FOI2021/00019: Innovation Funding Service (IFS) and Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)
Case reference FOI2021/00019
Published 23 June 2021
Request
Request Received: 16 January 2021 (clarified 31 January 2021)
I would like to make a freedom of information request on two topics, your new platform IFS (Innovation Funding Service) and your Dynamic Purchasing System DPS.
IFS
Please provide the annual cost of IFS since embarking on its design and roll out, its ongoing cost of implementation and day-to-day operations. Please specify the dates to which the costs relate, which we hope would be broken out on a year-by-year basis. However, if they are available on a monthly or quarterly basis, that too would be fine, as long as that is clear. Where full year or quarter costs are unavailable, please clarify those.
I would also like to request information of the impact on your staff and on the organisations that you support through IFS. For example, in terms of the delay and frustration caused for organisations at not being able to make grant claims (or contract claims in the case of SBRI programmes, for example), the additional staff, FTE-equivalent, that have been recruited or diverted from other work to assist with IFS and its issues.
As we would like to compare the costs and impact of IFS with your previous _connect platform, please provide equivalent information over the same time frame that IFS was procured, designed and rolled out. Please provide the annual license and maintenance costs of both IFS and _connect, and the names of the two organisations from which they are procured. For useful comparison, please use the same time periods mentioned above, viz., the time frame that IFS was procured, designed and rolled out. If you have direct cost comparisons, that would be welcome.
DPS
Similar to the above, please provide the annual cost of design, implementation and ongoing operation of DPS, its license cost and the company from which it is procured. We would like to know the impact on your staff, e.g., the number of FTE staff diverted from other work or recruited, and, where possible, the impact on your suppliers tendering under the DPS. We would also like to know the cost savings that Innovate UK has generated through using a competitive tendering system for its monitoring suppliers. Annual, quarterly or monthly figures are fine., although annual or quarterly is preferred, commencing from when DPS started.
Please provide a statement on the effectiveness of the DPS in terms of the savings to Government and the taxpayer after taking into account any increased costs due to the implementation and operation of the DPS; ideally, this should include the satisfaction of the DPS by Innovate UK stakeholders and your suppliers. By stakeholders, we mean all those involved in the operation of the DPS, including the assessment of the submitted tenders by suppliers, and associated senior managers. We would welcome a statement on how the quality of service from suppliers has been impacted / affected by the DPS.
Clarification:
We are interested in both the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) and IFS post award (PA). We believe our main interest is in IFS PA, as we requested information relating to the impact of the system internally and externally, i.e., to the organisations that receive funding from Innovate UK. As part of your response, we would also like to request information that explains the difference between the two systems, and why Innovate UK has implemented two separate systems rather than combining the functionalities. We are wondering if public money could be saved through one system by, for example, streamlining Innovate UK operations and making them more effective, as well as providing a better service to grant-funded organisations.
Response
Response Sent: 26 February 2021
Full details of this response are provided in the attached document.
Documents
This is UK Research and Innovation's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.