Awarded to PUBLIC GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Start date: Monday 22 February 2021
Value: £400,000
Company size: SME

Ministry of Justice

Prison Leavers Innovation Challenge Delivery Partner

7 Incomplete applications

6 SME, 1 large

8 Completed applications

5 SME, 3 large

• Published: Thursday 26 November 2020
• Deadline for asking questions: Thursday 3 December 2020 at 11:59pm GMT
• Closing date for applications: Thursday 10 December 2020 at 11:59pm GMT

Overview

• Summary of the work: The MoJ are seeking a Delivery Partner to provide digital and technical expertise to support the Prison Leavers Innovation Challenge (PLIC). Our chosen Delivery Partner will work with us for 12 months to design the Innovation Challenge, and support successful enterprises to develop and implement their solutions.
• Latest start date: Monday 15 February 2021
• Expected contract length: 12 months
• Location: No specific location, for example they can work remotely
• Organisation the work is for: Ministry of Justice
• Budget range: The total budget for this contract is £400,000.

About the work

• Why the work is being done: The MoJ is seeking a Delivery Partner to provide digital and technical expertise to support the Prison Leavers Innovation Challenge (PLIC). The PLIC aims to stimulate and test new technological solutions to challenges around reoffending, with the aim of improving the social inclusion of prison leavers. The Prison Leavers Project (PLP) is the innovation hub of the MoJ’s Reducing Reoffending strategy - and the Innovation Challenge will stimulate tech-based solutions to an entrenched problem.; ; Launching in Spring 2021, the PLIC will stimulate, incubate and test new innovations from SMEs and start-ups. Our chosen Delivery Partner will work with us for up to 12 months to provide a digital discovery, helping to design and shape the Innovation Challenge, support us in identifying the most promising solutions and providing follow-up support to successful SMEs to develop and implement their solutions.
• Problem to be solved: The proven one-year reoffending rate for adult offenders released from custody in England and Wales is currently around 45%. Evidence suggests that factors such as strong relationships, access to meaningful employment, and good health and wellbeing are linked to reoffending. Through the PLIC we want to find new and innovative ways to improve outcomes for prison leavers by improving social inclusion, and as a result improve reoffending outcomes.
• Who the users are and what they need to do: The MoJ's PLP team are looking to find new ways to improve outcomes for prison leavers. We are looking for a delivery partner to help design an Innovation Challenge, so that we can find and test new innovative tech solutions from start-ups and SMEs.
• Early market engagement: Initial market engagement was conducted with several possible suppliers. Questions included the scope and cost of the project, as well as realistic timelines for delivery.
• Existing team: The supplier will be working with a small multi-disciplinary team of policy professionals, user-centred design specialists and analysts within the MoJ PLP. The supplier may also be required to collaborate with other cross-public sector partners who are working alongside PLP to develop innovation solutions.
• Current phase: Not started

Work setup

• Address where the work will take place: 102 Petty France, London
• Working arrangements: Most work would be conducted remotely. However MoJ would be looking to meet on at least a weekly basis with the supplier for workshops, events and other meetings. These meetings could also take place virtually until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
• Security clearance: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Additional information

Skills and experience

Buyers will use the essential and nice-to-have skills and experience to help them evaluate suppliers’ technical competence.

• Essential skills and experience:
  • Experience in identifying where digital solutions would be appropriate for addressing policy challenges as outlined in this requirement, and able to support development of ‘challenge statements’ for SMEs.
  • Expertise in latest technological trends, with the ability to assess business capability and technical feasibility of SMEs to deliver their pilots.
  • Knowledge of technological standards, including: any technological requirements necessary for pilots to align with Government Digital Standards; appropriate security and safety requirements for pilots to comply with HMPPS and MoJ.
  • Knowledge of appropriate data protection standards necessary for pilots to work with D26oJ; including ISO27001 and ISO9001
  • Extensive knowledge of; and access to; network of digital start-ups and SMEs to ensure wide pool of possible candidates for Innovation Challenge – with suitable channels for engagement.
  • Expertise in user-centred service design principles; support and training for SMEs to develop their solutions with end-users in mind.
  • Experience of providing support and mentorship to technology start-ups or SMEs; or ability to provide brokerage to appropriate support.
  • Appointment of appropriate project management structures to ensure the timely and efficient delivery of the project, including dedicated Account Manager for single point of access.
  • Experience and expertise in providing comprehensive reporting to Customer teams on progress and upcoming schedule.
• Nice-to-have skills and experience:
  • Experience of tech sector engagement, including development and dissemination of targeted marketing materials through appropriate channels.
  • Experience of managing events for start-ups to present ideas, such as ‘pitch events’ and provision of suitable expertise to assess applications, or ability to broker access to experts.
  • Knowledge of the strategic direction and trends of UK Government and private industries with regards to Digital and Technology services.
  • Development and management of dedicated website or portal for attracting and collating applications from relevant organisations applying to the Challenge
  • Established process for day to day management of enquiries from SMEs about the challenge
  • Expertise in Agile project management techniques
  • Knowledge of the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP), or equivalent scheme

