Digital Records Programme Request for Information

Descriptions

Context Lambeth Council currently has no single document archiving solution which enables consistent, timely and accurate identification and retrieval of all historical records in line with legislation, council requirements and citizen / community needs. Consequently, individual council departments have historically adopted their own local practices, systems and/or suppliers; although the bulk of the Council's physical records are managed by a third party. This approach fails to benefit from the efficiencies of a centralised solution, and has resulted in a number of operational issues, such as: Inability to locate files needed e.g. for public enquiries Inability to retrieve files in a timely manner Inability to reconcile inventoried files vs physical files Files being stored in incorrect boxes, destroying the integrity of the inventory Files being stored outside of recognised protocols Files not being indexed or catalogued Lack of consistent metadata / indices against which searches can be conducted Difficulty assuring compliance owing to different practices across the council Taken together, these present an opportunity to develop the council's service delivery in line with legislation and the needs of its citizens and communities. Solution To address the issues above, the Council has instituted a Digital Records Programme (DRP). The DRP is targeted with identifying and procuring a single, council-wide, digital solution which enables the council to store, access and retrieve its records quickly, safely and securely. This solution will include digitisation of historic physical files, digital and physical storage, along with an IT solution and operational changes which transform the whole Council's approach to historic record management. While primarily a compliance-led programme arising from the desire to address operational inefficiencies, the council will also need to procure a physical warehousing solution by the time existing arrangements with the current third party provider expire in summer 2023. The council may also wish to leverage opportunities for additional operational benefits where cost-effective to do so. Current status The DRP has been gathering requirements, mapping business processes and performing due diligence on existing records to understand the scale of the issue and shape the solution. The intent in due course will be to issue one or more invitations to tender for suppliers to provide digital and physical services and solutions to the council. Prior to this though, the council wish to understand from experts in the market some rough order of magnitude costs and time associated with these undertakings. These estimates will inform the Council's business planning, potential solutions, and any future tender(s). This is the purpose of this request for information. Please refer to the attached documentation for further information. NOTE: The submission deadline has been extended to 12 noon 19 Apr 22