RM1043.8-1-LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE (T23-097)

Description

Summary of work Migration of blog solution from on-prem to SAAS and on-going management Where the supplied staff will work London Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Why the work is being done The school has conducted extensive discovery activities that have revealed a pressing need for a comprehensive overhaul of the existing blog application. To address this need, the school is exploring options for sourcing managed services for its current content management system application (WordPress) and hosting arrangements. The managed service solution being considered is expected to cover essential tasks such as technical maintenance upgrades, recovery protocols for service disruptions, content, design, and usability improvements, online security oversight, accessibility regulations compliance, architecture oversight and decision-making, code release management, stakeholder expectation management, permission administration for new blogs, and blog subscription integration with LSE Salesforce. By pursuing a managed service solution, the school hopes to improve the overall functionality and security of its blog application while also ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and stakeholder expectations. The business problem The LSE blogging platform is currently facing significant technical management issues due to the lack of adequate technical resources to manage both the WordPress application and the hosting platform on AWS. As a result, the school is facing a range of challenges that need to be urgently resolved. Technical maintenance (upgrades, plugins, hosting) Recovery protocols in the event of service disruption Content, design, and usability improvements Online security oversight Accessibility regulations compliance Architecture oversite and discussion making Code release management Stakeholder expectations management Permission administration for new blogs Blog integration with the schools other CMS providers The people who will use the product or service User type: Users are Editors Definition: Users are editors on the website who publish articles regularly throughout the week from bylined authors, maintaining their own site sections and publishing within different categories and series. They need to frequently curate their sections to respond to news events and respond to reader interests. To run the site effectively, users need a website with UX developed; ongoing development work to maxmise reader engagement; and bugs fixed as required. Editors also need the ability for adequate tracking and data collection to guide publishing practice and monitor success. Any pre-market engagement done Early market engagement activities were held from January 2023 to March 2023, a total of 12 suppliers were contacted Work done so far The LSE blogs platform has been reviewed to identify areas of inefficiency and recommend the design or redesign of processes to ensure a stable and scalable service for editors. The discovery exercise identified eight process areas that should be in place to deliver blog business needs effectively, but only four were defined, and none were documented. The lack of ownership and responsibility has resulted in various pain points such as the inability to manage technical development changes and multiple hands-off activities within the undefined error management process. The report recommends process and technical improvement areas to address these challenges, such as outsourcing development and maintenance of the blog WordPress application and hosting to a third-party supplier that specializes in this area. Which phase the project is in Alpha Existing team The existing team consists of a Comms Division – Senior Managing Editor, Comms Division – Digital Content Manager, DTS Project manager Address where the work will be done London School of Economics and Political Science. Houghton Street. London. WC2A 2AE Working arrangements The LSE digital team has set working hours for suppliers from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm to facilitate knowledge transfer and team integration. However, out-of-hours support may be required for disaster recovery. The LSE team may request suppliers to provide emergency support for critical systems or resolving technical issues. These arrangements aim to establish a collaborative relationship with effective communication, knowledge sharing, and alignment with development processes. This is crucial for the success of LSE's digital initiatives. Security and vetting requirements No security clearance needed Latest start date 14 August 2023 Expected contract length Contract length: 2 years 0 months 0 days Optional extension: 0 years 6 months 0 days Special terms and conditions special term or condition: All expenses must be pre-agreed between the parties and must comply with the LSE Travel and Subsistence (T&S) Policy. All vendors are obliged to provide sufficient guarantees to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures so that the processing meets the requirements of GDPR and ensures the protection of the rights of data subjects. For further information please see the Information Commissioner's Office website https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-reform/overview-of-the-gdpr/ Budget Indicative maximum: £550000 Indicative minimum: £350000 Further information: Hosting costs will be covered separately Contracted out service or supply of resource? Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply