Awarded to We Are Snook Ltd

Start date: Tuesday 31 July 2018
Value: £66,085
Company size: SME

Local Government Association

Service Design in Social Care - Supporting councils to design person-centred care and support

9 Incomplete applications

5 SME, 4 large

20 Completed applications

18 SME, 2 large

• Published: Friday 11 May 2018
• Deadline for asking questions: Friday 18 May 2018 at 11:59pm GMT
• Closing date for applications: Friday 25 May 2018 at 11:59pm GMT

Overview

• Summary of the work: The LGA is commissioning a partner organisation that has experience in applying service design approaches in social care and health. The Programme will support councils in designing person-focused care and support. Interested organisations are invited to propose activities that will contribute towards the outcomes specified within the available budget.
• Latest start date: Monday 9 July 2018
• Expected contract length: Latest end date for completion of work is 31 March 2019.
• Location: No specific location, eg they can work remotely
• Organisation the work is for: Local Government Association
• Budget range: £66,800 (excludes VAT). Please note that any bids over the specified budget will be automatically excluded.

About the work

• Why the work is being done: There is a desire across social care and health to develop more efficient and person-focused services that are fit for the modern age in which we live.; ; The LGA would like to procure an external partner to deliver a practical support offer to councils that assists them in delivering person-focused services across social care. ; ; This offer should support councils in designing end-to-end care services from the view of the user. This will be based on an understanding of the needs of people who require care and support.
• Problem to be solved: Navigating care and health systems can be complex if ways of working are designed around the needs of organisations, not those using services. ; ; The LGA would like an offer that supports councils to apply design thinking to social care and contributes to:; ; • Care/support services that deliver improved outcomes and customer experience;; • Cohort of local care and health areas (including senior leaders) embracing service design to deliver a modern and efficient system;; • Network of local areas sharing learning of service design across care and health;; • Strengthened capacity within local organisations/local areas to take a service design approach.
• Who the users are and what they need to do: As a council, I want care and health services that are useful, usable, efficient and desireable. ; ; As a council, I want people to have an easy and positive experience of interacting with and using services. ; ; As a council, I want people to access the right information and support at the right time when interacting with and using services. ; ; As a council, I want to understand the desires, goals and motivations of people using care and health services so that service provision is designed around these needs.
• Early market engagement: The LGA held a workshop with service design and adult social care leads from a range of councils across the county to help shape the approach. ; ; The LGA is interested in creative proposals from suppliers that supports the sector in designing better care services that meet the needs of users - and is within the budget specified. The LGA does not wish to pre-determine the activities the supplier will carry out but this might include generic support for all or a range of councils, bespoke on-site support for councils or alternative approaches. ; ; The LGA is particularly interested in proposals that assist councils in two areas: 1). Front-door of adult social care; 2). Delivery of care including work with care providers.
• Any work that’s already been done: The LGA is aware that a number of councils are applying service design approaches to social care. We would like proposed approaches from providers to draw on the experience of councils in this area. ; ; The focus of this offer should be on the design of end-to-end care and support rather than delivery of a digital solution. However, we would expect digital approaches to be encouraged where it makes sense for there to be one. ; ; The supplier may wish to draw on user research carried out by NHS Digital as part of a social care discovery programme (see here http://transformation.blog.nhs.uk/social-care-discovery-findings).
• Existing team: The existing team at the LGA comprises the Programme Manager and Programme Advisor who will be key stakeholders in relation to programme management and reporting purposes for the duration of the work. They will be able to provide appropriate support to the supplier throughout the course of the work.
• Current phase: Not started

Work setup

• Address where the work will take place: The supplier may be based anywhere but would be expected to engage with and work alongside participating local authorities as per the methodology set out in the written proposal.; ; Please note that no local authorities have been selected to participate in this programme at present. This will be undertaken once the supplier has been appointed and the proposed activity agreed. The successful supplier may wish to support the LGA identify and select local authorities to participate in the programme.
• Working arrangements: The supplier may be based anywhere but would be expected to engage with and work alongside participating local authorities as per the methodology set out in the written proposal. Regular updates via email, telephone or face to face may be required as agreed by the LGA.

