Future opportunity

Support to the Armed Forces Reward and Incentivisation Review (AFRIR)

  • Ministry of Defence

F01: Prior information notice (reducing time limits for receipt of tenders)

Notice reference: 2021/S 000-025773

Published 14 October 2021, 10:45pm



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Ministry of Defence

Glasgpw

Contact

Iain McLean

Email

Iain.McLean118@mod.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://modgovuk

one.2) Information about joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

one.3) Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address

Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address

one.4) Type of the contracting authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority

one.5) Main activity

Defence


Section two: Object

two.1) Scope of the procurement

two.1.1) Title

Support to the Armed Forces Reward and Incentivisation Review (AFRIR)

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

As set out in the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (16 March 2021), the security threats and challenges facing the UK are increasingly complex and uncertain. If the Armed Forces are to defend the nation from these in future, Defence must manage its service personnel more effectively. Furthermore, the world and workplace are changing rapidly, with the pace of change accelerated by technology. Because of this, society’s expectations and the labour market are also changing and becoming less aligned to how Defence has worked in the past. What Defence offers to service personnel must therefore be adjusted by adopting more sophisticated and differentiated approaches to managing and rewarding their skills and talents. However, the unique opportunities military service provides should be preserved to prevent the creation of a transactional relationship with our people.

The Defence Command Paper (22 March 2021) commits Defence to establishing an independent review to examine these issues. This review, known as the Armed Forces Reward and Incentivisation Review (AFRIR), will consider all aspects of the Offer to our people: financial reward in the form of pay and pensions; and benefits such as housing, healthcare, childcare, family support and career flexibility, and many others. Further details of the Offer can be found in Our Finest Asset: what it means to serve in the 21 Century (22 March 2021).

The Review is expected to publish a report by Spring 2023, which will set out recommendations to make military terms and conditions of service fit for the future. These will look out to the 2030s and beyond to ensure that Defence can recruit and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce with the right skills to meet its requirements - mindful of prevailing and expected labour market conditions and assuming the Department overall will have an operating budget that remains the same in real terms.

The AFRIR has been designed to take a wide perspective: it will be led by an independently appointed Chair and apply the tools and lessons of global best practice. The Review, in conjunction with DSTL and the MOD’s Analysis Directorate, will draw on Defence-specific and multi-disciplinary research and benchmarking, and apply existing and new analytical frameworks to model or simulate scenarios. External Assistance (EA) is required to complement and build upon the skills and capacity available in Defence to deliver Review. There are four areas of work where EA is required:

a) Conceptual Development. This package of work will provide support to the creation of a Reward & Incentivisation Strategy for Defence, focussed at Armed Forces Personnel, set in a 2035 context. This will draw heavily on knowledge and experience of global best-practice benchmarks on reward approach, philosophy and strategy. We are looking for fresh thinking to challenge the status quo. But it must also support us to successfully translate this into the future Defence context. This will require expert input into the shaping and development of a conceptual model that can define and connect Defence’s future operational vision with its people needs, helping to ensure it is framed in effective structures and terms for the Review. This requires the expert knowledge to be coupled with comfort in broader conceptual thinking and in dealing with the uncertainty that comes with formulating a long-term vision;

b) Strategic simulation. This package of work aims to enable Defence to gain an understanding of its total Reward & Incentivisation system, including the relationships between different financial and non-financial elements. The work to be undertaken will involve creating a strategic view of the System today and how it may evolve in 2035, pulling in appropriate external best practice. It is anticipated that this work will involve integrating a considerable amount of multi-disciplinary knowledge; it will draw on current Defence data, b

two.1.6) Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: Yes

Tenders may be submitted for one lot only

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

Conceptual Development

Lot No

1

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

To provide strategic advice and global best-practice benchmarks on reward approach, philosophy and strategy; to incorporate and adapt in-house conceptual development to ensure it is framed in effective structures and terms for the Review

two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

Strategic Simulation

Lot No

2

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Develop strategic simulation(s) to bring together all the evidence and data and manipulate that to determine the impact policy options could have in different scenarios at strategic, operational and tactical levels.

two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

Implementation Management

Lot No

4

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Conduct assessments of policy options to understand, in outline terms, how those could be delivered, particularly with respect to the underlying IT solution; provide feedback into recommendation development process to ensure recommendations reflect deliverability concerns and to minimise implementation costs; help to develop dedicated change-management and implementation recommendations (e.g. around IT solutions) for the report.

two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No

two.2) Description

two.2.1) Title

Strategic Cost Modelling

Lot No

3

two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)

  • 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Conduct high-level modelling of costs both to enable decisions on individual policy options/design and to underpin overall assurance that the holistic reward model is affordable within reasonably parameters of uncertainty.

two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No

two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice

3 December 2021


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No


Section six. Complementary information

six.3) Additional information

The purpose of this PIN is to invite potential suppliers to a period of market engagement prior to the commencement of future competitions for the AFRIR requirement. The Authority may use feedback from interested parties to further shape its approach and commercial construct.

Interested parties should note that this is an accelerated programme with constrained timeframes, and should be prepared to work in an agile way to ensure timeframes are met.

As part of this engagement, the Authority intends to hold a virtual industry day on Tuesday 9 November and share the following documents with interested parties:

- High level technical specification; and

- Level 1 procurement plan showing stages and timeframes.

The Authority would welcome your feedback on these documents before the period of market engagement ends on 22 November.

Suppliers who are interested in participating in the period of market engagement, which includes attending the virtual industry day on 9 November and receiving and commenting on the documents listed above, should write to the Authority at McLean, Iain Mr (Def Comrcl-HO BP3-2b) Iain.McLean118@mod.gov.uk and include the following:

a) details of your company name; and

b) two (2) points of contact and their contact details (name, phone number, email address, postal address).

The deadline for writing to the Authority for this purpose is 28 October 2021.

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Defence Commercial Head Office

Glasgow

Country

United Kingdom