ArcGIS Geospatial Data Expertise

Description

Summary of the work Northumberland County Council are looking for specialist Geospatial expertise to help review our approach and strategy to managing and configuring our geographical information services on application hosting environments in support of applications with a dependency on mapping and imagery products and services. Expected Contract Length 24 weeks Latest start date Monday 6 February 2023 Budget Range There is a maximum spend of £163,200 available for 24 week’s engagement. We recognise that the problem that needs solving is too much for any one individual and so will likely require a small, cross functional team of Geospatial Data experts. We are therefore open to how you would make up the roles to achieve this work. Why the Work is Being Done There is currently a gulf between the capacity and skillset of GIS specialists at the Council and the ability to respond to the enormous demand on Arc GIS mapping systems for many council services and for many groups of resident users. Services cannot perform their duties as we are unable to provide them with appropriate access to the latest versions and licences. There is also no strategy for licence provision and prioritisation. Problem to Be Solved Northumberland County Council are looking for specialist Geospatial expertise to help review our approach and strategy to managing and configuring our geographical information services on application hosting environments in support of applications with a dependency on mapping and imagery products and services. Who Are the Users As Northumberland Council We need to have a comprehensive geospatial data strategy in place So we have clear direction how GIS will be managed and developed As a GIS officer I need to have the right level of access to maps and layers So I can be confident the right information is available to do my job As a resident I need to access accurate mapping information So I can do what I need to do safely and legally As a data engineer I need to build automatic processes extracting data from in-house/third-party systems So that accurate information is available to geospatial users As Northumberland Council We need awareness of initiatives providing geospatial data publically (e.g. the PSGA) so geospatial services can access data products themselves rather than put pressure on Information Services Support. As a GIS engineer/developer with relevant permissions We need to maintain datasets that are findable, accessible and reusable So we can be confident in the quality of GIS data As a senior manager at the Council I need to be able to request ARC GIS licences easily for staff So people have the right level of access and permissions to view or edit/create maps as appropriate Early Market Engagement N/A Work Already Done We had an Arc GIS consultant work with us for 12 weeks from January to April of 2022 to help make progress with the backlog of Ars GIS users needing migrating across from Arc GIS desktop licence to Arc GIS Online. There are still plenty of service areas to migrate across to continue to great work that was already done. Existing Team There is a small non-dedicated team who are responsible for the council’s GIS capability as well as other systems which means there are often conflicting priorities preventing progress with our GIS systems and performance. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Experience of managing and configuring ESRI ARC GIS products and data/services • Experience in the support, implementation and development of the ESRI product suite, including desktop and web applications • Experience of providing geo support in the use of operational systems • Expertise in: MS SQL, FME, Python, SSRS, Oracle, MS Biztalk, xHTML/HTML 5, XML, Java Script & jQuery, Web Services, WCF, C#/VB.NET, ASP.NET, forms design tools and Local Government applications • Knowledge of the various application specific requirements for mapping in different projections, formats and standards • Knowledge of geospatial concepts and terminology (projection types, coordinate systems etc) • Competence in the use and relevance of ArcGIS products such as Arc Manager and Geometry Service • Familiarity with REST WMS services • Familiarity with setup and support of ArcGIS bespoke applications that use either the JavaScript SDK and/or Flex viewer • Competence in publishing maps via ArcMAP tool and the use or construction of GEO databases via raster catalogue methodology (mosaic will not be available) • Demonstrate compliance with the controls required for a Cyber Risk profile assessed as "Low" - THIS IS PASS/FAIL. Suppliers who do not meet this criteria will be sifted out Nice to Haves • Experience of dealing with remote groups of stakeholders and managing expectations and communications between disparate groups • Excellent communication skills • Proven organisational ability • Experience working within a Local Government related environment • Experience liaising with industry partners • Ability to gather, analyse and present accurate, consistent messages to governance boards Work Location Work can be done remotely Working Arrangments The work is expected to be undertaken remotely, however there may be occasions where you will need to attend County Hall in Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2EF. The working day is 8 hours to include 30 minutes for lunch. Security Clearance Standard BPSS work clearance checks will suffice Additional T&Cs N/A No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • how the approach or solution meets user needs • team structure • previous experience working with GIS systems at Local Authorities • approach and methodology • value for money Cultural Fit Criteria • work as a team with our organisation and other suppliers • be transparent and collaborative when making decisions • challenge the status quo • be comfortable standing up for their discipline • can work with clients with low technical expertise • have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from their mistakes • share knowledge and experience with other team members Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Reference Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 75% Cultural fit 5% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Does the maximum spend of £163,200 include VAT? Yes - the maximum spend of £163,200 includes VAT 2. If our organisation does not implicitly have responses to points 7/8/9, is it reasonable to submit a suitable alternative for consideration? For example, would having expertise in delivering applications via JavaScript SDK suffice or would it need to be explicitly related to ArcGIS? And if we show our competency with modern ESRI/GIS organisational level strategies and ISO Metdata Standards, could we still qualify? Yes, it is reasonable to submit a suitable alternatives for consideration on these points. Please show your competency in your response and these will be considered in the shortlisting process. 