User Centred Design

Description

Summary of the work DfE are looking for a supplier or a consortium of suppliers who can provide appropriate capability and expertise to deliver outcomes, working in multi-disciplinary teams across the Teaching Workforce Directorate portfolio to build and deliver high-quality, User Centred Design (UCD) services from pre-discovery through to Live. Expected Contract Length Two years with option to extend up to six months if required, subject to governance and approvals. Latest start date Tuesday 14 March 2023 Budget Range Up to £7,100,000. Budget approval is subject to Cabinet Office spending controls, service assessments, and DfE governance. Each Statement of Work (SOW) will outline the work required, associated budget and payment approach. Suppliers will need to provide clear costs to enable tracking. DfE does not commit to any minimum or maximum spend at this point. Why the Work is Being Done The portfolio supports the Department’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, published in January 2019. This sets out the Government's priorities for making sure a career in teaching continues to be attractive, sustainable, and rewarding. The Government’s vision is for all our young people to have access to a world-class education – no matter where they are from or their background. The key to accessing a world-class education is the teacher in the classroom. Problem to Be Solved We know many people have a desire to become a teacher, but not enough have the chance to try it out, with many put off by the long and complicated application process. Also, teachers at the start of their careers don’t always get the support needed to build successful careers, and too many end up leaving. We are transforming the way people become teachers and the support they receive at each step of their career. This involves developing and iterating integrated services that: • encourage people to consider teaching, get school experience, including in Further Education, and then apply for a postgraduate teacher training course. • register trainee teachers and provide financial support helping them train. • help find teaching jobs and early career development with extra professional support. • claim financial support offered to retain teachers in hardest to fill subjects. • access professional qualifications (NPQs) to develop in role/progress to leadership positions. • help people retrieve their Teacher Reference Number and other professional qualifications information. • access pensions support. With these services in house, we expect to be able to transform how we use performance data to improve services, policies and gather policy insights. Who Are the Users Our users are prospective and current teachers, schools, colleges, and training providers. For candidates this includes requesting further information on the steps to become a teacher including training, funding, and understanding how to start out on their career. For teachers this includes supporting them through the various phases of their career, including applying for vacancies, applying for retention payments online, supporting continuous professional development, and receiving their pension as a retiree. For schools, colleges, and training providers this includes improving their user experience and reducing administrative burdens. Examples of this include: • As a teacher in my early career, I may need to claim early-career payments. • As a candidate teacher I need to understand Initial Teacher Training provision to gain the qualifications needed. • As a School Leader I need to collect and supply information about teachers, in order to drive the service. We also support internal users with the data needed to inform policy changes and interventions portfolio’s aim is to drive the delivery of user-centred policies and services that support the Department’s strategic priorities by making sure the journey to becoming a teacher and developing a teaching career better meets users’ needs. Early Market Engagement A pre-market engagement event was held in September 2022 to provide suppliers with more detailed background on the requirements. We have since developed our procurement strategy following feedback from suppliers and recent Government announcements. A presentation has been shared and is available on request and the slides set out the updated plans for the same requirements. Work Already Done Teacher Services supports digital services including: ● Get into Teaching Get tailored guidance in your inbox | Get Into Teaching GOV.UK (education.gov.uk) ● Apply for Teacher Training Create an account or sign in - Apply for teacher training - GOV.UK (apply-for-teacher-training.service.gov.uk) ● Teacher Vacancies Service Find a job in teaching - Teaching Vacancies - GOV.UK (teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk) ● Find Postgraduate Teacher Training Courses Find postgraduate teacher training courses - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ● Claim additional payments for teaching: https://www.claim-additional-teaching-payment.service.gov.uk/additional-payments/landing-page Existing Team The successful supplier/consortium will deliver outcomes specifically in relation to the DDaT Profession Capability Framework Job Families for User Centered Design in alignment with the Teacher Services programme. Typical size for a product team is up to ten, with a skills mix such as Product Manager, Delivery Manager, Business Analysts, Developers, Policy Designers, User Research and Designers, with support from Technical Architects & DevOps. You will work with internal DfE staff and other suppliers from a range of disciplines including architecture, security, policy, user experience, service design, software development, finance and commercial to deliver the outcomes. