Trade Remedies Authority – Future Trade Remedies Service – Case Management System Built on Microsoft Technologies.

Description

Summary of work TRA requires a supplier with exceptional Microsoft Power Platform and or Dynamics capability to design and build the Trade Remedies Service - the flagship digital service - in a sustainable and future-proof way. TRS needs to provide a portal for stakeholders across the globe to engage with the TRA and submit data and documentation. There will also need to be a document management system solution to support our internal teams to manage investigations, data and documentation and stakeholder communications. The Future Trade Remedies Service (TRS) will allow external stakeholders in industries and businesses to initiate a trade remedies investigation or review of an existing decision, take part in an active trade remedies, invite an organisation or individual to represent a party or invite a colleague to their account through a GOV.UK facing portal. It will provide a document management system for internal investigations teams to manage, review and store data, publish documents to GOV.UK and provide management reporting capability. Teams in TRA should also be able to engage effectively with stakeholders via the digital service. The Future TRS project is an in-flight digital transformation project which aligns with the methodology mandated by CDDO and GDS, featuring Discovery, Alpha and Beta phases. The supplier will on-board to the project for the start of the Alpha phase, with access to all outputs of the Discovery Phase which completed in September 2023 enabling the TRA to commence procurement activities. Outputs of the Discovery phase have been uploaded to the procurement portal, and the successful bidder, once on-boarded, will be able to interface with TRA and DBT teams to obtain further information as needed to provide the contracted services. The End of Discovery Report uploaded to the procurement portal further describes the story so far, explaining how the project has progressed through various project phases to date. The TRA will retain overall project management responsibility, with the supplier expected to integrate with the existing Project Board, Project Working Group, and participate in collaborative project planning once on-boarded. Expectation has been set internally within the TRA regarding target dates for Release 1 (the Minimum Viable Product), and Release 2 (further enhancements), based on a Product Backlog resulting from the Discovery phase. The supplier will be expected to work within the time constraints set out, and it is accepted that the plan can be moderated in response to recommendations from the supplier. The supplier will be expected to participate in Project Board events, and as such be expected to report on project progress throughout in a transparent and open way, covering all aspects of the delivery, design, development, testing, change management (including training), and transition to BAU mode in accordance with CDDO and GDS standards. The Project Board will include representatives from the TRA, DBT, and independent CDDO advisory. Given the criticality of the solution to the functioning of the TRA, it is expected that all aspects of the project will be scrutinised during Project Board and Project Working Group events. Upon completion of Release 1 and 2, the supplier will be expected to provide support services until the end of the contracting period. The TRA will own all intellectual property rights (IPR) with the technical solution built using Microsoft technologies available to the TRA via the existing Microsoft E5 licence. The supplier will be expected to produce technical documentation describing the Future TRS system such that the TRA support team can manage ongoing maintenance and development under BAU mode. Evidencing readiness for BAU mode will be required in order for the project to be accepted into Live. As part of the ITT response the TRA request a fit-gap analysis to be undertaken with the recommendation forming part of the suppliers response, in line with Microsoft guidance on how to conduct fit-gap. The supplier, as a minimum requirement, will need to evidence Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001 certification. Key Factor: TRA also wishes to procure a contract for Software Testing. The supplier of this secondary contract for Software Testing cannot be the same supplier implementing the Future Trade Remedies Service in order to maintain the integrity of the testing activity. To combat this potential conflict, should the winning supplier for the Future Trade Remedies tender also score highest in the evaluation of the Software Testing tender, that supplier will only be awarded the contract for the Future Trade Remedies and the second highest scorer from the Software Testing evaluation will be awarded the Software Testing contract. Where the supplied staff will work South East England Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Who the organisation using the products or services is The Department for Business and Trade (formally Department for International Trade) is buying services on behalf of the Trade Remedies Authority. Why the work is being done TRA have a digital strategic goal - we will provide a high-quality experience for stakeholders through digitally enabled delivery. We will support our investigations work using technology, data and digital