CONTRACT NOTICE – NATIONAL

1 Authority Details

1.1

Authority Name and Address

1.2

Address from which documentation may be obtained

1.3

Completed documents must be returned to:

2 Contract Details

2.1

Title

Invitation to Tender: CDPS Digital Skills and Capability

2.2

Description of the goods or services required

You are invited to tender for CDPS Digital Skills and Capability in competition in accordance with the attached document (CDPS Digital Skills and Capability ITT). Our requirement is for a delivery partner who understands our needs and can co-create, and deliver a bespoke learning programme in alpha, to help us build skills and capability for leaders and digital teams (multi-disciplinary-teams), and transform cultural ways of working across the organisations that deliver public services in Wales. These include central government, health, local authorities, the third sector and everyone in between.

We also want the supplier to help us test the vision and concept of a Digital Skills Academy (a working title that we will also test) and help us work out the charging model.

The requirement and subsequent awarded contract shall be for an initial period of 6 months with the option to extend.

This Procurement is being carried out in accordance with the Public Contract Regulations 2015 under the open procedure. Tenderers can submit a bid as a single legal entity, with other legal entities (to form a consortium) or with named sub-contractors.

The anticipated date for the contract award decision is 19/11/2021. Please note that this is an indicative date and may change.

Why the work is being done

The Digital Strategy for Wales set out a national vision for jointly adopting a digital approach across Wales. The remit of CDPS is to support the building of digital transformation skills and capability for public sector leaders and teams. This requires changing culture, establishing new ways of working and building capability in user centred-design and agile principles.

Problem to be solved

To achieve this, we need public service leaders to guide and champion user-centred and agile ways of working and the cultural changes needed to implement the Digital Strategy.

The Welsh public sector has limited experience of user-centred and agile ways of working. The lack of these skills is a barrier to progressing digital transformation and growing the Welsh economy.

Who the users are and what they need to do?

As a senior leader (C-Suite), head of service, delivery team or supporting business function leader, I need an introduction to user-centred design and agile ways of working, including the Digital Service Standard for Wales, so that I can understand the values and principles needed to support user-centred design and agile way of working.

As a senior leader (C-Suite), I need to understand the transformational potential of digital and the importance of organisational agility and user-centred design required to realise this, so that I’m better equipped to lead and champion the digital agenda in my organisation.

As leader who will be heading up a digital transformation, I need to understand how user-centred, agile organisations design and deliver digital public services, so that I’m able to provide leadership and support to the delivery teams that I’m responsible for.

As a delivery team that will be working on a digital public service, we need to understand user-centred design and agile concepts and techniques, and how to apply these in a team context, so that we are able to utilise these new ways of working to build better digital public services.

As a leader or delivery team, we need support to help us implement the user-centred design and agile principles that we have acquired, so that we have the confidence to design and deliver digital public services that meet the needs of users.

Any work that’s been done already

The interim Head of Digital Skills and Capability has been working with a digital team (multi-disciplinary-teams) and a group of leaders from Health, Local Authorities and Welsh Government, to co-create high level training and support needs that cover a broad range of topics.

The successful supplier will continue to work with this group to understand the needs in more depth to ensure training, support and case studies are bespoke to Wales, delivered in the Welsh language and is relevant to different operational and policy contexts in which they work.

Existing team

We are building the Skills and Capability team which currently consists of:

Head of Skills and Capability (interim). A new permanent Head of Skills and Capability will start on 6 September 2021.

One Product Manager

We are currently hiring a Delivery Manager and a User Researcher. The User Researcher will work alongside the supplier to gather feedback on the training and support content to ensure needs are reflected throughout the alpha phase.

Current phase -Alpha

NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=113385.

2.3

Notice Coding and Classification

2.4

Total quantity or scope of tender

The contract will go live November 2021. Alpha will run from November to March 2022, with the option of an extension up to the same value of the awarded contract. The authority reserves the right to enter into a beta phase with a preferred supplier if deemed appropriate.

The budget includes the co-creation and delivery of a training and support programme for an alpha, with an indicative budget against the requirements for this opportunity being:

A maximum budget of £150,000 (including VAT) for the initial period.

Budget range up to £150,000 (incl. VAT)

To include the co-creation and delivery, over a minimum of 2 iterations, of the following:

Training that provides an introduction to user-centred design and agile ways of working, including the Digital Service Standard for Wales for all staff. Approximately 12 delegate places.

Training that provides senior leaders (C-Suite) with an understanding of the transformative potential of digital and the importance of organisational agility and user-centred design. Approximately 12 delegate places.

Training that provides leaders who will be heading up a digital transformation with an understanding of how user-centred, agile organisations design and deliver digital public services. Approximately 12 delegate places.

Training that provides delivery teams that will be working on digital public services with an understanding of user-centred design and agile concepts and techniques, and how to apply these in a team context. Approximately 12 delegate places comprising 2 teams of 6.

Support and coaching to help leaders and delivery teams implement the user-centred design and agile principles that they have acquired. Approximately 12 delegate places

3 Conditions for Participation

3.1

Minimum standards and qualification required

Please read and complete Schedule 4 of the ITT document.

4 Administrative Information

4.1

Type of Procedure

Single stage

4.2

Reference number attributed to the notice by the contracting authority

N/a

4.3

Time Limits

4.5

Language or languages in which tenders or requests to participate can be drawn up

4.6

Tender Submission Postbox

5 Other Information

5.1

Additional Information

(WA Ref:113385)

The buyer considers that this contract is suitable for consortia bidding.

5.2

Additional Documentation

5.3

Publication date of this notice