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Evidence of successfully designing end-to-end services across a range of on-line and off-line channels, considering the service aims and user needs holistically. • Demonstrate understanding of GDS service standards and Gov.uk design system. • Evidence of successfully conducting reliable and rigorous user research, using a range of quantitative and qualitative methods, at all stages of the lifecycle from pre-discovery to Live. • Evidence of successfully designing appropriate content, using Gov.uk and/or similar styles. • Evidence of successfully using a wide variety of service design methods to distil complex systems and environments into accessible and understandable artefacts for decision makers in government or similar. • Evidence of successfully identifying the right type of interaction design, prototyping, testing and implementing it, including prototyping in code using Gov.uk prototype kit or similar. • Evidence of successfully delivering designs which are accessible to all users. • Evidence of successful delivery aligned with agile principles of iterative delivery, transparently working in the open with open-source technologies. • Evidence of successfully prioritising and understanding needs and behaviour and using insight to underpin and drive design decisions when designing content, products, and services. • Evidence of successfully sourcing highly skilled and experienced senior UCD specialists in teams and as individuals in multi-supplier/blended teams that collaborate to shape the culture of client's delivery teams. • Evidence of working with clients to successfully resolve performance issues promptly, transparently and collaboratively. • Evidence of experience successfully working in blended teams with digital delivery and policy client staff, including supporting the professional development of client staff where relevant. Nice to Haves • Evidence of successfully designing services within environments with alongside other suppliers and delivery chains. • Evidence of successfully supporting the creation of new user journeys on an existing platform. Work Location Remote working and DfE sites such as London, Manchester, Coventry, Bristol, and Nottingham. One primary location will be detailed in each SOW. Some co-locating will be required. Working Arrangments Day to day delivery will be governed by standard agile methodology, with appropriate ceremonies to be undertaken. The work will be primarily within blended teams. By default, the SOWs will be inside IR35, but some may be outside, and we will seek both inside and outside rates. Scope and prioritisation of work is decided by the product owner with input from the Senior Responsible Owner. A requirement of each SOW will be to improve DfE internal capability via knowledge transfer. Security Clearance All supplier staff need Baseline Personnel Security Standard clearance. Any enhanced security requirements will be detailed in the SOW. Suppliers must complete a supplier security assurance form. All work must be conducted securely in the United Kingdom. DfE will not sponsor higher security clearance than is necessary for the SOW. Additional T&Cs Standard Framework and Call-Off Terms and Conditions apply. Suppliers must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) May 2018; Data Protection Act 2018; Law Enforcement Directive and any subsequent amendments to date including providing sufficient guarantees to meet GDPR requirements in line with Procurement Policy Note 02/18 May 2018. Expenses must comply with DfE Travel and Subsistence Policy. Primary work locations stated in SoWs will not attract expenses. No parking is available. Contract and Supplier Management will form a key part of governance and suppliers will be expected to cooperate, fostering healthy working relationships and quality delivery. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Demonstrate understanding and ability to successfully research and design digital products and services to Government Digital Service standards or similar. (4.1%) • Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to delivering high quality quantitative and qualitative research insight in close collaboration with teams and stakeholders. (4.1%) • Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to working within product teams with complex up and downstream dependencies, collaborating with multiple teams to deliver end-to-end services successfully. (4.1%) • Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to working with users to understand their work and/or lives, their operating context and constraints, & identify and implement adaptations/improvements. (4.1%) • Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to effective communication across organisational, technical, and political boundaries, understanding a complex and often politicised context. (4.1%) • Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to advocating