is set to rise sharply as a result of the implementation of Universal Credit (UC), together with DM managing debts for Tax Credit (TC), Local Authority (LA) Housing Benefit (HB) and also with the introduction of Support for Mortgage interest (SMI) loan accounts. The number of debt accounts managed is expected to increase to around 6.7m by 2024. The current DM systems are aging and process needs transformation, whilst debts are held and managed on multiple systems it hinders the ability of the Department to meet the expectations of citizens (and other debt customers e.g. insurance companies, solicitors, employers etc.) now used to managing their finances via online channels. In addition, the supplier may also provide services to support the delivery of various other initiatives that form part of the DWP Digital Fraud, Error & Debt change programme. Problem to Be Solved The Project will: - Build/Configure a DM Digital solution, and support the enablement of a new DM Service that avoids the risk of recovery of money being lost or delayed. - Enable DM customers (including insurers, solicitors, and citizens) to manage their financial transactions and enquiries online, which they are unable to do this at present. An efficient, secure on-line self-service channel will meet this need, and will reduce resource intensive telephone contacts and incoming post. - Ensure DM better uses data through advanced analytics. Who Are the Users As a Citizen: I need to be able to effectively manage my debts on-line or by telephone so that I can understand my debt and repay the money I owe to DWP. As an organisation: I need to ensure that digital services are built and iterated on real user needs, and I have the right people in my organisation to enable the digital transformation of Debt Management. Early Market Engagement No early market engagement has taken place with suppliers for this requirement. Work Already Done Some components in Private beta have developed to MVP to be used by a segment of the customers. Existing Team The agent facing delivery is being delivered by two configuration squads, with Professional Service support from our Supplier, C&R Software. Other squads include Self Service and Compensation Recovery that consists of product design and engineering teams. The Lead Product Manager and Delivery Manager works across the programme. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Experience delivering outcomes using the roles documented in the DDaT framework in the following areas: Engineering, Architecture, Product Management, Product Design, Delivery management, Security and Data • Experience of outcome-based delivery using a remote location model, working in an Agile/SCRUM environment, using collaboration tools and agile disciplines within large/complex programmes • Experience designing, developing, testing and supporting bi-modal IT where there are both COTS systems as well as newer systems based around events, micro services architecture & open source technologies • Experience in development of automated test suites and tools using Java, Selenium v3.14.1+, Cucumber, Jenkins v2.11+, SOAP/REST WebServices/API testing, CI/CD methodology and tools (i.e. GIT, Gitlab CI) • Experience of infrastructure/application monitoring including working with cloud providers (Azure/AWS/GCP), writing infrastructure & configuration management code, building automated CI/CD pipelines, Linux/Windows systems, JBOSS EAP configuration/management & container orchestration/management • Experience developing applications using modern open technologies such as Java, Node.js. Angular.js etc. relational databases, APIs, RESTful services and Micro services architectures compliant with government standards and TDD • Experience utilising and implementing Government Digital Service Design Standards and accessibility (WCAG 2.1AA) within outcome based delivery including taking products and services through internal and external GDS assessments Nice to Haves Have experience of working within Government or a comparable organisation within the last 3 years Work Location Initially, and primarily, the work is expected to be undertaken at the following locations, but this may need to be supplemented: a) 2 St Peter's Square, Manchester, M2 3AA. B) Peel Park, Brunel Way, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY4 5ES. Working Arrangments Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, all activity is likely to hybrid (remote Onshore & Office). It will be in the specific hubs as outlined within this advert, with a view to a minimum of 40% a week ('9-5' Monday to Friday). However, this may be change to 100% later. A flexible approach will be agreed with throughout the life of the contract. Supplier will be responsible for travel and expenses to normal workplace. Any travel required in addition to/or outside of locations specified will only be paid if agreed in advance and in line with DWP Travel and Subsistence policy. Security Clearance Your proposed delivery team members must have completed the HM Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check and be eligible to undergo the clearance process to at least Security Check level. Roles that need elevated access to DWP systems and access to Personal Information will need SC clearance before starting. Additional T&Cs DWP is not seeking for bidders to propose changes to the Supplementary T&Cs as part of the bid process, because DWP is not seeking to negotiate or deviate from these terms. Furthermore, in reference to pricing - suppliers must provide a Rate Card for all of the defined roles. Bids must be on a T&M basis, however different pricing models ranging from Fixed Price, T&M and Capped T&M may be used for SoW's. All expenses must be pre-agreed between the parties and must comply with DWP's Travel and Subsistence (T&S) Policy. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria To be defined at the Request For Proposal (RFP) stage Cultural Fit Criteria Social Value Themes to be defined at Request For Proposal (RFP) stage Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Reference Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. Will you be providing any additional background information to supplement this opportunity? Yes, we have made some background information around DWP Digital Debt Products and Architecture available as annexes.Please refer to the Opportunity Notice published on the DWP e-procurement tool:https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk/esop/toolkit/opportunity/current/53397/detail.si 2. Is there an incumbent organisation working in this area currently? Yes, the supplier Scrumconnect Ltd. is currently contracted for a broadly equivalent set of services. 3. We would appreciate if DWP could indicate the pricing model that would be adopted for the initial SoW / Proposal StageThe Additional information section states that ‘Bids must be on a T&M basis’, however, the payment approach stated ‘Capped time and materials’ Price will be evaluated in the final evaluation stage and successfully shortlisted suppliers will be asked to complete a pricing template. Full details will be set out in the Request For Proposal documentation. It is anticipated SoWs will operate on either capped time and materials or fixed price milestone-payment basis, as appropriate and in agreement with both Parties. 4. Please can you clarify what you mean by “internal and external GDS assessments”? For example, are internal assessments run by an internal team and external assessments run by GDS? And are the assessments essentially the same assessment process but run by different people? Assumptions are correct. External GDS Assessments are for customer (i.e. non DWP Staff) facing products and services. 5. Who from your team will be scoring applications for this opportunity and what positions do they hold? Applications will be assessed by subject matter experts from DWP Digital with support from Commercial Directorate. 6. Can you please provide an anticipated timeline for this procurement that includes dates for: 1) Shortlisting Notification for Stage 2 2) Submission Deadline for Stage 2 3) Presentation 4) Evaluation period 5) Award Notification The deadline for responding to supplier questions is Tuesday 22/02/22 (23:59).Deadline for supplier bids to be submitted is Wednesday 23/02/22 (23:59)We will aim to complete the shortlisting stage and issue Request for Proposal to shortlisted suppliers week commencing 14/03/22Anticipated deadline for Request for Proposal responses Monday 28/03/22We will aim to complete the final evaluation stage and issue final notifications to successful and unsuccessful suppliers week commencing 11/04/22We will aim to award the contract and subsequent first Statement of Work Monday 02/05/2022. 7. Can you please advise the preferred tech stack for this opportunity? The preferred Platforms/Technology must adopt the Application Reference Architecture, Technical Architecture Vision and the Key Technology Principles 8. Has any external supplier been involved in the initial scoping work? If so, who? The initial work taking the services to Private Beta has been carried out by Scrumconnect Ltd. 9. Can you confirm if shortlisted suppliers will have the opportunity to present? Supplier presentations have not been included in this opportunity. 10. What is your expectation of remote vs onsite work given the relaxing of restrictions? It is anticipated there will be an expectation of 40% working from the Manchester Hubs and 60% remote working. 11. Can you please supply a working link to the additional information provided in response to Clarification Question #1. The following link which was provided does not work. The additional information can also be accessed via the following link:https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk/esop/guest/go/public/opportunity/current 12. Are offshore resources permitted? Suppliers will be expected to utilise DWP infrastructure, systems and equipment, meaning that offshore resources will not be permitted. 13. Are you expecting all roles to have the ability to be full time? As we are contracting for outcomes, this will be under the supplier's control. 14. In order to compare suppliers like for like, how will price be evaluated? Price will be evaluated in the final evaluation stage and successfully shortlisted suppliers will be asked to complete a pricing template. Full details will be set out in the Request For Proposal documentation. 15. Are you able to recruit and provide access to users for the purpose of user research? Yes, we have the capability to recruit user research participants. 16. Will you be able to organise access to stakeholders throughout the project? Yes, we will ensure access to stakeholders as appropriate throughout the project. 17. For the first evaluation round (evidence), what would you expect to see from an answer for it to be deemed ‘exceeding’ and score 3 marks? A score of 3 will be awarded to responses, which following moderation, have been deemed to fully meet and exceed our requirements. 18. As there is a duration and budget specified, can we assume work has been limited and prioritised? Yes. 19. As per DOS guidelines ‘You should only provide one example for each essential or nice-to-have requirement’, are you only requesting one example per skills and experience question? Following DOS guidance, we are recommending one example for each essential or nice-to-have requirement, using up to 100 words for each response, and an example can be re-used across different essential or nice-to-have requirements, if appropriate. 20. How would you like suppliers to present expenses (separate rechargeable or included in day rates based on assumption for travel)? Price will be evaluated in the final evaluation stage and successfully shortlisted suppliers will be asked to complete a pricing template. Full details will be set out in the Request For Proposal documentation. 21. when you specify the DDaT framework, do you mean: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digital-data-and-technology-profession-capability-framework Yes. 22. Will the scores from the evidencing round be taken through to final evaluation? Or will they only be used for the purposes of shortlisting suppliers? They will be used for the purposes of shortlisting only. 23. Are you able to continue straight into the next phase of this project with the same supplier with no air gap between phases? It is anticipated existing phases of delivery will continue and we will work to ensure smooth transition. 