ICT Engineering for Data Driven Products Essential to NHS Improvement & NHS England Operating Model

Description

Summary of the work NHS Improvement and NHS England have ongoing needs to implement and support business-critical data products (systems and applications) both internally and to the wider NHS (including sector based users), to meet our objectives in line with the NHS Long Term Plan. Suppliers' Briefing Teleconference: 21/11/19 at 15:30 (log-in for details). Expected Contract Length 2 years with the option to extend by a further 6 months. Latest start date Monday 10 February 2020 Budget Range The maximum spend under this contract is up to £4.9m inclusive of expenses and excluding VAT. We have business case approval for up to £3m ex VAT. Given joint working between NHSI & NHSE is still forming, the scale and scope of requirements is not certain, as such should additional requirements be identified, a further business case(s) will be submitted for approvals. Bidders should note that spend is only confirmed on execution of approved statement's of work (typically up to £200,000 per SOW) and there is no guarantee that all of the available budget will be used. Why the Work is Being Done Information and analytics are a critical for delivery of outcomes within the NHS Long-Term Plan. As NHS Improvement (NHSI) comes together with NHS England (NHSE), new data driven digital products will be required. The organisations are currently undertaking a substantial number of projects that require a range of digital & technology outcomes to be developed & deployed at short notice. There is a degree of fluidity to the timescales and type of outcomes needed. While not an exclusive relationship, an ICT Engineering partner is required to enable speed of delivery across multiple related strands of work and provide technology solutions to support and enable wider outcomes across NHSI & NHSE. This contract will support major changes and developments to the technical products used for business-critical, data-driven projects / programmes including (but not necessarily restricted to): • Model Hospital • Trust financial monitoring • Patient Level Information and Costing System (PLICS) • Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, e.g. development of dashboards • National Clinical Improvement Programme (NCIP) • Patient Safety and Incident Management System (PSIMS) • Major data systems used by the Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) programme, e.g. winter reporting • Patient Care Dashboard • Clinical Medicines Unit Problem to Be Solved The following example Statement of Work packages shall be provided under this contract: - The migration of data centres to a Crown Hosting Solution; - Resolution of unified communications issues between NHS England and NHS Improvement; - Office 365 tenancy integration and/or the merger between NHS England and NHS Improvement tenancies. - Migration of SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013/SharePoint online. Please note the above are not necessarily guaranteed to commence under this contract and the contract shall not be limited to these Outcomes. NHS Improvement requires highly competent, specialised resources to rapidly mobilise to deliver a full-service offering. Examples of the role titles anticipated to deliver Outcomes include: Change and Release Management, SharePoint Developer and Admin, SQL Database Manager, Application Configuration Manager, Solution Architect, Technical Project Manager, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in Windows Server, Networks, Cyber, Cloud Hosting, unified ICT, Tableau. Who Are the Users As Senior Responsible Officer (SRO), I need highly competent teams to deliver at pace, within defined enterprise architecture constraints, with user led focus, agile iterative improvement and a continuous delivery model with full automation, assured, containerised deployment and transparency. As a Product Manager, I need to rapidly mobilise highly skilled resources to deliver key outcomes with assurance that they will operate effectively within the wider architecture and operational delivery model. Early Market Engagement A Suppliers' Briefing Teleconference is scheduled for Thursday 21 November at 15:30. Details on how to register your interest in attending the meeting is provided on this portal (log in required). For those successful at shortlist stage there will be a further briefing meeting (in person) at Wellington House, anticipated to be on Thursday 12 December. The procurement timeline following closure of shortlist evaluation is: Shortlisted bidder notified Thursday 05 December. Request for Proposal published Friday 06 December. Proposal stage briefing meeting Thursday 12 December. Proposal return deadline date Thursday 09 January. Supplier presentations (if required) post initial evaluation Monday 27 January. Preferred bidder announced Monday 3 February. Contract kick off meeting Monday 10 February. NHS Improvement reserves the right to modify this table on reasonable notice. Work Already Done NHSI and NHSE have a significant systems base in operation, with systems hosted both on premis and in the cloud (Azure, Office 365, G-Suite and OKTA). Any developments being undertaken shall best leverage the existing systems and agreed technical architectures. We have a range of other contracts & Suppliers delivering digital outcomes and related services - the successful Supplier is required to work in partnership with the Customer and other Suppliers across a variety of Deliverables, including as part of rainbow teams. Existing Team Our teams are complimented by contractors, resources from our outsourced IT Service Providers and internal & external development teams, across six key Suppliers. Any successful partner would be expected to work in rainbow teams with other suppliers and internal staff. Teams are cross-functional and blended, enabling agile working and knowledge-sharing while minimising single points of failure. NHSI/E will provide technical and product leadership & architecture and assurance capabilities. