Expenditure with Exception UK Limited: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/02001
Date received: 30 August 2017
Date responded: 22 September 2017

Information requested

You asked for details of all expenditure with Exception UK Limited commissioned and approved by the Head of Digital Services during 2015, 2016 and 2017 (up to and including July 2017).

You asked for a breakdown for each year as follows:

1. Details of all work commissioned.
2. Details of all work delivered and how much was paid for each stage/ phase/or output.
3. What competitive process was used for each year of engagement?
4. What method was used by the Head of Digital Services to select this supplier for inclusion in any competitive process?
5. Details of any sub-contractor or subsidiary used by Exception UK Limited to deliver any work outputs and how much they were paid for such work.
6. Where resources were supplied or requested, details of the daily rate charged and the total expenditure by resource type or skill?
7. Copy of any investment request or business case created or submitted by the Head of Digital Services to support all work awarded to Exception UK Limited.
8. Details of the governance model used by the Head of Digital Services to manage and control the overall expenditure with this supplier.

Response

1. Details of all work commissioned:

Education Scotland is exploring the future digitisation of the Scottish education inspection and review process. An important part of this strategy is to assess the current and future business model(s) to determine how best digital can support inspection and review requirements. To achieve this objective, Education Scotland formally tendered a statement of requirements, utilising a competitive procurement framework, covering the following high level scope:

Resourcing capability

• Attain interim business analysis and any necessary technical consultancy capability across Education Scotland.
• Plan and execute corporate business analysis of the inspection and review business model.

Exception secured the contract to provide and maintain necessary resourcing to assist Education Scotland's Digital Services Team (managed by the Head of Digital Services).

2. Details of all work delivered and how much was paid for each stage/ phase/or output.

High level Deliverables:

Gap Analysis

A thorough examination of the current process, or processes, used throughout the inspection and review function across Scotland, for use in determining future business change.

Business Analysis documentation

Deliver output documentation that covers the findings of the business analysis review, the recommendations for digital service improvement, operating model and any other operational transformations identified that can deliver to the wider corporate strategy.

High level functional and data requirements, including future (visual) prototype of the digital solution target

The engagement was to identify business change required for Education Scotland and ensure that requirements for any future systems development (should such development be built in house or procured) are formed/captured.

Resource time to complete analysis tasks and provide output/product were based on a daily time and material basis. Costs were based/agreed on a daily resource rate of £450 per day.

3. What competitive process was used for each year of engagement?

During Financial year 2016/17

As the expected contract value would exceed £50k, procurement was publicised on the Public Contracts Scotland website (in accordance with Section 23(2) of the Procurement Reform Act 2014) using a competitive procedure, to ensure value for money is achieved, along with registering the contract in Education Scotland's Contracts Register

The recommended and utilised procurement route to market was with the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) G-Cloud 7 Framework Agreement.

This route meets the main procurement requirements:

• Reduced procurement timescales and allows Education Scotland to attain a third party responsible for maintaining continuity of necessary, skilled resourcing to fulfil the objectives of Education Scotland's Inspection and Review analysis

• Use of existing framework reduces the resourcing acquisition effort, whilst providing a level of competition and ensuring compliance with EU legislation.

4. What method was used by the Head of Digital Services to select this supplier for inclusion in any competitive process?

Central Government Procurement Shared Services (CGPSS) supported the procurement and recommended a procurement route to market via the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) G-Cloud 7 Framework Agreement, to provide a supplier(s) for evaluation.

5. Details of any sub-contractor or subsidiary used by Exception UK Limited to deliver any work outputs and how much they were paid for such work.

To fulfil future system/functional requirements output requirement, Exception provided the services of Waracle ltd (an Exception business partner/ subsidiary).

6. Where resources were supplied or requested, details of the daily rate charged and the total expenditure by resource type or skill?

As part of the overall business improvement strategy, a budget of £120k was established at to fund the initiative. The total cost of the aforementioned output/deliverables was £84,000- in line with agreed investment. Resource type/skill included: Senior Business Analyst, Consultant and services from Waracle as an Exception business subsidiary.

7. Copy of any investment request or business case created or submitted by the Head of Digital Services to support all work awarded to Exception UK Limited.

A copy of the Business Investment proposal, issued to Education Scotland's senior management is included at Annex A.

8. Details of the governance model used by the Head of Digital Services to manage and control the overall expenditure with this supplier.

This contract was focused on attaining specialist resourcing to compliment and assist the Digital Services team, therefore, it was agreed that governance should be light-touch with a focus on the reviewing outputs with relative senior management, throughout.

About FOI

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FOI-17-02001 - Annex A - Business Investement Proposal.pdf

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