Defence Online

Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom

1. Title: LEGACY SYSTEMS REPLACEMENT
2. Awarding Authority: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), GB. Web:
3. Contract type: Service contract
4. Description: The Awarding Authority are seeking a supplier to progress our strategic ambition to remove our dependency of legacy systems. This will continue our work with calculate release dates plus sentence and offence registers allowing us to take more impactful transformations as a result.
5. CPV Code(s): 72000000, 72200000, 72260000, 72266000
6. NUTS code(s): UKI, UKI3, UKI32, UKE32
7. Main site or location of works, main place of delivery or main place of performance: Location No specific location, for example they can work remotely
Address where the work will take place Sheffield
8. Reference attributed by awarding authority: Not provided.
9. Estimated value of requirement: Budget range £5m + VAT
10. Closing date for applications 8.4.2022 (23:59).
11. Address to which they must be sent: For further information regarding the above contract notice please visit
12. Other information: Deadline for asking questions Friday 1 April 2022 at 11:59pm GMT
Latest start date Monday 27 June 2022
Expected contract length 24months
Why the work is being done The MOJ has a bold strategic vision for the delivery of digital, data & technology in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) which includes:
Replacing prison legacy systems with simpler, clearer, faster digital services
Capturing, storing and sharing high quality data across services leading to better and faster decision-making
The MOJ has made progress in developing user-centred design services transforming the lives of those using and interacting with them. Many of the products and services developed in the last few years are however constrained with the requirement to return data to legacy systems such as NOMIS, Delius and OASyS. MOJ is now at a critical stage where we need to replace more substantial elements of the legacy systems so that we are a) able to switch off larger pieces of the estate and b) enable more transformational development which is free from those constraints.
Problem to be solved Our legacy estate is complex, built up and added to over the years. The operations of prisons and probation is complex with multiple dependencies on data and information that is entered for one purpose but is subsequently consumed by other downstream services.
One of the services started in 2021 which has demonstrated this is sentence calculation. The development of a calculation engine was constrained at both the start of the user journey with the need to input data into NOMIS and at the end with the need to submit data to NOMIS.
In order to remove these constraints improving services for users we need to tackle more of the legacy NOMIS estate. This would remove the need for users to make choices on the ‘right data’ to use, it would provide single sources of truth for offence types, sentences and other core data providing a benefit for a whole host of services across prison and probation.
Furthermore, removing dependency on legacy services will enable the automation of many manual processes which not only supports a reduction in errors but would in addition provide considerable time saving for staff enabling them to focus their efforts on higher value work.
Who the users are and what they need to do Prisoners and people on probation- they are end users and often reliant on the output of our services.
HMPPS front line staff – they need digital services that work in order to have effective relationships with prisoners and people on probation to deliver their role.
HMPPS administration staff – they need quick, efficient and importantly accurate digital products in order to support the day to day running of the establishment and services.
HMPPS operational management – require confidence that the systems and activities of the staff are operating effectively, accurately and efficiently to manage the prison and achieve prison targets
HMPPS regional & national operation teams – as per local operational management, these teams need confidence that the national prison estate and probation service is meeting its strategic targets.
HMPPS national policy teams – need confidence that prison and probation policies and practices are being followed.
Early market engagement
Any work that’s already been done Work completed to date can be grouped into three stages. Firstly, a service in private beta. Secondly, we have Alpha work that is actively in progress on specific core components and registers to provide single sources of the truth across HMPPS e.g. offence data. Finally, there are data sources or components which are on the legacy replacement roadmaps but no active work has progressed as yet. We are aware that in the case of the first and second scenarios there may be a requirement to conduct further research where teams uncover dependencies on other data within the legacy estate.
Existing team A managed service team has been in place since May 2021 and will have reached the end of their contract at the end of April 2022. The team has been working with a Product/SME for Prisons providing direction and domain knowledge for the team. Additional SME support has been provided from Probation. All other delivery roles are expected to be resourced by the managed service provider. The existing teams are ensuring work to date is documented and the expectation is a handover period between the managed service teams. Priority roles would be identified with an off-boarding profile to support this.
Current phase Beta
Working arrangements There will be a requirement for visits to prisons, regional offices particularly for research. There may also be a requirement to travel for meetings in Sheffield or London. Outside of these visits and any meetings, there is no requirement to be office-based and individuals can work from home. The supplier costs need to be inclusive of travel and expenses.
Security clearance A minimum of Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) standard is required. Where access to live production data is necessary, Security Clearance (SC) may also be required.
Additional information
Additional terms and conditions
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
Proven track record of delivering digital services through agile methods to, and/or on behalf of Government throughout the product life cycle, meeting service standard & technology code of practice
Demonstrable capabilities in Kotlin-node development
Demonstrable capability in solving complex mathematical problems resulting in high levels of accuracy
Proven experience & expertise of collaborating across teams and departments, delivering products and services that facilitate significant business change and transferring ownership and knowledge to in-house teams
Nice-to-have skills and experience
Experience within the prison environment in particular Offender Management Unit (OMU)
Knowledge of the wider Criminal Justice system and systems which are part of the user and data journey
How suppliers will be evaluated
All suppliers will be asked to provide a written proposal.
How many suppliers to evaluate 3
Proposal criteria
A recent and relevant case study of a similar project that explains your approach and methodology and how it ensured successful delivery
Provide examples of how you have used analytical techniques to investigate and solve complex problems and how you have identified and delivered value early and iteratively
Provide an example team structure including skills, experience, responsibilities, level of permanent/contractor split and relevance of individuals. Explain how you will ensure the team delivers responsibilities throughout this approach
Provide a project plan for what your team would deliver during the timescales, how you split the time between the project phases, private beta to live and Alpha-beta-live
Demonstrate how you will deliver value for money throughout this project
Demonstrate how you would ensure an efficient and effective hand over to the in-house team
Cultural fit criteria
Is responsive to the needs of the team and organisation shaping and adjusting teams to ensure the optimum performance and cohesion
Is innovative and forward thinking, shares knowledge, experience and honest feedback with clients and takes responsibility for the quality of their work
Able to demonstrate the value of their approach and understands the value of data and analytics
Work collaboratively with HMPPS Digital and staff in probation and prisons including stakeholders with varying understanding of agile methodologies
Encourages new entrees to their digital professions and upskills and develops their workforce
Encourages diverse representation in their workforce
Payment approach Capped time and materials
Additional assessment methods Presentation
Evaluation weighting
Technical competence
60%
Cultural fit
20%
Price
20%
TKR-2022325-EX-1793103