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in Agile implementation and integration, including Business Analysis; Change and Release Management; Application Configuration; Architects and Solution Development • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in Networks, Cyber, Cloud Hosting and Unified Communications. • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in Microsoft APS and Cloud technologies including Azure and Okta. • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in developing scalable Azure infrastructure services. • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in CI and DevOps using a variety of tools and techniques to include, as a minimum: Azure DevOps, Powershell, ARM Templates. • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience of using NHS datasets with demonstrable experience in understanding the content and governance requirements involved. • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in architecting, developing and optimising applications & solutions, including internet facing. • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in implementing, maintaining, enhancing and utilising, highly effective automated testing. • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in technical programme level and project level management • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in providing operational support to multiple applicatoins and solutions, with different user bases Nice to Haves • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience of integrating and/or merging Office 365 tenancies. • Demonstrate strong expertise and experience in implementing with Tableau and Alteryx. Work Location The Supplier will be working across NHSI and NHSE sites in London, Leeds and remotely. Bidders should assume an approximate ratio 30:20:50 respectively for the purposes of the bid. Please note the successful Supplier must be able to flex to deliver Outcomes as required. Working Arrangments When working onsite or remotely, Supplier resources shall work a professional business day. Any UK based resource may be required to work in NHSE/I buildings (we cannot guarantee remote only working for any UK based role). There may be certain need for evening/weekend work depending on requirements. On these occasions, no premium can be charged. Resources shall have a "base location" in London or Leeds and if required to travel between sites or externally (unless within a reasonable vicinity, e.g. within M25), travel expenses are reimbursed in-line with NHSI/E travel policy. Offshore working is permitted up to approximately 20%. Security Clearance Security Clearance is not required however we reserve the right to have external resources DBS checked. Supplier needs a satisfactory clearance (Level 2+) against the NHS IG Toolkit (in advance of work commencing), and be ICO registered. Supplier resources are required to pass Information Governance and adhere to NHSI/E policies. Additional T&Cs The DOS contract will contain additional terms, including but not limited to the following areas: Behaviours, Liquidated damages for late delivery, Exit and Service transfer, IPR, Testing, Warranty. Information Governance & Data security. Additional confidentiality provisions, included non-disclosure agreements. The form of contract shall be shared with shortlisted bidders at Request for Proposal Stage. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 6 Proposal Criteria • Demonstration of depth of understanding of our application environment, architecture and operating model. (20pts). • Detail you approach and methodology to deliver the breadth of our requirement. (20pts). • Demonstrate your technical approach, expertise and experience in implementing and integrating applications & solutions. How will this translate to optimum outcomes (40pts). • Provide your oversight team structure, including roles, key personnel and CVs of proposed resources. Describe flexibility and depth at the delivery level, including BCM and responding to urgent needs. (40pts). • Demonstrate the capabilities of any proposed delivery partners and supply chain in supporting our requirements, including niche solutions. Describe the associated contracting arrangements. (20pts). • Identify risks and dependencies and proposed mitigations to manage them. (20pts). • Describe your approach to managing and delivering multiple full GDS life cycle outcomes, from Discovery through to Live, as required. (20pts). • When responding to the Proposal Criteria, shortlisted suppliers must address the technical requirements and other relevent information provided throughout this notice and within supporting materials / Q&A (N/A Points). Cultural Fit Criteria • Work in cross functional teams supporting application implementation and integration alongside other suppliers. • Manage delivery in an Agile environment. Commercial and legal governance must be proportionate and ultimately support agile delivery. • Share knowledge, experience and skills with other team members so as to build sustainable capability. Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Work history • Reference • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. How do I register for the Suppliers' Briefing Teleconference at 15:30 on Thursday 21 November? Log in to the Digital Market Place and on the opportunity listing (there is no other portal) you should see reference to "question and answer session" and within there is an email address to send your company name and delegates. We will email you by noon on Thursday with the dial in details (extended from 16:00 on Wednesday).Alternatively, when NOT logged in to the Digital Market Place, use link: https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/digital-outcomes-and-specialists/opportunities/11076 At the bottom of the opportunity listing click:"Log in to view question and answer session details" Once logged on you should see the email address details to register. 