Together in Data Programme

Description

Introduction and Purpose Platform Housing Group ("the Authority") is preparing to undertake a major transformation initiative, Together in Data, which aims to create a unified, cloud-first data ecosystem across the organisation. At the heart of this programme is the implementation of Microsoft Fabric as the foundation of a modern, scalable, and secure cloud data platform. The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) is to: Inform the market of this upcoming opportunity. Gather supplier insights that will shape our procurement strategy, solution design, and implementation approach. Understand market capability across cloud data platforms, Fabric-based architectures, data engineering, governance, and AI/ML readiness. Validate our assumptions and ensure an optimal, futureproofed commercial and technical route. This notice does not initiate a formal procurement process. Background Platform's current data landscape is fragmented, with multiple systems, shadow databases, inconsistent reporting, and low confidence in data quality. Staff experience frustration with data accessibility, reliability, and responsiveness. The Together in Data initiative proposes: A cloud-first, Microsoft Fabric-based data platform incorporating Data Factory, OneLake, Power BI, Warehouse, and governance tooling. A single, trusted environment spanning raw → working → curated data layers. A unified data model enabling Customer 360, Home 360, Repairs, Assets, Finance and other critical subject areas. A data ecosystem that supports AI, ML, predictive analytics, automated insight, improved decision making, and self-service analytics. Scope of the Proposed Procurement The Authority anticipates procuring a partner (or partners) to support the design, build, testing, governance, and early life support of the new data platform. Indicative scope areas include: 3.1 Core Technical Requirements Microsoft Fabric tenant and associated Azure configuration (security, workspaces, licensing). Development of raw/working/curated data lakehouse layers. On premise and cloud data ingestion pipelines. Data modelling, transformation, and semantic layer creation for enterprise datasets. Migration from an existing limited Microsoft data lakehouse structure. Integration with 3rd party data sets. CI/CD automation and platform observability tooling. Environment strategy (Dev / Test / Prod). Integration with Dynamics 365 CRM and Finance & Operations. Integration with other line of business applications. 3.2 Governance & Operating Model Meet the requirements of a Platform's data governance framework (including Data quality, lineage, cataloguing, and access control standards). GDPR compliant data retention and observability improvements. Support the enablement and operational activities surrounding Data Use Act, SARs, STAIRS. 3.3 Business Facing Deliverables Production of trusted Power BI datasets, dashboards, and AIready data assets. Establishment of a Platform wide data Community of Practice. Training and capability uplift for business users and analysts. Support for priority use cases including Customer 360, Home 360, asset forecasting, neighbourhood intelligence, and proactive home checks.