FOI release

Response: Contract for DSIT's board management platform

Published 5 July 2024

Reference number	FOI2024-00004
Date of request	1 July 2024
Date of response	5 July 2024
Outcome	Information disclosed

Request for information

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (the department) received the following request for information which we responded to under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA):

I would be most grateful if you would provide me, under the Freedom of Information Act, details in respect to the contract DDaT23408 - Board Management Platform.

The details we require are:

(1) What are the contractual performance KPI’s for this contract?

(2) Suppliers who applied for inclusion on each framework/contract and were successful & not successful at the PQQ & ITT stages

(3) Actual spend on this contract/framework (and any sub lots), from the start of the contract to the current date

(4) Start date & duration of framework/contract?

(5) Could you please provide a copy of the service/product specification given to all bidders for when this contract was last advertised?

(6) Is there an extension clause in the framework(s)/contract(s) and, if so, the duration of the extension?

(7) Has a decision been made yet on whether the framework(s)/contract(s) are being either extended or renewed?

(8) Who is the senior officer (outside of procurement) responsible for this contract?

(9) What is the best way to get in contact with the relevant person?

This transparency release is the department’s response to this request.

Our response

We can confirm that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (the department) does hold the information in scope of your request.

Question 1: ‘What are the contractual performance KPI’s for this contract?’

This solution was procured through a call-off contract using the G-Cloud 13 Framework and as such a standard G-Cloud 13 Framework agreement was agreed with the supplier. No additional terms were included on the required performance of the service.

Question 2: ‘Suppliers who applied for inclusion on each framework/contract and were successful & not successful at the PQQ & ITT stages’

At the longlisting stage four suppliers were identified that matched the department’s search criteria:

• Board Portal (TeamEngine Software Ltd)
• Diligent Board Portal (Diligent BoardBooks Ltd)
• Boardlogic (Praxonomy Ltd)
• Access People & Payroll (The Access Group)

Only one supplier (Diligent BoardBooks Ltd) was identified as meeting the department’s requirements and was invited to tender. This supplier was successful and was offered a contract with the department.

Question 3: ‘Actual spend on this contract/framework (and any sub lots), from the start of the contract to the current date’

The total spend on this contract for the initial term of 12 months is £41,797.50 excluding VAT. Note that this is inclusive of a contract variation of £13,297.50 excluding VAT for additional licenses for users in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero who share the platform with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Question 4: ‘Start date & duration of framework/contract?’

The start date of this contract was 2 October 2023 and ends on 1 October 2024.

Question 5: ‘Could you please provide a copy of the service/product specification given to all bidders for when this contract was last advertised?’

Please see Annex A.

Question 6: ‘Is there an extension clause in the framework(s)/contract(s) and, if so, the duration of the extension?’

Yes, the contract may be extended for a further 12-month period.

Question 7: ‘Has a decision been made yet on whether the framework(s)/contract(s) are being either extended or renewed?’

No.

Question 8: ‘Who is the senior officer (outside of procurement) responsible for this contract?’

Joanna Cavan, Strategy Director in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is the responsible director for the department’s corporate governance function and for this contract.

Question 9: ‘What is the best way to get in contact with the relevant person?’

Please contact correspondence@dsit.gov.uk if you would like to make an enquiry to the department.

Annex A: Detailed procurement specification

Board pack preparation

The board management platform…

• Must allow the upload of board documents so that they can be assembled into digital board packs that are accessible on the platform through either a browser or an iOS or Android app.
• Must allow the secretariat to input and visualise agendas for meetings, and allow items (and its associated timings, presenters, papers and attachments) to be easily moved from one meeting to another.
• Must allow the secretariat to distribute board papers to board members, notifying members that new papers are ready for them to review.
• Must allow the secretariat to publish updates of the board pack and for that updated pack to be seamlessly available to members without any risk of version control issues.
• Must allow board members to annotate and share comments on board papers ahead of the meeting on the platform.
• Must allow board members of multiple boards in the department to access board packs on a single platform.
• Must allow the secretariat to prepare and publish agendas on the platform
• Should allow the secretariat to draft and format minutes on the platform directly
• Should allow the secretariat to record, track and publish actions on the platform
• Should allow the secretariat to record, track and publish decisions on the platform
• Should allow the secure integration of management information reports, including PowerBI reporting. -Should allow the export of board packs into a single .pdf document.

Board management

The board management platform…

• Should allow the secretariat to conduct board evaluations, asking board members to complete evaluation questionnaires.
• Should allow the secretariat to track and monitor the attendance of board members at each board and committee and prepare attendance reports for inclusion in the department’s annual governance statement.
• Should allow the secretariat to securely store and maintain records on the appointment of external non-executive board members.
• Could allow board members to indicate their availability through a polling solution that allows the secretariat to see which times would permit the attendance of the most board members.
• Could integrate with Microsoft Teams to allow board members to join board meetings remotely from within the platform. -Could integrate with Adobe Sign to allow board members to securely sign board documents from within the platform.

Board communication

The board management platform…

• Should allow the secretariat to securely share updates about board meetings, events and other matters with board members. -Should allow board members to securely communicate with each other outside of meetings through secure messaging functionality.

Forward planning

The board management platform…

• Should allow the secretariat to visualise a forward plan of meeting agendas for the department’s boards and committees.
• Should allow board members to see a forward plan of meetings that they are due to attend, and easily access the associated papers. -Should allow the secretariat to track the history of an item at other boards and committees in the department so that board members have context of other discussions.

Usability

The board management platform…

• Must be intuitive to use with minimal training needed for users (including board members and supporting officials) to be familiar with and navigate the platform.
• Must allow board papers to be accessed through a secure web-portal (where the download of papers can be blocked) or with or without an internet connection through a local application.
• Must offer administrator functions to allow board members to be added or removed from the platform and functionality to allow the granular setting of access permissions by user or group of user.
• Must be usable on a range of form factors, including smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers, scaling to make the most effective use of different display sizes. -Should be able to operate in different countries and time-zones so that the platform can be used by board-members travelling overseas.

Accessibility

The board management platform…

• Must meet the requirements set out in the accessibility regulations in the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. These accessibility regulations build on existing obligations to people who have a disability under the Equality Act 2010.
• Must comply with the government’s Technology Code of Practice. This includes the requirement for your product to meet Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.
• Must comply with the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 and the Equality Act 2010 must be confirmed as follows:

1. Testing documentation (sometimes called an audit) from an internal or external accessibility specialist aligned to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
2. Accessibility Statement aligned to the requirements of the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 that includes information about non-compliant elements, workarounds and plans for the future.
3. Accessibility Certificate from an external accessibility specialist.