2. We provide independent Software Testing as a Service and have strong expertise in delivering Agile Test Engineering to support CI and CD. Would the NHSE and NHSI consider a dedicated testing provider for this engagement? Any bidder who can demonstrate they at least meet all the essential skills and experience will be considered.We are not anticipating awarding multiple contracts through this exercise, but welcome Prime/Sub arrangements or Consortia bids. 3. What are the requirements for the Application Configuration Manager position i.e. application packaging, profile management; Windows Server embedded application or line of business applications? We are looking for those skills sets in that position however we are not appointing individual roles (or Specialists) as this is an Outcomes based procurement and we are seeking a Supplier who, with a supply chain, can provide multiple deliveries in this space, across a 2-2.5 year contract. To be successful at shortlist stage, bidders as a minimum must score a "2" (meets) against each of the listed Essential Skills & Experience, any score below this in any of the Essentials will mean the submission is rejected. 4. In your statement "Demonstration of depth of understanding of our application environment, architecture and operating model", this would imply that there is a preferred supplier or an incumbent? We don’t have a preferred supplier or an incumbent for this procurement and we value variety in our supply base. The winner procurement will be the bidder that passes shortlist and then submits the most economically advantageous tender at proposal stage.This Essential Skill and Experience is in reference to an Azure, MS, AD Office 365 stack. If you can demonstrate expertise and experience in these, combined with awareness of the NHSI/E context, this should be sufficient. Working Strategic Information Platform (discussed in the Suppliers' briefing meeting and within slides) familiarity would benefit an answer but is not essential. 5. How many suppliers will NHSI be appointing to deliver the SoWs? We are not anticipating awarding multiple contracts, but welcome Prime/Sub arrangements or Consortia bids.We have a range of other key suppliers and the successful bidder (as well as all our key suppliers) are expected to work in rainbow teams on some deliveries. 6. Are the NHSI Product Managers detailed in the Opportunity Overview full time, permanent members of staff? Our Product Managers are NHSI/E staff, most are permanent, some are fixed term. We would not rule out using other resourcing models for this client side role if it were necessary (e.g. expansion or prolonged absence). 7. Who will define the SOWs NHSI or Supplier/s? We will commission the SOWs but drafting will typically be a joint effort. NHSE/I has final say on the contents of any given SOW. 8. Which Suppliers' have expressed and interest in this opportunity? We are aware of the following Suppliers (those who registered for the briefing meeting):IQVIAMitrai InnovationCapgeminiBadenoch and ClarkCognizantIBM (UK)SoftboxKPMGRisualDigitie Ans Group CapitaTria Consulting Keep IT SimpleOne Advanced NHS Arden & GEM AtosLA International Computer Consultants Ltd,Cloud Migration Solutions Mastek UK Ltd. Trustmarque Net CompanyDMW GroupBJSSSafehaus GroupKainosDraper & DashThis list is not exhaustive as 35 applications are in process / submitted. 9. How many applications are you looking to have supported/developed? We have approximately 50 applications, but this number is growing, changing and developing (including new applications, code moves, support, migration from one environment to another). 10. What is your application migration approach? We need analysis of optimal migration strategies for given applications and suites of applications, from local infrastructure, crown hosting and cloud hosting options. Discovery work in this space is anticipated. 11. Do you have an Azure presence currently? We have multiple Azure presences. There is a large Azure tenancy in NHSI and NHSE has a tenancy hosted by Arden & Gem Commissioning Support Unit (CSU). 12. You reference you are migrating to Crown Hosting, are you intending to build in Crown Hosting? It will vary on application, for example we may migrate from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013 as Crown Hosting, then move to SharePoint Online. We have a large investment in our SIP (APS) platform and support is not available in MS Azure so this will need to be maintained for the near future at least. Other applications will be moved in to the cloud. 13. Would SharePoint be on NHSI or NHSE tenancy? To be confirmed (Discovery). 14. On the NHS dataset Essential Skill and Experience, is this with NHSE/I specifically? No. Key considerations are Information Governance (NHS IG Toolkit), understanding of anonymisation / pseudonymisation, an appreciation of the data scale we are operating at and the types data we use. 15. Are internal staff anticipating to work with Suppliers? We have a strong cooperation between Supplier and internal staff and a preparedness to work with multiple Suppliers (as necessary) as part of rainbow teams. 16. Will you accept more than one example per shortlist criteria? Yes, but you will need to balance depth and variety. Please don’t just list multiple projects as we cannot necessarily evaluate expertise this way. 17. Do we have to offer offshore resource – it’s not in your Essential Skills and Experience? We are anticipating up to 20% of the work to be offshore but don’t insist on this – its about the optimal cost vs. quality which for certain outcomes offshore can support (but so can lower overheads from smaller enterprises). 18. Do you consider Northern Ireland to be off shore? No. 19. Will you carry the points across from Shortlist to Proposal stage? No, the assessment at shortlist stage is to determine who will be invited to Proposal stage. At Proposal stage only the Proposal, Cultural Fit and Price evaluation determine the ranking. We will ask for a work history which is a more developed set of skills and experience, but this (and references) are used to validate your submitted shortlist response but is not scored again. If the validation is not passed, we reserve the right to reject your proposal. 20. Who are the key stakeholders for this procurement? • Raghu Vaghunath - Director of Corporate IT and Smarter Working• Mark Smith - Head of Technology and IT Security• Other NHSE/I/X stakeholders with requirements and fundingAny direct contact to stakeholders with regards to this requirement is not permitted and risks disqualification at NHSI procurement discretion. All enquiries are to be directed to the procurement team.