Awarded to Criteria Fieldwork Ltd

Start date: Monday 24 July 2017
Value: £75,270
Company size: SME
Government Digital Service, part of the Cabinet Office

WP1408 GOV.UK Roadmap Missions

1 Incomplete application

1 SME, 0 large

6 Completed applications

6 SME, 0 large

Important dates

Published
Wednesday 14 June 2017
Deadline for asking questions
Wednesday 21 June 2017 at 11:59pm GMT
Closing date for applications
Wednesday 28 June 2017 at 11:59pm GMT

Overview

Summary of the work
60 minute 1-to-1 interviews. We may need to use other research methods, e.g. telephone interviews or online card sorting. In addition, from time to time, we may require external observation facilities, when our internal lab is not available (we think this may be for half of the rounds [42]).
Location
London
Research dates
One year contract spread throughout the year. Contract to start ASAP.
Organisation the work is for
Government Digital Service, part of the Cabinet Office
Budget range

About the work

Early market engagement

About the research

Description of your participants
3 of 6 participants per round to be general computer users: Good spread of ages (18 years+), Even split of male/female. Good spread of socio-economic groups. We actively encourage participants from the socio-economic groups D & E. We may also require some participants who have previously used online government services such as completing a self-assessment tax return, or renewing tax credits. We may also require some participants who have existing accounts with particular banks or online companies. Must be willing to be photographed and video recorded. Must be willing to use a computer during sessions. Must bring reading glasses or other aids required for using computer.
2 of 6 participants per round to have a low level of digital/online skills and confidence. Participants must not be recruited online: Consider recruiting face-to-face e.g. at the Citizens Advice Bureau, or contacting 3rd sector organisations or using telephone interviews. Participants must be open to using digital/online services: This will exclude people who are absolutely unwilling to do so at any point in the future.
Paired sessions: Some participants may already be getting help from another person to do things online. A detailed description of our plan and participant requirements is available here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-264nLyB1zdOGo3OWdLaDJUcUU/view?usp=sharing
Assisted digital and accessibility requirements
Accessibility research - including one user per round (i.e. 1 in 6) with a disability. We will require one participant with one of the following kinds of disability: severe visual impairment (i.e. user of screen reading software), moderate visual impairment (i.e. user of screen magnifying software), mild visual impairment, severe dyslexia, deafness, moderate motor impairment (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis), mild motor impairment (e.g. use of one hand), colour blindness, Autistic spectrum, mental health conditions.
Research plan
A detailed description of our Research plan and participant requirements is available here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-264nLyB1zdOGo3OWdLaDJUcUU/view?usp=sharing
Research location
User research needs to represent the needs of people across the country therefore we need to recruit 50% cities and 50% rural, (example cities: Manchester, London, Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool, Leeds) you need to provide evidence that you can meet these requirements.
Access restrictions at location
These participants may be required for research sessions in our lab. In this case you must be able to put us in contact with the participant so we can check their requirements and confirm arrangements in advance. On some occasions we may also want to go to the participant's home to do research. You must be able to provide participants with accessibility needs to take part in this kind of research.
Number of research rounds
84 rounds of 6 participants per round (504 participants in total)
Number of participants per round
6 participants per round (504)
How often research will happen
504 users per year. Each of the research dates will have a good period of notice for the supplier. We will give the supplier ample notice with recruitment briefs and agreed lead times.
Evening or weekend research

Additional information

Additional terms and conditions
All expenses should be pre-agreed and comply with Cabinet Office policy on Travel and Subsistence.

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
  • Demonstrate ability to recruit users for phone interviews
  • Demonstrate ability to recruit users for field (locations which could include someone's home) interviews
  • Demonstrate ability to manage and deliver incentives, if you deem necessary, for the recruit
  • Demonstrate ability to recruit participants which represent a wide geographic sample of the UK population
  • Demonstrate approach to recruit participants who have existing accounts with particular banks or online companies
  • Demonstrate ability to recruit specialist users.
  • Demonstrate approach to recruit participants spread across socio-economic groups. We actively encourage participants from the socio-economic groups D & E
  • All participants must be willing to be photographed and recorded on video during sessions
  • All participants must be willing to use a computer during sessions
  • None of the recruited participants to have taken part in a group or depth interview in the previous 6 months, or more than 3 in the previous 2 years
  • None of the recruited participants to have worked in Government, Local Government, Market Research, Web Design, Journalism, Public Relations, Advertising or Marketing
  • None of the recruited participants to have attended any kind of research for GOV.UK before
Nice-to-have skills and experience
Ability to recruit for face-to-face in-depth interviews, mostly in London but potentially in other areas of England

How suppliers will be evaluated

How many suppliers to evaluate
6
Proposal criteria
  • Supplier must have skills of recruiting Assisted Digital users (users with low digital skills) these participants should not be recruited online.
  • Supplier must be able to provide users at a short notice i.e. (one - two weeks)
  • Breakdown of costs required and non attendance or users not meeting the required spec, refund to be given
  • Provide evidence of successfully recruiting participants who are less digitally skilled
  • How they’ve identified risks and dependencies and offered approaches to manage them
Assessment methods
  • Written proposal
  • Case study
  • Reference
  • Interview
Evaluation weighting

Technical competence

50%

Availability

10%

Price

40%

Questions asked by suppliers

1. The description say 'early market engagement'. What do you mean by this? Does it have bearing on the it would be awarded?
We did not undertake Early Market Engagement.
2. There is no contract award date mentioned, however the first questions when applying says when can you start? So what answer is expected?
We would like to start the contract as soon as the procurement process is finished and we have found a suitable supplier.
3. Following says points to a document on expenses, 'All expenses should be pre-agreed and comply with Cabinet Office policy on Travel and Subsistence.' . Could you please share a link to it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-264nLyB1zdME1qUmRDS1JwNk0/view?usp=sharing
4. Are these two statement contradictory? Could you please clarify them? 'Research location: User research needs to represent the needs of people across the country therefore we need to recruit 50% cities and 50% rural, (example cities: Manchester, London, Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool, Leeds) you need to provide evidence that you can meet these requirements. ' and 'Nice-to-have skills and experience: Ability to recruit for face-to-face in-depth interviews, mostly in London but potentially in other areas of England'
We will be looking for participants from across the UK, the labs will take place mostly in London but also in other areas as and when necessary
5. We actively encourage participants from the socio-economic groups D & E ', is it a must? or Is it just encouraged and not a must?
This is a must
6. Under lab hire it says 'We would like this shown as a singular cost as a potential add on.' Could you please explain this?
We are asking for the pricing of lab hire, but as an optional extra rather than included in the core total for this contract