Inbuilt Word Processing Capability

Owned by Dan Auld (Unlicensed)
Last updated: 10-03-2022 by norris.orighoye1 (Unlicensed)Version comment
ID

RM104

Version1.0.0
TypeRoadmap Item


TitleInbuilt Word Processing Capability
Description

Under clause 6 of the Commercial Standard, Catalogue Solutions are not permitted to have a non-optional reliance on licences provided by the service recipient where such licences carry a cost to the NHS. Catalogue Solutions which currently utilise service recipients’ Microsoft Office desktop licences to meet the capabilities to which their Catalogue Solutions map without an option to meet the requirements without the use of such licences shall be deemed non-compliant with clause 6 of the Commercial Standard as of 31 October 2020.

In recognition of the fact that a Catalogue Solution may satisfy clause 6 of the Commercial Standard in this regard by the provision of inbuilt functionality that is not determined to be a viable alternative to the use of Microsoft Office by end users, the Catalogue Authority is, via this Roadmap Item, incentivising suppliers to provision a viable inbuilt alternative.


Date Added

 

Standards and CapabilitiesAny Capabilities that utilise service recipients’ Microsoft Office licences where such licences carry a cost to the NHS.
Change Route

Managed Capacity - Other

Change Type

New

Status

Closed

Publication Date 
Effective Date

Not applicable – this is an optional incentivised item

Incentives / Funding

Yes

Incentive Dates

Incentive Start Date: The latter of the 10th August 2020 or the date on which this Roadmap Item attains “Published” status.

Incentive End Date: 31st October 2020

Payment Rules

Applicability: Catalogue Solutions that are compliant and that invoke service recipients’ desktop Microsoft Office licenced software, subject to the Catalogue Authority agreeing a position on reasonable costs with the supplier for executing the activity required under this Roadmap Item by 2 September 2020 and that the benefits to service recipients justify the costs in terms of potential savings on service recipients’ Microsoft Licences.

Incentive amount: 75% of the reasonable costs agreed with the Catalogue Authority per Supplier, subject to an aggregate affordability cap of £750,000 across all supplier Catalogue Solutions that meet the applicability criteria.

Payment Rules

  • The Supplier evidences to the Catalogue Authority’s satisfaction (acting reasonably) that the inbuilt word processing capability represents a viable alternative to the current use of the service recipients’ desktop Microsoft Office licences (end users will be involved in the determination of this).
  • The Supplier has provided a plan for the deployment of the revised solution to all service recipients by 31 October 2020 that is accepted as credible by the Catalogue Authority and has, subject to no circumstances arising where both parties agree the deployment should be delayed, deploy the revised solution to all GPITF service recipients by 31 October 2020. 


Background

The NHS signed a new agreement with Microsoft on 12th June 2020 to allow all NHS organisations to be able to purchase the following licences at significant discounts on the existing Government Framework rates:

  • Office 365 Enterprise E3
  • Office 365 Enterprise E1
  • Apps for Enterprise (Desktop install only version of Office 365)
  • Enterprise Mobility & Security (EM&S)
  • Azure Active Directory Premium Plan 2

These licences together, when combined with the centrally purchased Office 365 Restricted E3 (online only version of E3), and Windows 10 licences purchased in 2018, allow NHS organisations to collectively migrate to the Microsoft 365 suite.

Under clause 6 of the Commercial Standard, Catalogue Solutions are not permitted to have a non-optional reliance on licences provided by the service recipient where such licences carry a cost to the NHS. Catalogue Solutions which currently utilise service recipients’ Microsoft Office desktop licences to meet the capabilities to which their Catalogue Solutions map without an option to meet the requirements without the use of such licences shall be deemed non-compliant with clause 6 of the Commercial Standard as of 31 October 2020.

In recognition of the fact that a Catalogue Solution may satisfy clause 6 of the Commercial Standard in this regard by the provision of inbuilt functionality that is not determined to be a viable alternative to the use of Microsoft Office by end users, the Catalogue Authority is, via this Roadmap Item, incentivising suppliers to provision a viable inbuilt alternative.

Where this incentivisation results in the removal of a requirement on GPITF service recipients to have desktop Microsoft Office licences in order for them to use the GPITF clinical systems effectively, the NHS has the potential to make material savings on the Microsoft Office licences it requires.


Outline Plan

See Assurance Approach below


Summary of Change

As per the Background section above


Full Specification

Not applicable


Assurance Approach

Where a Supplier uplifts their Catalogue Solution to provide inbuilt word processing functions which are intended to represent a viable alternative to the use of the desktop Microsoft Office software, the following assurance approach will be followed:

  1. Supplier to build and test the changes to the Catalogue Solution and when completed to submit evidence to the Catalogue Authority demonstrating the Capability Outcomes continue to be met for the updated functionality.
  2. Supplier to engage a range of representative end users to review the inbuilt functions and to provide the following evidence to the Catalogue Authority:
    • The range of tests undertaken by the end users and the method used to allow the end users to determine viability.
    • The results of the tests undertaken, including evidence that the end users majority decision was approval that the inbuilt functions represent a viable operational alternative to the use of the desktop Microsoft Office software.
  3. Catalogue Authority to perform a Capability Assessment to establish if the required outcomes can be achieved using the inbuilt functions.
  4. Catalogue Authority to review the evidence provided at 2) above and to liaise with the supplier and end users to determine that viability as an alternative was effectively demonstrated.

The Supplier should assume that items 3) and 4) will take 3 weeks to execute by the Catalogue Authority. If this takes longer the Incentive End Date will move back by the same number of working days included in the delay.