tools to optimise our operational performance, information base and the experience. We will seek and act upon feedback from all stakeholders to continuously improve the investigations experience from the customer standpoint. The Future TRS project is looking to replace the current TRS with a low-code, sustainable and maintainable digital service to drive operational efficiencies, make better use of our data and provide an excellent experience. We want to move to a service and product-led approach of iterative design, deployment, feedback and iteration utilising the Microsoft technologies. This project will kick start TRAs journey to its digital vision of enabling teams to make smarter decisions and take ownership of the experience we deliver to all stakeholders. The business problem The Trade Remedies Service (TRS) allows stakeholders (industries and businesses) to request a trade remedies investigation or review of an existing decision, take part in an active trade remedies, invite an organisation or individual to represent a party in an active or a colleague to their account for an active . The original TRS was developed by an external third-party supplier, and later moved in-house to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) team. The original code has been refactored and, in places, rebuilt from the ground up by the in-house team to form the existing solution. A Future TRS project was initiated in 2023 to replace the existing TRS solution, including a new technical solution and operational changes to improve efficiency and productivity. In accordance with CDDO and GDS project frameworks, the Discovery phase is now complete, and the TRA now requires a suitable partner to support implementation of the Future TRS system across business and technical change - i.e. a digital transformation project. The business problem to solve is defined by the the documents available on this procurement portal. The people who will use the product or service User type: External and Internal Personas Definition: The Discovery phase of the project examined the as-is business process, and all personas involved. The Future TRS system will be used by external and internal stakeholders. Please refer to the documents as uploaded on the procurement portal, which include extensive information to enable suppliers to understand our needs. Note there are extra internal personas which have not yet been documented. Any pre-market engagement done An optional Early Market Engagement Questionnaire was published on Contracts Finder as a Early Engagement (https:www.contractsfinder.service.gov.ukNotice2a35b927-29fc-4e64-ae12-b3233fd76197) and Find a Tender as Prior Information Notice: Prior Information Only (https:www.find-tender.service.gov.ukNotice023610-2023) on 11th August 2023. This optional Early Engagement Questionnaire was used to understand the view of the market in terms of its approach to this requirement, key considerations, indicative timescales, and costings. Information that TRA gathered was used to refine requirements and inform an internal business . TRA held non-committal discussions with several suppliers, to clarify their responses to the Early Market Engagement Questionnaire. The TRA undertook a detailed review of all market engagement responses, in order to progress from Discovery into full procurement based on an appropriate technology which aligns with the strategic direction of the business. An optional Virtual Pre-Procurement Launch Event was held on Tuesday 23rd January 2024, and invitations were sent to all suppliers on the DOS6 Framework. A presentation was shared during the session, and a question and answer session was held. If you wish to have a recording of the event, and a write-up of the Question and Answers please contact CommercialDDaT@businessandtrade.gov.uk. Work done so far A Future TRS project was initiated in 2023 to replace the existing TRS solution, including a new technical solution and operational changes to improve efficiency and productivity. In accordance with CDDO and GDS project frameworks, the Discovery phase is now complete, and the TRA now requires a suitable partner to support implementation of the Future TRS system across business and technical change - i.e. a digital transformation project. The TRA is currently in the advanced stages of implementation of a PMO solution built using the MS Power Platform which enables project management. This solution is anticipated to be in LIVE ~end of March 2024. The TRA are expecting increased awareness of the experience possible via MS Power Platform, and this solution currently has some basic integration with SharePoint and PowerBI. The TRA community is becoming increasingly familiar and literate in the usage of Microsoft technologies to support data collection and analysis business intelligence (PowerBI), information document management (SharePoint). The Investigations team have developed a number of automation tools using MS Power Platform and MS Excel, which represent components which can potentially be re-used integrated into the Future TRS solution where relevant. The TRA continue to consult directly with Microsoft for ad-hoc advice relating to the execution of projects, or to explore potential usage of technology available in the context of the Microsoft E5 licence. This includes validation of intel received from current or potential suppliers. Which phase the project is in Alpha Existing