Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S)

SPCFP/006-3 - Product Owner for a Software Development Capability

15 Incomplete applications

15 SME, 0 large

8 Completed applications

6 SME, 2 large

Published: Friday 18 June 2021
Deadline for asking questions: Tuesday 22 June 2021 at 11:59pm GMT
Closing date for applications: Friday 25 June 2021 at 11:59pm GMT

Overview

Specialist role: Product manager
Off-payroll (IR35) determination: Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply
Summary of the work: A Product Owner to act as an independent interface between the Military, DE&S and a contracted software development team.

1. Independently assess service progression.
2. Attend and advise change boards.
3. Add depth to and ensure the delivery of requirements.
4. A dedicated POC for engagement with all project stakeholders.
Latest start date: Tuesday 31 August 2021
Expected contract length: 1 year 9 months, until 05 May 2023
Location: West Midlands
Organisation the work is for: Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S)
Maximum day rate: £1,200

About the work

Early market engagement
Who the specialist will work with: 1. You will work for the Senior Product Owner (Technical Adjutant).
2. You will need to liaise closely with Military end users, DE&S, other government agencies and international software teams.
3. Daily contact will be with a mixture of Contractors, Crown Servants and Military Personnel.
4. The Contractor's delivery team personnel will primarily comprise of software developers/engineers.
What the specialist will work on: 1. Build strong relationships with the Military, the software development team and international organisations to deliver outcomes associated with the Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) application set.
2. Remain objective and professionally critical of the work being conducted by the software development team and assess the quality of the requirements that are elicited from end users.
3. Ensure the software team are well motivated to achieve their aims, whilst putting the end customer needs first.
4. Engage with wider project teams who wish to use the same application, providing advice to help mitigate integration risks.
5. Continue the existing capability.

Work setup

Address where the work will take place: The exact working locations cannot be specified in this advertisement. The working location will predominantly be in the West Midlands with required travel to the South West. International travel will also be required, which will also be discussed further at interview.
Working arrangements: You are required to work 5 days a week, the normal working day is 09:00 to 17:00 with a 30 minutes break for lunch. A monthly summary of days worked will be maintained and signed by the Contractor and The Senior Product Owner.

Expenses for Travel and Subsidence (T&S) will be limited to £22,000 per annum.
Security clearance: Developed Vetting (DV) Clearance must be in place prior to contract award (aimed to be 31 August 2021) and remain in place throughout employment/contract. The supplier must be UK based and must be able to provide a Cyber Essentials Plus Certificate prior to the start date.

Additional information

Additional terms and conditions: Please contact Paul.Hayes105@mod.gov.uk to access the guidance documents for the interview and presentation.

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: Have working knowledge of software development methodologies - 9 Points

Have Knowledge/Experience of requirement engineering - 9 Points

Have Knowledge/Experience of military ways-of-working - 9 Points

Have Knowledge/Experience of geo-spatial applications - 9 Points
Nice-to-have skills and experience: Have Knowledge/Experience of Tactical Assault Kit - 7 Points

Have Knowledge/Experience of working in MAB - 7 Points

Have Knowledge/Experience of writing software code - 5 Points

Have Knowledge/Experience of military C4IS capabilities - 5 Points

Have Knowledge/Experience of geo-spatial imagery types and formats - 5 Points

Have practical experience of agile software development processes - 5 Points

How suppliers will be evaluated

All suppliers will be asked to provide a work history.

How many specialists to evaluate

Cultural fit criteria

Lead and motivate the team to perform well - 2 Points
Be transparent and collaborative on performance issues - 2 Points
Support a no-blame culture - 2 Points
Transfer knowledge that is gained through the team - 2 Points
Willing to share experiences across the wider departments - 2 Points

Additional assessment methods

Interview
Presentation

Evaluation weighting

Technical competence

70%

Cultural fit

10%

Price

20%

Questions asked by suppliers

1. Is there an incumbent?: Yes
2. Is there an existing incumbent for this requirement?: Yes
3. Is there a preferred incumbent/supplier?: There is no preferred supplier.
4. Could we please request an extension until Friday 2nd July 2021?: This is not possible due to short timelines.
5. Is this role inside IR35?: No, this role is not inside IR35 further to completing the (Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool)
6. Would you accept an SC cleared candidate?: Due to the nature of the requirement and exposure to certain information/stakeholders, we will not be able to accept an SC cleared candidate.
7. Will the maximum day rate realistically be considered?: Yes, however the suppliers day rate bid will reflect in the 20% commercial marking criteria.
8. Can you clarify what MAB stands for?: It stands for (Main A Building) which is part of the Ministry of Defence.
9. Could the Authority confirm if any future exclusion will apply between the successful tenderer and any existing TAK development contract or any other existing/future capability delivery contracts which use TAK? Or advise if any other conflict of interest regimes will need to be implemented (either during the proposal stage or delivery stage)?: This department (SPTC) does not know of any current exclusions or any future exclusions at this moment. This department (SPTC) cannot respond on behalf of the pan-wide MOD view of the TAK development.
10. Would it be possible to send across the guidance documents for the interview and presentation for the TAK product owner programme?: The presentation will need to be structured in line with the marking criteria. The interview will be no more than 30 mins with 30 mins questions based on the marking scheme provided. Further guidance will be provided to the shortlisted suppliers.
11. In line with the guidance in the invitation to tender, I'd be grateful if you could share the guidance documents for the interview and presentation.: The presentation will need to be structured in line with the marking criteria. The interview will be no more than 30 mins with 30 mins questions based on the marking scheme provided. Further guidance will be provided to the shortlisted suppliers.

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