3. Please confirm you are following the DOS buyer guidance in relation to suppliers responding to each question with a single example in the SWR format.Please confirm the timetable for responding to the evaluation stage for shortlisted suppliers. Yes - the 'writing evidence' section of the following offers guidance on this: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-sell-your-digital-outcomes-and-specialists-services, we are following the DOS buyer guidance as much as possible given the timings of the festive break. We will shortlist applications and inform in the week of Dec 12th and look to hold interviews in the New Year for the week of Jan 9th availability permitting. 4. Have you had an opportunity to consider whether this opportunity is Outside IR35 or Inside IR35? As per the brief this work is Supply of resource: the off-payroll rules will apply to any workers engaged through a qualifying intermediary, such as their own limited company 5. How many end users are expected (Max)? Current levels of ArcGIS desktop users are around 100 with a smaller number of users taking advantage of QGIS open software. We also plan to support around 1000 internal web users. 6. What percentage of data has been migrated from Desktop to AGOL? Approximately 30-40% 7. What type of database are they using on AGOL? We don't control what sits behind the ESRI architecture. 8. Where is the open-source data sourced from? We consume open source data from an array of sources (e.g. Environment Agency / Natural England / Ordnance Survey) 9. What is the current IT setup, Server type, storage etc? Windows VMs, MS SQL, Postgres/PostGIS, Oracle etc. 10. If going totally to Online storage, are there available funds for long term data storage on AGOL? Yes 11. What contract do you have with ESRI and what available support do you have with them? We have a Support and Maintenance contract with ESRI. 12. Can you please provide Technical Architecture and deployment pattern (e.g. High Availability) of the GIS? This is an area we are looking to develop and build as part of the new approach we are taking and would intended to be an outcome from this project. 13. What are approximate number of GIS services? We would need to understand further what is meant by 'GIS Services' in order to give an estimate.If it is referring to data services, there are hundreds of services and this number is increasing. 14. Can you please confirm the approximate number of Users? Current levels of ArcGIS desktop users are around 100 with a smaller number of users taking advantage of QGIS open software. We also plan to support around 1000 internal web users. 15. What are approximate number of external applications using GIS data and published GIS services? There are around a dozen Public Facing applications that use GIS data / services. 16. As indicated, we understand that ArcGIS Online is used by council to collaborate with users and stakeholders. Apart from this, is there any Enterprise GIS infrastructure deployed on cloud, premises or hybrid? Yes, we have Enterprise ESRI infrastructure deployed on premise and Postgres deployed on premise. 17. Is there any custom ArcGIS Desktop Add in or WebGIS widgets? Yes we have a small number of custom add ins/widgets 18. What is the primary source/format of GIS and Imagery data? There are many third party systems that are the primary source of GIS data 19. Can you please provide version and license details of ArcGIS suite of software, RDBMS and any other software? ESRI ArcMap 10.4 - 10.8ESRI ArcPro v3Enterprise Geodatabase 10.6older ArcServer and ArcPortal installs 20. Can you please confirm if any Field Apps are in use? If yes, please provide its usage and number of users? Not currently 21. Can you please confirm if there are any Open geospatial data initiative undertaken by Northumberland Council? Yes we have Open geospatial data initiatives 22. Does Council have an agreement with Ordnance Survey for the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA) to access Open Data and Premium data through the OS Data Hub? Yes - the council has this agreement in place. 23. Regarding “Experience of providing geo support in the use of operational systems” please could some additional detail be provided for what is expected for this skill/experience? It would be advantageous to have Local Government domain experience and knowledge and experience relating to Local Government operational systems and applications. 24. The summary of work section states that expertise is required to “review our approach and strategy to managing and configuring our geographical information services”. However the essential skills and experience list doesn’t include experience on reviewing or implementing strategies, are there any additional requirements beyond review of the approach and strategy? It is not essential but would be advantageous for experience relating to the review of the approach and strategy. 25. What are the expected deliverables from the work? Please refer to the details of the brief/opportunity 26. How will the team be provided access to the relevant software, licences, existing GIS platform, etc. in order to understand the existing approach? The team will be set up as users on our network which will give the required access in order to understand the existing approach 27. Which company provided the GIS consultant for 12 weeks from January to April of 2022? It was an individual specialist supplied through Amigoco 28. The document states that all suppliers will be asked to provide a written proposal. Does this mean there is a two-stage process for this application, following the initial submission? No. Our position is that the initial submissions through this framework are the written proposal. For those who are shortlisted to proceed we will want to understand more via previous references and case studies of similar work provided. 29. With regards to “Experience liaising with industry partners” is it possible to elaborate on this please? Does this refer explicitly to geospatial industry partners or other government bodies? Please detail in your response any experience with partners, this could be Geospatial industry partners or other government bodies 30. Can you please confirm if the work is envisaged to be done in the UK or can be undertaken in a hybrid model (onshore in the UK and at an offshore location- outside UK & Europe)? If it is possible to undertake part of the work offshore, will all access be provided? It is envisaged that the work can be done be remotely (in the UK) but it is unlikely we can provided the access required to accommodate a hybrid / offshore model 31. What qualifications do the GIS team have, will training be required? People involved in GIS related work have a range of qualifications along with GIS skills, knowledge and expertise.The GIS 'team' currently consists of 2 officers who hold appropriate IT qualifications but none specific to GIS.Training and knowledge transfer would be required for any new areas that would enhance the our current GIS users skills and expertise. 32. Will there be a requirement for mobile collection? Unsure which part of the brief this question relates to.Any devices that will be needed for this work can be sent out as required.