24. Please indicate DWP’s key platforms/technology relevant to the project? E.g., what technology is used for Compensation Recovery operations, Debt Management, ETL and the Customer web-frontend framework? (1/2) Compensation Recovery System:- • Hosted in Azure Cloud• Azure Redis cache• Azure Postgresql• Java(Spring)• Node.js• Containers: Docker/Azure Kubernetes Service (Ubuntu)• Gov Pay• Gov Notify• Azure Key Vault• Azure Monitor• Terraform/Ansible• Gitlab.comRepay My Debt System:-• Hosted in Azure Cloud• Azure Redis cache• Azure Postgresql• Node.js• Containers: Docker/Azure Kubernetes Service (Ubuntu)• Gov Pay• Gov Notify• Azure Key Vault• Azure Monitor• Terraform/Ansible• Gitlab.com 25. Please indicate DWP’s key platforms/technology relevant to the project? E.g., what technology is used for Compensation Recovery operations, Debt Management, ETL and the Customer web-frontend framework? (2/2) Debt Management System:-• Hosted in Azure Cloud• Debt Manager 11.2 COTS product (C&RSoftware)• RHEL 7/8• Windows Server 2016/2019• SQLServer 2017/2019• Red Hat JBoss Appl. Server• Apache HTTP Server• ETL/Integration:1) SAP Data Services 4.2 as tactical solution, replacing with Debt Data Hub2) Debt Manager 11 PowerTools job scheduler as tactical solution, replacing with Debt Data Hub3) Java / Nginx4) Ansible for Debt Manager 11 customisation• Containers: Docker/Azure Kubernetes Service (Ubuntu)• Gov Pay• Gov Notify• Azure Key Vault• Azure Monitor• Terraform/Ansible• Gitlab.com 26. I am interested to know whether underpinning Technology has been already selected for the required prototype. Please see responses to Q24 and Q25 above. 27. Are you looking for an organisation with GDS assessment experience? And are you looking for this experience from the organisation or just certain individuals proposed in the supplier team? We are looking for experience of Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and assessment within the organisation. 28. In the context of this opportunity, we would appreciate if DWP could elaborate on the definition of ‘bi-modal IT’.Does it mean maintaining the existing legacy Debt Management system whilst the new product / service is being build in parallel or something else? The supplier will not maintain the existing legacy systems. However, there will be dependencies on these, for example, whilst carrying out the data migration work or integration. There will be bi-modal IT because you will build the replacement solution with dependencies and integration requirements across the entire DWP system estate, including Debt legacy systems. 29. Please indicate how you expect the demand for resource types to be staggerd over the term of the 24-month contract, i.e., DWP’s expectation on what roles and how many resources are required in each position required on Day 1? The demand for resource types and counts are dependent on the outcomes. Outcomes will be provided to the supplier as part of the Statement of Work (SoW) that defines the resource skills and numbers required to meet the delivery objective. Generally, the delivery of an outcome gets aligned with a two-week sprint. The SoW will call out the 3-6 months milestones based on DWP priority, the suppliers can use that to plan for the roles and efforts. In most cases, the resource type required are product design and product engineering roles. 30. What is your anticipated team structure to deliver? A typical squad/team consists of Product Owner, Agile Delivery Manager, Product Design resources (User Research, Content Designer, Interaction Designer, Business Analysts, Service Designer, Solution Designer) and Engineering Resources (Application Engineers, Full Stack Developers, Test Engineers, Dev Ops Engineers). The resource skills required depends on the outcome to be delivered. 31. What roles do you believe DWP will fulfil? DWP roles and responsibilities will be defined with the successful supplier ahead of contract award. 32. What roles do you see the supplier filling? In most cases, the resource type required are product design and product engineering roles. A typical squad/team consists of Product Owner, Agile Delivery Manager, Product Design resources (User Research, Content Designer, Interaction Designer, Business Analysts, Service Designer, Solution Designer) and Engineering Resources (Application Engineers, Full Stack Developers, Test Engineers, Dev Ops Engineers). The resource skills required depends on the outcome to be delivered. 33. My next question is getting some clarity around how Debt work related to another tender you had published last year. https://bidstats.uk/tenders/2021/W27/754188604 Transaction Risking is a separate programme delivered by DWP Data and Analytics. The Digital Debt Service project is unrelated. 34. Is it envisaged that the roles provided will augment existing teams under existing management oversight or operate as a discrete unit (e.g. with dedicated SCRUM leaders etc.)? It is anticipated that based on the outcomes, the supplier roles will be delivered as a discrete unit of work rather than as part of overall Digital Debt Service Programme (DDSP) management oversight. Existing management oversight prioritises, provides support, and reports directly to the DWP Change and Business areas. 35. Are you able to provide an indication of the capacity (number of resources) required from the supplier? The demand for resource types and counts are dependent on the outcomes. Outcomes will be provided to the supplier as part of the Statement of Work (SoW) that defines the resource skills and numbers required to meet the delivery objective. Generally, the delivery of an outcome gets aligned with a two-week sprint. The SoW will call out the 3-6 months milestones based on DWP priority, the suppliers can use that to plan for the roles and efforts. In most cases, the resource type required are product design and product engineering roles.