How suppliers will be evaluated

All suppliers will be asked to provide a written proposal.

• How many suppliers to evaluate: 5
• Proposal criteria:
  • Explain your approach and methodology, and demonstrate how your approach and methodology will successfully design and deliver the Innovation Challenge.
  • Explain your technical solution and how it will support finding, and the stimulation, incubation and testing of, new innovations from SMEs and Start-Ups to respond to the PLP Innovation Challenge.
  • Explain how the approach and solution meets user needs of MoJ’s PLP Team and demonstrates innovation.
  • Explain how the approach and solution meets MoJ's policies and goals
  • Outline estimated timeframes for delivering each period of work for the 12-month period.
  • Explain how you have identified risks and dependencies and explain your offered approaches to manage them
  • Provide an example team structure for delivering each stage of this work. Provide an accompanying SFIA rate card for each team member, and Definitions criteria for each SFIA rating.
  • Demonstrate how your solution will deliver value for money.
  • Please provide a Statement of Work for the first 4-week delivery period
• Cultural fit criteria:
  • Work collaboratively with the Prison Leavers Team and our other cross sector partners.
  • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions.
  • Willing to share knowledge and experience with other team members and partners
  • Comfortable working with clients with lower technical expertise
  • Able to demonstrate how this approach and solution will drive social value.
• Payment approach: Capped time and materials
• Additional assessment methods:
  • Case study
  • Presentation
• Evaluation weighting:

  Technical competence

  60%

  Cultural fit

  20%

  Price

  20%

Questions asked by suppliers

• 1. Can we include url links in our responses and will they be considered? (e.g. links to web pages of innovation focused events we have run in the past): Suppliers must keep to the word limit on each section when responding to this opportunity. Linking to other pages/documents is not allowed.
• 2. In the fourth question of ‘Give evidence of the essential skills and experience’ you have referenced ISO9001 is not a data protection standard, its quality management standard, can you please confirm which standard you are referring to?: It would be our preference for the supplier to have knowledge of both data protection and quality management standards - including ISO27001 and ISO9001.
• 3. As part of running the challenge fund would the supplier be required to pay support to recipients directly or would they be paid via MOJ.: No there is no requirement on the Supplier to pay the recipients directly.
• 4. Can you please elaborate on assessing 'technical feasibility' – do they have an appraisal standard that we would need to meet?: Suppliers should demonstrate that they have the technological knowledge and expertise to be able to assess whether applicants to the innovation challenge are technologically sound and able to deliver on their proposed solutions. This would include assessment of whether the pilots meet the Government Service Standard. It is for the Supplier to define the technical feasibility.
• 5. In the first question of ‘Give evidence of the essential skills and experience’, you reference policy challenges as outlined in this requirement – do these need to focus specifically on re-offending?: Suppliers should demonstrate that they have the relevant experience working with policy challenges and how they have responded to these challenges. It is for the Supplier to provide the most appropriate example. This does not necessarily need to be in reoffending or criminal justice.
• 6. Can you clarify what you mean by 'pilot' in relation to D26oj?: D26oj is a typo, and should read: ‘Knowledge of appropriate data protection standards necessary for pilots to work with MoJ; including ISO27001 and ISO9001’.
• 7. Can we partner with an academic party, and/or agency?: Suppliers may choose to partner with another agency subject to DOS Framework terms and conditions. Should a Supplier be looking to partner with another academic party and/or agency, the Supplier must set out their approach including split of roles and responsibilities in the presentation.