IWM/2526/DE/3480: Digital Transformation Support Framework (Strategic and Delivery Roles) for IWM - Lot 5 Award Notice

Scope of Services

The provider will offer expert data consultancy services to underpin IWM's data consolidation and governance workstreams. The core objective is to treat data as a strategic asset, enabling data-informed decision-making and supporting commercial growth. This includes auditing IWM's current data maturity, defining a strategic roadmap for data utilisation, advising on appropriate technologies and platforms, and establishing clear protocols for data ownership, stewardship, and quality management across the organisation.

Technical and Functional Requirements

•Data Strategy & Governance: Develop and implement a comprehensive data strategy, including frameworks for data governance, quality assurance, and data lifecycle management.

•Data Consolidation: Advise on and support the integration of disparate data sources across IWM (e.g., retail, admissions, marketing) into a unified and accessible system.

•Compliance: Ensure all data processing activities are fully compliant with UK GDPR and other relevant data protection legislation. Provide consultancy on data privacy and compliance best practices.

•Analytics and Insights: Establish methodologies for customer segmentation, campaign targeting, and performance tracking to drive commercial activities.

•Decision Support: Support the cultural shift towards data-informed decision-making by providing actionable insights and reports to key stakeholders.

Scope of Services

To provide specialist software engineering services for the development, maintenance, and integration of the technical infrastructure supporting IWM's digital transformation. This involves building new digital products, integrating third-party APIs, enhancing back-end systems, and prototyping innovative AI applications. This includes the exploration and implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance user experiences (e.g., through personalised recommendations) and improve operational efficiency (e.g., through automation of internal processes).

Technical and Functional Requirements

•Infrastructure Development: Design, build, and maintain robust and scalable software solutions.

•AI Integration: Develop and integrate AI capabilities, including machine learning models and neural networks, to create innovative digital products and services.

•Database Technologies: Demonstrate expertise in modern database technologies, including NoSQL, graph, and vector databases, to support advanced data processing and AI applications. Familiarity with technologies such as Weviate, Pinecone, or similar is desirable.

•System Integration: Ensure new and existing systems are effectively integrated to provide a seamless user journey and efficient data flow.

•Agile Development: Work within an agile project management framework to deliver iterative improvements and new features.

Scope of Services

To provide business analysis services that bridge the gap between business needs and technical solutions. The role is critical for ensuring that digital projects deliver tangible value, are fit for purpose, and align with strategic objectives, particularly in supporting commercial income generation. This will involve conducting stakeholder workshops and interviews, defining user stories and acceptance criteria, supporting product owners with backlog refinement, and ensuring that technical solutions directly address the business problems they are intended to solve.

Technical and Functional Requirements

•Requirements Gathering: Elicit, analyse, and document business requirements from stakeholders across IWM.

•Solution Design: Translate business needs into detailed functional and technical specifications for development teams.

•Process Mapping: Analyse and model existing business processes ("as-is") and design optimised future-state processes ("to-be").

•System Configuration: Ensure systems are configured to support key commercial functions such as upselling, cross-selling, and personalised visitor journeys.

•User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Develop UAT plans and coordinate testing activities to ensure solutions meet business requirements.

Scope of Services

To provide structured and professional project management and support services to ensure the successful delivery of digital transformation projects. This role will manage delivery risk, coordinate cross-functional teams, and maintain momentum across multiple workstreams. Key responsibilities include managing project budgets and resources, reporting progress to steering committees and the Digital Transformation Board, and ensuring project delivery adheres to appropriate methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, or a hybrid approach) as required by the specific project.

Technical and Functional Requirements

•Project Planning: Develop and maintain detailed project plans, schedules, and budgets.

•Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks and issues.

•Stakeholder Management: Manage communications and relationships with project stakeholders, including providing regular progress updates to the Digital Transformation Board.

•Team Coordination: Coordinate the activities of internal teams and third-party suppliers to ensure project milestones are met.

•Governance & Reporting: Ensure adherence to IWM's project management framework and provide accurate and timely status reports.

Scope of Services

To provide expert web development services for IWM's key web platforms, including Drupal, Shopify, and WordPress. The focus is on creating high-performing, user-friendly, and secure websites that support digital engagement and e-commerce goals. The scope includes building custom modules/plugins, implementing new designs provided by IWM's creative teams, optimising websites for search engines (SEO) and performance, and providing ongoing maintenance, security patching, and technical support.

Technical and Functional Requirements

•Platform Expertise: Demonstrate advanced skills in both front-end and back-end development for Drupal, Shopify, and WordPress.

•Front-End Development: Proficient in technologies such as ReactJS, Angular, NextJS, and jQuery to create responsive and engaging user interfaces.

•Back-End Development: Proficient in technologies such as PHP, Linux, SQL, and search technologies (e.g., Solr, Elasticsearch).

•E-commerce: Develop and maintain robust e-commerce capabilities, ensuring a seamless and high-converting online sales experience.

•Accessibility: Ensure all web development work complies with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG AA 2.2).

Scope of Services

To provide specialist functional consultancy and development for IWM's Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform. This role will ensure the system is configured and customised to support efficient and effective business processes across a wide range of departments. This will involve working with specific modules (e.g., Sales, Customer Service, Finance, HR), undertaking data migration activities, creating custom reports and dashboards (e.g., using Power BI), and automating business workflows to improve operational efficiency.

Technical and Functional Requirements

•Functional Configuration: Configure and customise MS Dynamics 365 to meet the specific business needs of departments such as retail, membership, finance, HR, and operations.

•Solution Design: Design and document solutions within the Dynamics 365 ecosystem, ensuring they are scalable and align with best practices.

•Development: Undertake development tasks, including creating plugins, custom workflows, and integrations with other systems.

•Training and Support: Provide training and documentation to end-users to ensure successful adoption of the system.