DVLA uses AWARD® to ensure a robust and transparent procurement process across its strategic projects
As the main body responsible for the vehicle and driver licensing in the UK, the DVLA needed a fool proof solution to support its most complex projects. That’s where Commerce Decisions came in.
Customer/client profile
The DVLA holds more than 49 million driver records and more than 40 million vehicle records. It also collects circa £6bn a year in vehicle excise duty (VED). It maintains the registration and licensing of drivers in Great Britain; and in the UK maintains the registration and licensing of vehicles, together with the collection and enforcement of VED. They also collect over £115m in revenue from the sale of registration numbers.
The key deliverables of the Agency are:
– Recording driver endorsements, disqualifications and medical conditions
– Issuing photocard driving licences
– Issuing vehicle registration certificates to vehicle keepers
– Taking enforcement action against vehicle tax evaders
– Registering and issuing tachograph cards
– Selling DVLA personalised registrations
– Helping the police and intelligence authorities deal with crime
– Providing anonymised data to those who have the right to use the service
Background – where it began
The DVLA uses an e-procurement tool to support its eTendering processes (tactical, commodity-type procurement) and was looking to establish an effective way of supporting its more complex, strategic projects with improved collaboration and audit trail of its decision-making processes. The DVLA had previously been using Microsoft Office to support its evaluation process, which can create unnecessary risk and does not provide an audit trail. That’s where Commerce Decisions came in with our AWARD® evaluation solution, specifically designed to support high value, high risk procurements.
We have been working with the DVLA since Summer 2017, when we were engaged to support a ‘Proof of Concept’ trial of AWARD® on its Re-Procurement of Vision Testing Services. This was a £9.7m procurement to let a 5-year contract to deliver a visual field and visual acuity testing service by qualified and trained opticians to assist the DVLA in determining a driver’s medical fitness to hold a driving licence.
A Principal Consultant from Commerce Decisions was assigned to work closely with the DVLA right from the outset, ensuring that the project team got the best out of AWARD® and maximised its benefit. We supported the team with the creation of a robust and fit for purpose criteria set, designed to deliver the best possible outcome from the project. The expert insight and advice provided by our consultant in tandem with the AWARD® software proved to be a successful collaboration.
Since the successful completion of the Vision Procurement, the DVLA has broadened its use of the AWARD® solution to support its strategic and complex projects across the Agency on an ongoing basis.
Continued strategic project support
Continued strategic project support In September 2018, the DVLA began a wider deployment of AWARD®, extending its use of the solution across its more complex, strategic projects. Initial projects included the Enforcement Services and Card Product Management procurements. With an estimated contract value of £215m, the Enforcement Services project sought to procure the provision of various Vehicle Enforcement Services, including vehicle clamping, auction and demolition services. The £74m Card Product Management project was for the procurement of polycarbonate card bodies for the chipped and non-chipped card products issued by the DVLA, such as the Driving Licence, the Digital Tachograph Card and the Biometric Permit Cards (on behalf of the Home Office).
Complementing their use of AWARD®, our consultants have worked with the DVLA project teams in a number of ways including:
– Supporting the development of robust criteria sets
– Establishing appropriate weighting approaches and value for money methodologies
– Testing and selecting the scoring methodology
– Supporting the evaluation process
– Setting up templates to support repeatable processes
– Setting up standard reports, including an automated debrief report
Of particular importance for the DVLA was the business continuity AWARD® provided
This was especially well illustrated by the Vehicle Enforcement Services project, which was underway when Wales was hit by extremely bad weather that restricted the ability for individuals to travel as normal. The bidders had already submitted their bids electronically, and they were ready to be evaluated. The option to work remotely (from home or alternative offices) via AWARD® meant that panel members could get on with the evaluation and keep to the project timeframes. Moreover, prior to using AWARD®, the moderation process would have been conducted by gathering the team together, all in one room. With AWARD® offering the ability for the team to not only evaluate remotely, but also to carry out the moderation process, the project was able to continue in an efficient and auditable way, keeping to original timescales.
Overcoming project challenges
The DVLA selected AWARD® to help improve the evaluation process and introduce a level of flexibility by providing:
- Transparency: how to document a clear audit trail of actions and decisions made in order to encourage open, fair and transparent procurements
- Time to contract: how to reduce timeframes and stay on track with project deadlines
- Remote working: to inspire teamwork and improve the management and collaboration between geographically dispersed project stakeholders and subject matter experts on large scale procurements
About AWARD®
The AWARD® software solution and expert services have been specially designed to support complex, high risk strategic procurement projects. For over 20 years AWARD® has been trusted to deliver some of the largest, most complex procurements globally across government, defence, transport and infrastructure, totalling over $500 billion. AWARD® has been proven to shorten time to contract, improve value for money, and reduce risk to support the delivery of the best possible outcomes.
The value added by Commerce Decisions
The implementation of AWARD® offered a major improvement in the way the DVLA delivered evaluation on large complex procurement exercises, particularly in the enablement of remote access, the management of workflow and the establishment of best practice evaluation processes.
Feedback from the DVLA on the benefits of using AWARD® included:
“A well-rounded solution, combining consultancy support and software.”
“Sound advice from the Commerce Decisions team around evaluation and current practice was very well received helping the team to deliver better project outcomes.”
“The software was easy to navigate by evaluation panels and quick to pick up.”
“The audit trail created by AWARD®, including the time stamp against activities, was crucial to illustrating transparency.”
“Geographically dispersed users working across disparate teams could easily access AWARD® remotely and focus on the supplier evaluations assigned to them for scoring.”
“Customisable real-time reporting, covering key elements such as results, user progress and issues, provided valuable insight into the bid evaluation and debrief processes giving assurance that projects can be completed on time.”