for inclusive practices and helping teams design and deliver accessible services that work for all users. (4.1%) • Explain and evidence your processes for on-boarding, training and retaining of resources in a competitive marketplace, which meet requirements for outside IR35. (4.1%%) • Detail evidence of your ability to scale up and down at pace according to demand, with particular reference to requirements which meet inside IR35 criteria. (4.1%) • Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to promoting and embedding a user-centred design culture in government organisations or similar. (4.1%) • Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to creating appropriate content which is shown to a user in the right place and in the best format. (4.1%) • Using examples from your experience, detail your approach to consistently communicate and document design decisions. (4.0%) Cultural Fit Criteria • Describe your methodology for capability building, training, coaching, contributing to communities of practice for clients, and general knowledge transfer throughout the term of the contract. (3.4%) • Describe experience of working in teams with policy colleagues, influencing, informing and delivering policy intent. (3.3%) • Describe how your organisational culture will fit with DfE / Teacher Services. (3.3%) • (Social Value) Provide evidence of your approach to diversity and inclusion to identify and tackle inequality in employment, skills and pay. (3.4%) • (Social Value) Provide evidence of your approach to, and your ability to, manage your team's wellbeing. (3.3%) • (Social Value) Detail your approach and commitment to the long-term sustainability of product approaches and digital delivery within the public sector or similar. (3.3%) Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method • Case study • Work history • Reference • Presentation Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 45% Cultural fit 20% Price 35% Questions from Suppliers 1. What proportion of remote to onsite working is required? Not known, to be agreed on a Statement of Work basis, however most SOWs are expected to require and element of co-location an not to be fully remote. 2. Is this resource augmentation or deployment of UCD teams please? Statements of work will vary and may require teams of specialists or individual specialists. 3. Is there a current incumbent(s) providing UCD teams, if so who? Engine Partners / Transform UK 4. When do you anticipate notifying suppliers whether they’ve been shortlisted? Around Friday 13th January, but this is subject to change 5. What is the anticipated due date for second round responses? Details, timelines and templates will be provided to shortlisted suppliers when they are invited to stage 2. Shortlisted suppliers will have a minimum of 2 weeks to respond at stage 2. 6. Please could you advise who to contact to receive the presentation slides from the pre-engagement session? All suppliers on the framework were sent the pre-engagement slides on Wednesday 7th December. The slides were sent from the following email address: matthew.jackson@education.gov.uk 7. This opportunity appears to be very similar in scope to the Teaching Workforce Directorate UCD opp awarded to Engine in April of this year. Could you confirm what the relationship is between these two contracts please? Does this one replace the contract awarded to Engine or does it supplement it? Engine is the current incumbent for outsourced UCD requirements. This opportunity is for a different contract which is focussed on blended team requirements, primarily for the service areas set out in the opportunity. The scopes of the two contracts are not identical. There is expected to be a period of dual running, and there may be some elements of transition between contracts. Suppliers are expected to work collaboratively and reasonably to facilitate transition where necessary, and in line with contract obligations. 8. Can I have a copy of the slides mentioned please. Thanks. All suppliers on the framework were sent the pre-engagement slides on Wednesday 7th December. The slides were sent from the following email address: matthew.jackson@education.gov.uk 9. Is this opportunity being awarded in addition to the Teaching Workforce Directorate User Centred Design contract awarded to Engine Partners on 27th April 2022, or to replace it? If it’s in addition to the contract already awarded, how will the work be split between the two contracts? Engine is the current incumbent for outsourced UCD requirements. This opportunity is for a different contract which is focussed on blended team requirements, primarily for the service areas set out in the opportunity. The scopes of the two contracts are not identical. There is expected to be a period of dual running, and there may be some elements of transition between contracts. Suppliers are expected to work collaboratively and reasonably to facilitate transition where necessary, and in line with contract obligations. 