Enhancing Digital Consultation for the Local Community

In December 2020 Matrix MM were awarded a 4 year engagement to work in partnership with Ealing Council to develop and deliver a new national procurement Framework known as The Ealing Procurement Framework (EPF).

The EPF is a unique framework enabling all Public Sector organisations the opportunity to procure Services, Works and Goods via one compliant route utilising the Neutral Vendor Managed Services provided by Matrix MM. Since going live Ealing have worked closely with Matrix MM to develop the EPF, using it for a number of key projects during the first quarter of 2021.

In February 2021 Ealing, with the support of the Matrix MM team developed a specification to procure a Digital Engagement Platform to enable enhanced interaction and communication with their residents, local businesses and stakeholders. The platform is an important project for the Council as it touches all areas of the authority. It needed to deliver increased community engagement and reflect that the needs of the local people were not only being heard by the Council, but also acted upon.

The Challenge

The Digital Engagement Platform needed to provide an end to end system and improved processes which would enable the Council to reach out to all members of the community and in turn receive feedback on issues under consultation. It had to be easy to understand and available via the web and any smart device. By making communication more accessible to the wider community, it ensured inclusive engagement for all people, regardless of age, gender, disability or language barriers.

The unprecedented global pandemic highlighted the need for better communication tools and meant there was an urgency to deliver the new platform in a short amount of time. The timescales for release, evaluation and award of the project created an ambitious target deadline that required Matrix MM’s team to work very closely with Ealing’s stakeholders. The project needed to be completed to a high standard and as such supplier selection was critical to ensure a successful procurement.

The Solution

Having helped create and develop the brief, specification and deliverables Matrix MM worked in partnership with Ealing’s stakeholders to identify, onboard and accredit 6 specialist suppliers for the project within a week. The suppliers were selected and engaged based on their previous specialist experience in successfully developing and delivering Digital Consultation Platforms across the public sector.

This quick turnaround highlights the depth of Matrix MM’s expertise in providing customers with supplier selection support whilst ensuring that suppliers of all sizes were invited to engage with the process.

Throughout the process, our team of specialists supported the Project Owner and stakeholders across all aspects of the project. The procurement was raised and released to the suppliers quickly with the Matrix MM Platform providing visibility and complete control of the end to end process for Ealing.

The Outcome

Ealing and Matrix MM’s close working partnership on the project has created the opportunity for the procurement to be raised, released, evaluated and awarded successfully. The Matrix platform will continue to support the project throughout delivery ensuring that the supplier meets the milestones and deliverables set out in the project.

Matrix MM’s efficient engagement of suppliers for the project ensured the platform could be launched in line with expectations. Our team of specialists guaranteed quality was never compromised during the quick turnaround, and worked closely with Ealing to make sure they had all of the support they needed to achieve theirin goals.

The awarded supplier is positioned positively to provide an integrated, inclusive platform that will deliver accurate, detailed analysis of the feedback from the local community which in turn will cultivate trust between the Council and its residents. Providing a platform that allows the Council to create campaigns and messaging reflective of the community’s involvement will be critical in the coming years.

Matrix MM are capable of supporting all categories of Statement of Work projects of varying sizes, scope and complexity. If you’d like to hear more about the services and solutions we provide please reach out using the following link to arrange an initial conversation about your requirements https://www.matrix-scm.com/matrix-mm