team The Digital and Technology team will be leading this project for TRA. Key roles are: Head of Digital and Technology, Future TRS Project Manager, Digital Programme Manager, Cyber Security Manager, Infrastructure and Hardware Manager, Investigators, Analysts and Verification Team (accountants). Address where the work will be done Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) 4th , North Gate House, 21-23 Valpy Street, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 1AF. To note: work can also be completed virtually within the UK only. Working arrangements The supplier will be required to attend the TRA offices as and when required by the project. This is predicted to be maximum of once a week (excluding design sprints). Expenses will be capped at £5,000 for the duration of the contract. Security and vetting requirements Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Security and vetting requirements Security Check (SC) More information about the Security requirements: BPSS SC. All must have BPSS as a minimum. SC clearance may be required at specific stages of the project. We will work with the supplier to understand requirements and we would be willing to sponsor the SC clearance process at the suppliers expense. Latest start date 28 May 2024 Expected contract length Contract length: 2 years 0 months 0 days Optional extension: 1 years 0 months 0 days Special terms and conditions special term or condition: Expenses to be capped at £5,000 for the duration of the contract. Budget Indicative maximum: £1112000 Indicative minimum: The contract value is not specified by the buyer Further information: The budget is yet to be approved, due to Business Planning. The budget will be confirmed at the point of Contract Award. The budget is up to £1,112,000 including VAT for 2 years + optional 12 month extension. Year 1: Fixed Cost Design and Build - up to £912,000 including VAT. The Pricing Schedule in the tender is broken down into Payment Specific Milestones. As part of the procurement process tenderers must complete the table, demonstrating a fixed price for each milestone. TRA and the successful tenderer will develop a series of Statement of Works for each milestone, as per the DOS6 guidelines. Each SOW will fall under a specific milestone, and payment will be released once all SOWs acceptance criteria have been accepted for that milestone. This will unlock payment for the fixed price milestone. Year 2 and Optional Year 3: Fixed Cost Break Fixes, and Call-Off Basis for Adhoc Fixes – up to £100,000 including VAT per year. TRA would the tenderers to complete a table to understand their annual cost for a Fixed Price Break Fix payment for Year 2. TRA would tenderers to complete a table demonstrating their rate card for information purposes. This will be used for an extra Ad hoc Fixes. The same pricing mechanisms will be used for the optional 12 month extension. For Information Purposes. For information purposes TRA would to understand the licensing approach to the proposed solution. Tenderers will be asked to complete the licences needed for the solution, but this will not be taken into account in the pricing evaluation. Contracted out service or supply of resource? Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Terms and acronyms Term or acronym: TRA - Trade Remedies Authority Definition: The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices. We investigate whether trade remedies are needed to prevent harm to UK industries caused by unfair trading practices or unforeseen import surges, and we make recommendations on appropriate measures to defend UK economic interests. The Trade Remedies Authority is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade. Term or acronym: TRS - Trade Remedies Service Definition: The Trade Remedies Service (TRS) Trade Remedies Service, allows (industries and businesses) to request a trade remedies investigation or review of an existing decision, take part in an active trade remedies , invite an organisation or individual to represent a party in an active or invite a colleague to their account. The original TRS was developed by an external third-party supplier, and later moved in-house to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) team. Questions and Clarifications 1. Is there a requirement for web portals and external websites to meet the GOV.UK style standards from a look and feel perspective? Yes, there is a requirement for the web portalsexternal website to meet GOV.UK Style Standards from a look and feel perspective. Last Updated : <strong>05/03/2024</strong> 2. Does TRA have specific requirements on resource locations or will near-shoreoff-shore resources be acceptable. It is noted that if SC resources may required and these will obviously need to be located in the UK TRA require UK based staff only. Last Updated : <strong>06/03/2024</strong> 3. Would Cyber Essentials Plus be accepted as an alternative to ISO 27001? No, Cyber Essentials Plus would not be accepted as an alternative to ISO 27001. Last Updated : <strong>29/02/2024</strong> 4. Please can you confirm if the 750 acter limit for stage one responses is inclusive or exclusive of spaces. Please can you confirm if there is a word limit for stage 2 responses? The 750 acter limit for Stage One is inclusive of spaces. For Stage Two the word limit will be 500 words per question. Last Updated : <strong>01/03/2024</strong> 5. Please can you