10. You mention that a presentation has been shared and is available on request and the slides set out the updated plans for the same requirements -> Please could we get a copy of these slides All suppliers on the framework were sent the pre-engagement slides on Wednesday 7th December. The slides were sent from the following email address: matthew.jackson@education.gov.uk 11. What is the expected nature, size and duration of the work packages / SoWs under this opportunity? The requirements are expected to be within the User Centered Design Job Family. Numbers and types of roles will vary during the contract and will be agreed per Statement of Work based on the business needs. Suppliers will be expected to be able to scale up and down when needed. We anticipate primarily SFIA levels 5 and 6, and primarily across content design, interaction design, service design and user research. Please note this is intended only to give an indication for illustrative purposes. DfE does not commit to any minimum volume, spend, types or numbers of requirements. 12. Will you be looking to appoint a single or multiple suppliers / consortiums under this opportunity? The contract could be issued to either a single supplier, or a consortium formed from more than one supplier. There is no preference. 13. Will there be a presentation at the second round? No 14. Please can you clarify the IR35 position for the following:Explain and evidence your processes for on-boarding, training and retaining of resources in a competitive marketplace, which meet requirements for outside IR35. (4.1%%)The opportunity mentions inside IR35 under Working arrangements, but this says outside IR35 This contract is primarily for blended teams working, so the following is correct:Explain and evidence your processes for on-boarding, training and retaining of resources in a competitive marketplace, which meet requirements for inside IR35. (4.1%%) 15. Can you clarify if you mean delivery of user centred design?If so, we’re not sure how this relates to open-source tech and delivery of code as the two feel like separate things. DfE are looking for a supplier or a consortium of suppliers who can provide appropriate capability and expertise to deliver User Centred Design (UCD). Suppliers are requested to provide evidence of successful delivery aligned with agile principles of iterative delivery; examples of these principles include transparently working in the open with open-source technologies. Successful delivery of UCD within this context would be most relevant to the opportunity, but as that is not specified in the criteria other examples can also be put forward. 16. Could you please provide us a copy of the presentation slides from the Pre-Market engagement event from Sept 2022. Thanks All suppliers on the framework were sent the pre-engagement slides on Wednesday 7th December. The slides were sent from the following email address: matthew.jackson@education.gov.uk 17. There doesn’t appear to be a section where we can answer the Cultural fit criteria questions? Can you please advise? Thanks Cultural fit criteria questions are answered by suppliers who are shortlisted for Stage 2 18. Is it intended that this programme of work involves the build of a new digital platform, or iterative improvements to current digital environment(s)? In either way, what is the preferred CMS or tech to be used. The programme of work includes the build of both new digital services and improvements of existing digital services. It also incorporates early stages of user-centred policy design where digital solutions are one of a range of possible options. 19. What is the anticipated amount of content required to address the proposal and cultural fit criteria in the next round? Do you have an idea of expected word counts / page counts at this stage? Instructions will be provided to shortlisted suppliers when invited to stage 2, including word counts. Shortlisted suppliers will be invited to submit a written proposal addressing the technical, cultural fit and social value criteria in the DOS opportunity. 20. In either way, what is the preferred CMS or tech to be used. The programmes that the supplier will support prefer technologies that are built specifically for Government Digital Services (for example, GOV.UK Prototype Kit https://prototype-kit.service.gov.uk/docs/). However, we do not exclusively use any particular technologies and fit our choice of technology to the problem to be solved and constraints of the programme (e.g. finance, security implications). 21. Regarding Q8 Evidence of successful delivery aligned with agile principles of iterative delivery, transparently working in the open with open-source technologies. What open source technologies are currently used by the directorate? Examples of our use of design include a history of the designs for the Find, Apply, Publish, Manage, Register and Support Services which is in on Gov UK here - Becoming a Teacher design history - Becoming a teacher design history - Department for Education (bat-design-history.netlify.app). Also, on Gov.UK is our use of the GOV.UK Prototype Kit to quickly make realistic HTML prototypes of GOV.UK services. GOV.UK Prototype Kit (prototype-kit.service.gov.uk) 22. For the question “Evidence of working with clients to successfully resolve performance issues promptly, transparently and collaboratively.” – can you confirm if this is performance issues with your service or with the quality of the supplier’s delivery? Performance Issues refers to the quality of the Supplier's performance, for example a failure of some kind that has, or has the potential to have, a detrimental effect (such as cost, quality, time, security, reputation, etc) on the Buyer, or on delivery of the Contract or a Statement of Work.