NW2679 - Productivity and Collaboration Framework

The procurement contact named on the official notice.

Northumbrian Water Limited (NWL) provides water and sewerage services to approximately 4.4 million people in the North-East of England, Essex, and Suffolk.

NWL aims to become the most digital water company globally.

As part of this vision, Northumbrian Water Group (NWG) seeks to procure 2+1 years contracts for 4 lots with up to eight suppliers.

NWG is procuring a framework of suppliers to help it maximize the value delivered using M365 and to provide professional services related to M365 and tactical development services.

We want to build on the success already achieved, continuing to use M365 to help streamline processes, boost productivity, and adapt to the evolving digital landscape, positioning ourselves for sustained growth and success.

Lot 1 - Modern Work Adoption & Engagement NWG are looking for partners to provide expertise and guidance on how to effectively implement and maximize the use of Microsoft's modern work solutions.

This includes developing adoption strategies, creating training materials, and delivering targeted training sessions for end-users to ensure that they understand how to use these tools to their fullest potential.

Example work package - This could include developing a proof of concept for a new and emerging technology across the M365 Modern Workplace, such as Viva, Teams, and Copilot.

Lot 2 - M365 Solution Development Developing custom Power Apps tailored to the specific needs of the business.

Helping the business integrate Power Apps with other M365 tools such as SharePoint, Teams, and Power BI Advising on best practices for data security and compliance when developing the solution.

Example work package - Developing a proof of concept and a possible solution for the Regional Control Centre process which the team are looking to realise in a modern digital solution.

Determine if a MS Power Solution is possible and best suited to their needs.

Lot 3 - SharePoint/Syntex Developing custom solutions that leverage Syntex for content discovery and management, such as dashboards or reports that surface relevant documents based on specific criteria.

Training employees on how to use Syntex to manage content more effectively, including how to classify content and work with metadata.

Helping the business integrate Syntex with other M365 tools such as Power Apps or Power BI, enabling more advanced workflows and analytics.

Advising on best practices for information governance and compliance within SharePoint and Syntex, ensuring that content is managed in a secure and compliant manner.

Example Work Package - Digital Filing Cabinet - A project to consolidate 3,500 SharePoint sites into a centralised enterprise asset management, and content management solution, where data will be analysed, extracted, and tagged.

Lot 4 Information Architecture and Governance Provide insight and recommendations for improving the usability, content, design, performance, security, and compliance of NWG Intranet.

Example Work Package - NWG launched a new SharePoint Online Intranet in September 2021, known as 'The Source'., since its launch, it has continued to grow and build upon its original foundations at a rapid pace.

The Source is built up of several 'hub' sites on SharePoint that all link into the main home site that utilises the features within SharePoint to have a responsive, engaging and content-driven intranet.

2 years post-launch, we are looking to conduct a review of the Information Architecture, to include: Site Hierarchy, Navigation & Search and Taxonomy.

NOTE: £300,000 is for all 4 lots this is approximately £75,000 per lot.

This split is subject to change depending on NWL's future requirements.