confirm if the response limit is 750 acters per question or 750 acters for all 8 Essential skills and experience questions together? And the same for the Nice to have skills and experience - please can you confirm if the 750 acter limit is for each of the five questions or 750 acters in total for all five questions together? To clarify: Suppliers are requested to provide an individual response against each of the questions. Each response should not exceed 750 acters in length. Each individual response, to each Essential and Nice to Have Skills and Experience has a limit of 750 acters. Last Updated : <strong>01/03/2024</strong> 6. To follow up on the previous clarification question, could you please confirm that you are expecting the following for the DOS 1 response: An approachmethodology AND a project example, for each question. Is this correct? 750 acters equates to approx. 100 words for the above. Typically, for a DOS 1, we would be expected to provide a project example, but NOT an approachmethodology. We are expecting suppliers to demonstrate how you would deliver, with evidence of experience for each question. We are aware of the acter limit, so expect the response to be a mary. Last Updated : <strong>05/03/2024</strong> 7. Correction to Publication. There is an issue with the Publication, CCS are working to resolve this. But for the avoidance of doubt, the Expected Contract Length is 2 years, and the optional extension is 1 year. Last Updated : <strong>04/03/2024</strong> 8. Is the existing SharePoint instance On-Premise and if so what ? The existing SharePoint instance is cloud-based in the TRAs Azure tenancy. We use SharePoint online as part of O365. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 9. Will the public facing portal have a requirement to display content to anonymous s? Parts of the service will be open to all types of s via GOV.UK. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 10. Current file size limits are mentioned for files, what are they? The file size limit is as follows: 31Mb (zip files, PDFs, images etc.) Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 11. Is there any scope for tools and applications to assist on verification visits? Yes Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 12. The questions asked at Stage 1 arent in the usual format and will be difficult to answer with just 750 acters. Could you please clarify what you are expecting from suppliers responses? E.g., are you still expecting suppliers to evidence their experience for each question? Yes we are expecting suppliers to demonstrate how you will deliver with evidence of experience for each question. Last Updated : <strong>04/03/2024</strong> 13. It is stated that D365 or Power Platform will form the basis of the solution. Have you already undertaken any existing work into your technology architectural approach? If so, can you share any documentation, for example discovery output? As part of Discovery TRA undertook a technical evaluation to look at all technical options and their various pros and cons bespoke, proprietary COTS, and via Microsoft E5 technologies such as Dynamics and Power Platform. TRA opted for Dynamics and or Power Platform due to closer strategic alignment. TRA have not done any architectural design work, this will form part of the work to be completed by the successful bidder. TRA are not going to share any further documentation, beyond the documents uploaded to the portal already - these are some outputs from the Discovery. Last Updated : <strong>05/03/2024</strong> 14. Is there a discovery report available and also which supplier did it? TRA have chosen to upload some documentation to the portal, that formed part of the Discovery Report. TRA will not upload the full report. The Discovery was conducted by internal TRA staff supported by the Department for Business and Trade, and TRA brought in some external Business Analysis Capability to support. Last Updated : <strong>05/03/2024</strong> 15. Would the Authority please consider extending the acter limit for responses, or revising question structures? We feel that 750 acters is insufficient to provide an approachmethod and a project example. For example, it would be very difficult to provide an approach and study that ressed all of the points in the following question: 2. Demonstrate how you will deliver digital transformation project frameworks which accommodate Discovery, UX Design, Service Design, CI, CD, Agile Iterative development, BAU operating model design, deployment, live, with reference to previous experience. We are unable to change the word counts, as its part of the framework. Instead TRA are expecting a response that shows an example of this experience, and how this would be delivered to TRA in a mary format. Last Updated : <strong>05/03/2024</strong> 16. The statement of requirements says that “The End of Discovery Report uploaded to the procurement portal further describes the story so far” however we cannot see it in the portal. Can you provide the end discovery report please? The end of discovery report outputs are uploaded to the portal, they are called: Document 1 Future TRS_ProductBacklog_28022024.xlsx Document 2 TRS Architecture Pack_090224.pptx Document 3 TRS ALL process maps.pdf Document 4 TRS Personas 2023.pdf Document 5 Trade Remedies Service Map v8 - with application.pdf. If you are issues, please contact CommercialDDaT@businessandtrade.gov.uk. Last