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:
  • Strong knowledge of the application of user-led service design methologies/approaches
  • Experience and evidence of applying service design in adult social care demonstrating positive outcomes
  • Experience and evidence of applying the principles of user centred design to the development of digital and non-digital solutions
  • Experience and evidence of working with organisations to change their way of working including introducing service design or user-centred design methodologies
• Nice-to-have skills and experience:
  • Recent and demonstrable engagement with public sector organisations such as central government and other local government services
  • Experience of working with elected members and senior leaders to achieve buy-in to service-design approaches and methodologies
  • Experience of designing and/or assessing digital tools to attract and meet the needs of a diverse range of users
  • Experience of working with a wide group of stakeholders including health and care experts, service users and the general public

How suppliers will be evaluated

• How many suppliers to evaluate: 5
• Proposal criteria:
  • Proposed approach and methodology to conducting the Programme, including proposed activity and reach of the Programme across local government
  • Proposed approach to applying the principles of user centred design and user insights to the development of digital and non-digital services
  • How the proposed approach contributes to the outcomes specified in this notice
  • How the proposed approach meets user needs
  • The proposed approach to measuring the impact of activity
• Cultural fit criteria:
  • Working within the constraints of public sector organisations including budgets, timescales and change
  • Working with a range of stakeholders including those that may have little knowledge of agile or user-centred design
  • Working as a team with participating local authority sites
  • Sharing knowledge and experience with team members and key stakeholders
• Payment approach: Fixed price
• Assessment methods:
  • Written proposal
  • Reference
  • Presentation
• Evaluation weighting:

  Technical competence

  60%

  Cultural fit

  20%

  Price

  20%

Questions asked by suppliers

• 1. Have you conducted this kind of work in the past in this way e.g. with a Service Design Agency? If yes, can you provide some details of what worked well/not well?: A service design approach has not previously been adopted by the Care and Health Digital and Design Team, however the LGA more widely has worked in partnership with service design organisations across a range of service areas. More information is available on the LGA website here: https://local.gov.uk/our-support/efficiency-and-income-generation/design-public-sector
• 2. Will any consultants need special clearance or background checks e.g. DBS checks for working with youth audiences?: This work is in the area of adult social care. Shortlisted suppliers will be invited to put forward a proposed methodology that they feel most effectively meets the specified problems to be solved. If as part of their proposed methodology the supplier expects to work directly with people receiving care and support then DBS checks will need to be carried out.
• 3. Will LGA and the Local Authorities be responsible for providing any rooms required e.g. for workshops with each project team?: This will be dependent on the methodology proposed by the supplier. If the proposal of the selected supplier involves on-site work with individual councils then this can be explored with those councils involved in the programme. The LGA will encourage suppliers as part of their proposals to look at how costs for councils and any other organisations involved in the work can be kept to a minimum.
• 4. Will travel costs be billed in addition to the day rates we propose?: Travel costs are included within the overall price for this work. Suppliers that are shortlisted to put forward proposals should ensure that this is within the budget specified.
• 5. Do you anticipate we will be testing ideas/concepts and prototypes as part of this project?: The LGA would like, as part of this programme, to support councils in applying end-to-end service design across care and health. Shortlisted suppliers will be asked to put forward a proposed methodology that effectively demonstrates this and helps address the problems specified. In so far as is possible within the budget, the LGA would like to ensure that this support is across the full service design methodology and assists councils in both designing and delivering person-focused care and support.
• 6. Whilst there is no typical Local Authority can you describe some of the stakeholders we might be working with? How many Local authorities do you expect to take part? Are there any classifications of LA’s which we need to cover, e.g. small, large, urban, rural etc.: This will be dependent on the methodology proposed by the supplier. However, suppliers that are shortlisted and invited to put forward proposals should consider how a mix of councils can be supported reflecting the Local Government sector. The LGA does not wish to prescribe the methodology for suppliers and instead would like to see creative proposals on how the problems specified can be most effectively met within the budget specified.
• 7. You mentioned that a workshop has already taken place, what was the outcome of this? If chosen, would you be able to share the materials? Was any research carried out?: A workshop was held with a small number of councils that are applying service design. This workshop was held to explore the types of approaches that could best support the sector. The LGA has also had contact with NHS Digital and with Public Health England both of whom have applied service design and digital to adult social care and health. The workshop and engagement with these has informed the shape of this procurement. There are no further materials available for sharing.
• 8. Is there an incumbent Service Design agency you have also invited into this process?: No. Whilst the LGA in other areas has arrangements in place to support service design we are inviting interest via the Digital Marketplace for this procurement.
• 9. Do you have any current personas or journey maps that are representative of the current audience and their journey?: The LGA has not carried out specific work on personas or journey maps in this area. NHS Digital have carried out similar work in the area of adult social care here (although restricted to over-65s and does not include working age adults): http://transformation.blog.nhs.uk/social-care-discovery-findings.
• 10. Can you describe the team at LGA in more detail who we would liaise with?: This work is part of our Care and Health Improvement Programme (see here: https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/our-improvement-offer/care-and-health-improvement). Within CHIP there is small team taking forward our digital work with councils who are leading on this specific procurement. This team works with other areas of the Care and Health Improvement Programme. The selected supplier will have contact with both the Programme Manager and with the Programme Adviser. The team are delivering on separate programmes of work in 2018/19 including the Social Care Digital Innovation Programme.