Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department for Work and Pensions
Quarry House, Quarry Hill
Leeds
LS2 7UA
contactcentre.marketengagement@dwp.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at
https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Contact Centre Market Engagement
Reference number
project_23210
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79512000 - Call centre
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP’s) existing contact centre is the largest across all UK government departments and is one of the largest contact centres in Europe, with more than 33,000 advisors (c.17,000 concurrent) in circa 200 locations and handling approximately 90 million calls per annum. The contact centre platform is delivered on behalf of DWP by a managed service provider. DWP is currently evaluating options for how to continue delivering services beyond the expiry of the current contract.
DWP is therefore undertaking a market engagement exercise to gather insights from suppliers to help inform its future contact centre strategy. The market engagement activity will consist of an initial webinar session hosted by DWP alongside issuing various Request for Information (RFI) documents to gather specific insights on key solution areas and options.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 48000000 - Software package and information systems
- 48100000 - Industry specific software package
- 72210000 - Programming services of packaged software products
- 72212211 - Platform interconnectivity software development services
- 72250000 - System and support services
- 72317000 - Data storage services
- 72500000 - Computer-related services
- 72590000 - Computer-related professional services
- 79512000 - Call centre
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
DWP’s existing contact centre is the largest across all UK government departments and is one of the largest contact centres in Europe, with more than 33,000 advisors (c.17,000 concurrent) in circa 200 locations and handling approximately 90 million calls per annum. The contact centre platform is delivered on behalf of DWP by a managed service provider. DWP is currently evaluating options for how to continue delivering services beyond the expiry of the current contract.
Any future omnichannel contact centre solution must incorporate the standard inbound and outbound voice elements of a modern contact centre, further including email & webchat, call recording and speech analytics whilst taking into consideration that there will be the development of other future omnichannel services.
DWP is undertaking a market engagement exercise to gather insights from suppliers to inform its future contact centre strategy. The market engagement activity consists of an initial webinar session taking place at 13:00 on 12th December 2022 to provide some background and context to the requirement. All documentation, including the webinar invitation, can be accessed via the DWP e-Sourcing portal https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk. The slides from the webinar will be published on the portal alongside a list of supplier questions and DWP answers from the session.
In addition, several Request for Information (RFI) documents are available via the DWP e-Sourcing portal as set out below to gather specific insights on key solution areas and options.
Suppliers can select any number of RFIs to respond to:
RFI 1 – Contact Centre Platform – DWP require a contact centre technology platform providing all core capabilities.
RFI 2 – Outbound Dialler Integration – An Outbound Dialler solution is required to integrate into the proposed contact centre solution.
RFI 3 – Presentation Layer for Historic Management Information (MI) - DWP require a data analysis and report authoring tool that can digest data from the contact centre platform and other sources.
RFI 4 –Workforce Optimisation – A workforce optimisation solution that will provide DWP with agent forecasting and scheduling capability along with real-time contact centre performance and agent adherence monitoring.
The following two RFIs will be added to the portal by 9th December 2022.
RFI 5 – Managed Service/Run Partner – An operating and support model that manages the proposed contact centre on behalf of DWP or an alternative method of support/co-operation.
RFI 6 – Survey Solution – Integrated into the contact centre platform a survey solution that citizens can interact with via their keypad or through voice recognition.
All information relating to this market engagement activity, including the RFI documents and webinar invitation, are available via the DWP eSourcing portal https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk. Please register as a supplier on this solution and express an interest in the “Contact Centre Market Engagement” opportunity to access the documentation. Further details are provided in the Additional Information section below.
The deadline for submitting RFI responses is 17:00 on 6th January 2023. Submissions are required to be made via the DWP eSourcing portal.
DWP reserves the right to clarify RFI responses or to enter into more detailed discussions with individual suppliers to gather more qualitative insights.
Please note that the market engagement activity will not be used to formally evaluate suppliers and any information shared will be used for information purposes only to provide insights and to inform DWP of market capabilities. Any information received or discussions held will not contribute or influence the evaluation of any potential future tender submissions.
Participation in this exercise is optional with all associated costs to be borne by the supplier. Any decision not to participate will not preclude any suppliers from participation in any subsequent procurement activity.
two.2.14) Additional information
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions, and child maintenance policy. As the UK's biggest public service department, it administers the State Pension and a range of other working age, disability, and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
31 March 2023
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: Yes
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
How to participate in this market engagement process:
1. Register on the DWP eSourcing portal (this is only required once):
https://dwp.bravosolution.co.uk & click the link to register - Accept the terms & conditions & click 'continue' - Enter your correct business & user details - Note your chosen username & click 'Save'. You will receive an email with your temporary password.
2. Express Interest in the market engagement - Login to the portal with the username/password - Click the 'PQQs / ITTs Open To All Suppliers' link. This market engagement is identified as a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire - Click on the “Contact Centre Market Engagement” link to access the content. Click the 'Express Interest' button at the top of the page. This will move the Market Engagement Activity into your 'My PQQs/ My ITTs' page. (A secure area reserved for your projects only) You can now access all documentation by clicking 'Buyer Attachments' in the 'PQQ Details' box. Please note that this process is not being conducted as a formal PQQ, but we are using the PQQ functionality within the eSourcing portal to facilitate the market engagement process.
3. Responding to the RFIs - Click 'My Response' under 'PQQ/ ITT Details', you can choose to 'Create Response' or to 'Decline to Respond' (please give a reason if declining) - You can now use the 'Messages' function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification - Note the deadline for completion. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the RFIs. To submit your RFI response please upload your response as an attachment to the corresponding RFI ‘question’, then use the 'Submit Response' button (top of the page).
For further assistance please consult the online help, or the eTendering help desk.