Updated : <strong>06/03/2024</strong> 17. Commercial Clarification on acter Limit for Round 1 Responses Only. Following Supplier Clarification Questions, DBT and TRA have decided to change the acter Limit for Round 1 Question responses only (Essential and Nice to have Skills) to 1500 acters per question, including spaces. DBT and TRA are still expecting mary responsesbullet points where Suppliers can demonstrate experience and demonstrate how you would deliver. Last Updated : <strong>08/03/2024</strong> 18. Will be an extension to the submission deadline to allow those who have finalised responses to redraft them prior to submission? An extension is not possible, and that should be sufficient time to review and amend in line with the existing timeline. Last Updated : <strong>08/03/2024</strong> 19. Was the initial Discovery for this work done with the involvement of any third party supplier and if so who was this and will be they be able to bid this work? The Discovery was conducted by internal TRA staff supported by the Department for Business and Trade, and TRA brought in some external Business Analysis Capability to support. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 20. We appreciate that the 750 word limit is set by the DOS framework. However, the DOS 6 framework also requires bidders to provide examples of ability in the form of a study. We understand that buyers sometimes request an approachmethodology instead of a study, but not an approachmethodology and a project example in 750 acters (approximately 50 words each - a couple of sentences). Therefore, could we please again request that the word count is increased, or the questions are amended to reflect the requirement of the DOS 6 framework? Many thanks in advance. Following Supplier Clarification Questions, DBT and TRA have decided to change the acter Limit for Round 1 Question responses only (Essential and Nice to have Skills) to 1500 acters including spaces. DBT and TRA are still expecting mary responsesbullet points where Suppliers can demonstrate experience and demonstrate how you would deliver. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 21. Have you already or will you be open to considering the purchase of premium licenses across Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI? (i.e. Power Pages, Power Apps Premium, Power BI Premium) The TRA have a number of existing licences across Microsoft E5 covering Power Apps, PowerBI, and MS Project. Requirements for itional premium licences will become known during the architecture and design stage of the project, and the TRA is open to considering these in due course. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 22. How do you currently manage guest accessexternal authentication into the tenant? Do third parties already cone Power Platform resources within your tenant? Guest access is managed in a standalone database. There is no SSO or integration with an identity provider. There is no integration with PowerPlatform. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 23. Have all non-functional requirements been validated throughout discovery to determine that Power Platform is fit for purpose? If not, will the supplier have the opportunity to perform this in detail once engaged? NFRs have been considered as part of the technical evaluation during Discovery which determined that Dynamics Power Platform is the most strategically aligned technology. The supplier will have an opportunity to review all NFRs once onboarded. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 24. It appears that not all requirements captured have been allocated a MoSCoW rating yet, will this be completed with the supplier? The TRA will review the requirements internally with s prior to the supplier appointment, but we anticipate that more exploration of requirements, process, workflow and journeys will be undertaken as part of the architecture, service design and proof of concept phases once the supplier onboards. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 25. Can you provide estimated counts for TRA Admin, worker and Applicant s based on the average number of s active within a given month? Internal investigators shows 92 active s 15 inactive s. 1525 active customers (including a small number of test accounts), with 15 inactive customer accounts, and 93 incomplete customer accounts. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 26. Will content migration from the existing SharePoint instance be required? The existing SharePoint instance is used to store -related documents of various types. We expect that the architectural design stage of the project will determine if this data is to be migrated. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 27. How are external accounts currently managed? Through the TRS worker side, there are a number of pages that allow workers to view, edit, or delete public accounts. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 28. Is there an appetite within TRA IT to external s of the TRS system to the TRA Entra instance as guest s? or do they need to be completely separate and managed outwith the TRA Entra instance? This requirement needs investigation and confirmation during the architecture phase. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 29. Can you please advise what, if any, itional Microsoft licensing TRA has in addition to the current Microsoft 365 E5 license, e.g. this could include Microsoft Dynamics, Power Automate Premium, or Microsoft Copilot TRA has a variety of licences to support operations. We will be able to confirm at future stages. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 30. The tender documentation mentions an existing Project Management solution built in Power Platform. What technologies and licenses does this comprise of? Please provide the specific app and flow types when references Power Apps and Power Automate All investigations are managed as projects with a distinct structure project plan, including stage gates and resource allocation, which enables reporting upwards within the TRA. The PMO system used for these purposes is based on a Power Platform wrapper around the Project for the Web product. There are 4 different permission roles on TRAcer so not all s have the Power App licence. At the moment, approx. 80 s have the Power Apps per App licence. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 31. When you reference External personas in your requirements, should we make the asption that these personas will be truly external and therefore only be able to access a Power Pages solution? Or should we ase that if the requirement warrants it an External could be managed as a guest and access make.powerapps.com in your tenant? For external guest s, they would only have access to PowerPages and not need to access PowerApps. Our asption is that external authentication will need to occur via GOV.UK One Login. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 32. Do you consider this to be a full system replacement and transformation project or are there elements of the exisitng TRS sysrem that you would to retainre-use. If so, can you please marise those. Full transformation. We do not wish to reuse existing components as the new service must be managed inhouse and use Microsoft technologies i.e. Dynamics Power Platform. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 33. Test Test Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 34. What are the top business benefits that you are aiming to achieve with the new TRS ? We do see the persona wise pain points and also the pain points mentioned in the process maps, but keen to know that major project success KPIs that you are targeting. In general, the TRA is aiming to achieve the project vision of expert people doing expert things - not tied up on administration and document management tasks. The aim is to identify quantifiable benefits arising from the project such that we can measure success post-Live. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 35. What is the level of maturity of the requirements that were generated from the Future TRS project? Are there more detailed level of requirements available than whats in the stories provided with the ITT? Requirements gathering and backlog development took place in mid-2023, so we anticipate some review and validation is needed during the early phases of the project. The TRA have abstracted up all existing requirements into the documents uploaded alongside this ITT. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 36. We ase the resources need to be UK based only ( with BPSS cleared as minimum) but can work remotely with occasional travel to your location, please confirm. Correct. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 37. Do you have a Power Platform COE in place? If yes, whats the level of maturity? Not yet. The TRA expects to build a Power Platform CoE alongside the project such that it is in place ahead of Go-Live for Release 1. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 38. For portalswebsites , would you be open to other technology options other than Power Platform? The working asption is that the TRAs requirements can be satisfied within the Power Platform ecosystem. If there is a reasonable basis for consideration of other technology options, these will be considered. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 39. Please confirm the levype of testing the Software testing provider will do (vs the QAtesting that would be done under this contract). We are asking suppliers to specify what testing they will perform during implementation of the new TRS system, and expect sufficient quality assurance to be proactively applied. Note that TRA is appointing an Test Service provider to provider an itional layer of service QA to TRA on an independent basis. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 40. The questions provided in this competition differ from the normal format in a stage 1 DOS response. Questions usually focus on providing evidence of where we have delivered similar projects in the past. In this we have to provide both our approach on how we deliver and provide evidence. Given the 750 acter count (inc spaces) allowed, this is extremely challenging. Can you confirm without ambiguity how much in percentage terms the response should be focused on: a. Approach b. Evidence Following Supplier Clarification Questions, DBT and TRA have decided to change the acter Limit for Round 1 Question responses only (Essential and Nice to have Skills) to 1500 acters including spaces. DBT and TRA are still expecting mary responsesbullet points where Suppliers can demonstrate experience and demonstrate how you would deliver. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 41. What would be the expectation of use of AI? Is there scope for introducing areas of AI into the manual tasks, such as document reviews? We will work with the supplier to identify suitable areas of application and if this is desirable for R1 and R2 via the primary supplier. Note that the use of AI us subject to departmental governance. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 42. Are there any specific requirements or constraints for the use of Microsoft Azure or other Microsoft technologies in the proposed solution? Data needs to be hosted in the UK. As per the technical question in Round 2, suppliers will be asked to recommend technology usage within the context of Microsoft Dynamics Power Platform. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 43. Are there any constraints around using premium Power Platform connectors? We anticipate that there may be cost constraints rather than technical constraints regarding the use of premium connectors due to licence implications, however we are open to all technical proposals based on Microsoft Dynamics Power Platform. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 44. On a monthly basis, how many authenticated and unauthenticated s will be using the external facing portal? Internal investigators shows 92 active s 15 inactive s. 1525 customers (including some test accounts), with 15 inactive customer accounts, and 93 incomplete customer accounts. There are anonymous s who access publicly-available documentation through GOV.UK. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 45. How long was the previous engagement for the discovery period and how was this delivered? The formal Discovery project ran from ~May to Oct 2023, and was delivered by the TRA project team i.e. internally, using a combination of permanent and contract outsourced resources. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 46. Where is the data stored and will there be scope to change the structure of the data? Data is stored in UK-based data centres. Data structures can be changed, however there are considerations regarding maintaining integrity of data sets used to support current reporting requirements. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 47. Would an agile delivery method be considered? Agile is our adopted and preferred delivery method. We are open to proposals and recommendations via this ITT, and expect to work with the supplier to establish ways of working and common Microsoft-centric toolsets for collaboration once the suppler has onboarded. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 48. Can we use images in our responseswill these be included in the word count? Images can be used in round 2 responses only, and will not form part of the word count. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 49. You mention that new solution could use Power Platform Dynamics for management. Do you have a preference among the two for the core management platform? No, there is no current preference. We expect the supplier to do a fit gap analysis and make recommendations on architecture as part of the procurement process, including responding to the technical questions in Round 2. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 50. For support, could you provide the SLAs support levels that you are looking at? These will be determined with the supplier when we reach the point of defining support arrangements (support statement of work) with the supplier. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 51. You indicated that TRA would to understand the licensing approach to the proposed solution, can you confirm that the budget for Year 1 Fixed Cost Design and Build of £912,000 including VAT excludes any itional software licensing? Yes, the Year 1 budget excludes any itional software licensing. This will be procured separately by the TRA, and will not form part of evaluation. Last Updated : <strong>11/03/2024</strong> 52. EXTENSION TO ROUND 1 SUBMISSION DEADLINE Dear Suppliers, TRA and DBT have made the decision to extend the Submission Deadline for Round 1, the new deadline will be 09.00AM Monday 18th March 2024. Submissions should be uploaded to the Public Procurement Gateway, if you experience difficulties in the portal - please submit Round 1 Responses to CommercialDDaT@businessandtrade.gov.uk. Kind regards, Commercial DDaT Last Updated : <strong>12/03/2024</strong> 53. Dear Suppliers, TRA and DBT have made the decision to extend the Submission Deadline for Round 1, the new deadline will be 09.00AM Monday 18th March 2024. Submissions should be uploaded to the Public Procurement Gateway, if you experience difficulties in the portal - please submit Round 1 Responses to CommercialDDaT@businessandtrade.gov.uk." Could you confirm that by referring to Public Procurement Gateway you mean the portal "https://crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk/" Yes that is correct, TRA and DBT have amended the submission date on the portal now. So suppliers will be able to submit their proposals via Public Procurement Gateway until the deadline of 09am on Monday 18th March. Last Updated : <strong>13/03/2024</strong> 54. Many thanks for letting us know, but we only have access to submit this via the CCS portal and the deadline still says: 13/03/2024 16:00 Please could you extend it? Otherwise the portal will close tomorrow and we will not be able to submit it The deadline has now be amended on the portal. Last Updated : <strong>13/03/2024</strong>