UKHO UX, Development & Engineering

Description

Summary of the work UK Hydrographic office require a team of UX, Software devs and Data Engineer resources to produce product prototypes in support of a series of in-house capabilities. Working with existing internal teams. Expected Contract Length 12 months, with an optional extension of a further 12 months if required. Latest start date Tuesday 31 January 2023 Budget Range It is estimated that the work can be delivered within the budget range of £500,000. Why the Work is Being Done The Authority has established a User Experience (UX) practice made up of Interaction Designers and User Researchers to enhance its current product portfolio and aid in the development of new products and services in new unexplored markets. Furthermore, Software development is used alongside UX in the development of the Design System and production of Proof of Concepts (PoCs) made as part of the UX and product development process. To that end the Authority has recognised the need for User Experience and Software Development as a core capability within the Authorities’ Research, Design and Innovation (RDI) team, and whilst the capability is resourced by permanent members of staff, there will be on occasion, as demand dictates, the requirement to flex the capability and deliver projects above and beyond that which the current resource levels can provide. Therefore, the Authority wishes to seek a partner that can provide UX Experience and UX Interaction Design and Software Development skills on a project-by-project basis over the coming 2 years. Problem to Be Solved We want to speed up our delivery cadence by having an agile team of UX, Software developers and Data Engineers to work alongside internal teams to bring value to users at pace. The UK Hydrographic Office has this internal resource, but not enough to cover the demands of product development in support of our current in year Business Plan and enduring 5-year corporate strategy. This requirement will address this. Who Are the Users Users could be internal users or professional mariners in the shipping industry (including Defence). The nature of RDI projects and the associated UX and PoC development is such that involvement in projects and defining specific deliverables up front is difficult to prescribe. That said, a typical UX or PoC development project (including aspects of User Research, Interaction Design, Software Development and Data Engineering) will last around 3 months for 2-3 staff member full time. An indicative Programme of projects (as mentioned with each one lasting approx. 3 months) requiring UX, Software Development and Data Engineering capability may look something like the following:- Digital Sailing Directions Future Tidal Services Navigation App Data Ingest Under Keel Clearance App Work Already Done There is an existing call off contract that is coming to an end with a number of projects in flight supported by resource from the call off contract. It is hoped to dove tail the needing of the current contract with the start of another to ensure the flexibility in UX, development and engineering capability is maintained. Existing Team The existing teams consist of 4 User Researchers, 3 Interaction Designers, several Software developers and 1 part time Data Engineer. Current Phase Discovery Skills & Experience • Evidence of proficiency in UX both in terms of User Research and interactive Design • Evidence of proficiency in UI design tools • Evidence of proficiency in JavaScript frameworks such as Vue.js or React (Angular experience a bonus) • Evidence of proficiency in creating wireframes and prototypes • Experience of creating design guidelines and patterns • Experience of creating User Stories • Experience of creating Storyboards • Experience of creating User Flows • Experience of working with internal developer teams to transition designs to production • Demonstrable experience of responsive UI design not limited to static pages • Clear understanding of user centred design best practice • Experience of planning, documenting and communicating the design process and concepts in a clear, concise manner • Experience in Software development • Experience in Data Engineering Nice to Haves • Experience working in Agile environment • Previous experience of automating testing utilising headless testing frameworks such as Selenium • Ability to bring best practice from other sectors, including the application of UX security • Experience with driving user feedback sessions including alpha and beta testing • Experience of using Gaming Engine Technology to create 3D visualisations Work Location UK Hydrographic Office, Admiralty Way Taunton Somerset TA1 2DN Working Arrangments Hybrid working resources required to attend UK Hydrographic Office an an adhoc basis to collaborate and sync with internal development teams. Security Clearance All must have BPSS and DBS as a minimum. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 3 Proposal Criteria • Describe your approach for working with client side teams to improve UX activity • Explain your overall development approach and delivery methodology • Describe how you will ensure the UK Hydrographic Office is supplied with the appropriately skills and security cleared resource • Provide three referenceable case studies where your company have provided the desired service • Please explain how you will measure and manage quality and speed of delivery within the team to ensure continuous improvement • Comply with Mandatory requirements per HMs Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard & basic DBS requirement. Cultural Fit Criteria • Work transparently and collaboratively in a culture that supports learning and feedback • Demonstrate experience of supporting and coaching other team members • Strong team working experience with the ability to think and problem solve independently • Engaging with team to create knowledge sharing environment • Confident to challenge the norm with constructive feedback • Being willing to own work and take responsibility for improvement. Payment Approach Capped time and materials Assessment Method Work history Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 70% Cultural fit 10% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Could we use nearshore staff to supplement a local team or do all staff have to be based in the UK? The UKHO would consider staff outside of the UK; however, this would have to be agreed on a project-by-project basis and would not be the norm for all projects. Furthermore, security considerations will need to be considered when employing staff members from outside of the UK. 2. Will the work be conducted fully onsite? Or is there a portion that will be remote? If so what is that remote/onsite ratio please? There isn’t a specific ratio. We have a flexible approach to on site and remote working. There will be occasions when we would expect people to attend our offices in Taunton for workshops or stakeholder briefings which will not be negotiable. 3. Who is the incumbent supplier? BJSS 4. Is the budget of £500,000 for just the first year, or both the first and option year if exercised? The budget is for the entire contract, if it is spent within the first year, then that will be the end of the contract. If it isn’t spent in the first year, then the contract will continue into the second year. 5. Please can you confirm whether Stage 1 scores will be carried over and used as part of the evaluation at Stage 2? Stage 1 scores will only be used to determine which 3 suppliers will be shortlisted. These scores will not be carried forwards into stage 2. 6. Please can you provide a timeline indicating the dates on which you intend to notify suppliers they have been shortlisted, the submission deadline for Stage 2, and the date of award etc.? Suppliers will be notified of the shortlisting outcome on the 9th of December at the latest. Proposals will be due back on the 6th of January and notification of contract award will be 13th of January, with the contract due to start at the end of January. 7. Regarding the response criteria at Stage 2, please can you confirm that the Work History and each of the 6 points listed in the Proposal Criteria section will be equally weighted within the 70% allocated to Technical Competence within the evaluation? Yes, we can confirm that each of the 6 points and the work history will be equally weighted at 10% each for the overall technical competence score. 8. Could the Authority share the number of resources that they are seeking and across which roles? This will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the nature of each project. In some cases, only 1 User Researcher may be needed, in other cases we may need all 4 four roles being filled 9. Is this opportunity about providing groups of people to deliver outcomes or resource augmentation? It is to deliver outcomes based on work packages. 10. Can you provide further detail around your use of JavaScript frameworks – e.g which ones you’re currently using, preferred frameworks, preferred directions? Angular and Web Components are currently used for the Design System. 11. Could you outline some of the potential use cases / scenarios you have in mind where you are looking for gaming or 3d visualizations? We are making 3D digital models of the maritime landscape, specifically close to shore for vessels to use as a visual aid. 12. With regards to Question 17: ‘Ability to bring best practice from other sectors, including the application of UX security’, could the vendor please clarify what is meant by UX Security? The UX security aspect will be removed from this 'nice-to-have' skill & experience point when shortlisting & amended to 'Ability to bring best practice from other sectors.'. 13. Could you clarify / outline if there are specific use cases you have around security / UX security? The UX Security aspect will be removed from this 'nice-to-have' skill & experience point when shortlisting & amended to 'Ability to bring best practice from other sectors.'. 14. Are you open to a partnership approach? We are not clear what is meant by this. We are looking for a third party to provide UX, Software Development and Data Engineering capability to support delivering digital outcomes on a project-by-project basis.