DD2685 Online survey software

1.1.    The Opinion Research team, in the City Intelligence Unit, and other teams at the GLA, regularly conduct online surveys to capture insights from Londoners and stakeholders. This can range from large public consultations to feedback from event attendees.
1.2.    Online surveys are the main tool for conducting consultations and engagement on Talk London, City Hall’s online community. Procuring an online survey software is therefore essential for the ongoing operation of Talk London.
1.3.    This software is used widely across many policy teams, for policy development, stakeholder engagement and programme evaluation, more detailed examples are provided in 4.4 and 4.5, below.
1.4.    The software capabilities enable us to be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) whilst collecting sensitive information. This facilitates delivery of our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
1.5.    A one year renewal, through the reseller framework, is requested to enable sufficient time to complete a comprehensive market review of developments in surveying and analysis software.
1.6.    In 2019, the GLA procured an online survey software, on a three-year licence to allow the GLA to create and host online surveys. The terms of the licence permitted its extension for an additional year until September 2023. Expenditure of £50,000 was approved under ADD2329. A further one-year licence was procured in September 2023 through DD2629, which approved spend of up to £80,000. Overall spend to date on the software is circa £73,000. If agreed, this decision will take total spend to circa £93,000.
1.7.    The Opinion Research team now seeks approval to commission a new one-year licence for online survey software, from September 2024 to September 2025. This work will be procured in accordance with the Contracts and Funding Code.
1.8.    The contract will be procured via the reseller framework to ensure a compliant route to market for licensed software.
 

2.1.    The objectives of this decision are:
•    to extend the licence access to the online survey software to enable teams throughout the GLA to conduct online surveys with a variety of Londoners
•    to allow the GLA to conduct online engagement and consultation, via the integration of the online survey software into Talk London.
2.2.    The expected outcomes are:
•    the Opinion Research and policy teams can carry out surveys and collect feedback, on policy development and implementation, with a wide variety of Londoners and stakeholders
•    engagement with Londoners can take place with the Talk London community
•    the views and experiences of Londoners and stakeholders inform policy and decision-making at City Hall.
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, the Mayor and GLA are subject to the public sector equality duty and must have due regard to the need to:
•    eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010
•    advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it
•    foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
3.2.    The “protected characteristics” are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and marriage/ civil partnership status. The duty involves having appropriate regard to these matters as they apply in the circumstances, including having regard to the need to: remove or minimise any disadvantage suffered by those who share or is connected to a protected; take steps to meet the different needs of such people; encourage them to participate in public life or in any other activity where their participation is disproportionately low. This can involve treating people with a protected characteristic more favourably than those without one.
3.3.    By carrying out surveys, the GLA can engage a broad range of demographic and socio-economic groups in research and engagement. The online survey software will allow the GLA to conduct research and engagement that is inclusive of all Londoners. It will allow the GLA to understand any differences in perceptions and experiences among these groups of Londoners; and to give due consideration to how best to meet their needs. The online survey software will help ensure policy teams and the Mayor use insights from Londoners in the development of GLA policies and programmes. City Hall uses various other approaches to engage Londoners who are not online such as postal surveys, as carried out for the London Recovery Board’s High Streets for All Challenge.
 

Key risks and issues
4.1.    A risk is that the online software does not provide the required functionality and user experience that is needed for online surveys created by the GLA – for example, the question types, and the level of built-in analysis and reporting available. However, the software currently meets GLA needs.
Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.2.    Since its initial procurement in 2019, GLA’s quantitative survey software has been used across many different policy teams and programmes. This facilitates programme and event evaluation; and constitutes an integral part of delivering engagement and consultation through the Talk London community.
4.3.    Projects on Talk London have engaged and consulted Londoners in a variety of areas. These range from the Police and Crime Plan consultation, where findings were included in final public reports alongside opinion polling and other consultation approaches, to gathering responses on carbon-neutral initiatives to develop Local Area Energy Plan policy, in line with the London Environment Strategy for London to be a zero-carbon city by 2050.
4.4.    The Mayor’s London Housing Strategy sets out intentions to provide high-quality, affordable housing for Londoners. To ascertain the success of this strategy, the Housing team has made post-occupancy evaluation part of the grant-funding conditions for housing partners. The team is using the GLA survey platform to host collection of the evaluation across all housing partners. Data from the pilot of this evaluation survey has already revealed different satisfaction levels for White Londoners compared to minority ethnicity Londoners.
4.5.    Within the London Recovery Programme, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Mission states that ‘by 2025 London will have a quarter of a million wellbeing champions, supporting Londoners where they live, work and play’. The Wellbeing Champions programme was developed as part of this mission. Part of the programme has involved training Londoners in approaches to support good mental health and suicide prevention. Research has been carried out with training attendees to understand whether the training has met their expectations and needs. The findings are being used in developing the next stage of the training and campaign to promote it.
Consultations and impact assessments
4.6.    An equalities impact assessment has been undertaken. This procurement does not result in unequal outcomes to particular groups. However each individual policy programme considering using this platform should take account of whether this platform is the best means to address the research questions.
4.7.    A Data Protection Impact Assessment has been completed to ensure use meets GDPR requirements.
Declarations of interest
4.8.    There are no conflicts of interest to note for any of the officers involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.
 

5.1.    Approval is sought for expenditure of up to £20,000 on a one-year renewal of the licence for this widely used platform. This request is based on the cost of the most recent one-year extension of the software. The contract will be awarded via a reseller framework and will last one year, from September 2024 to September 2025.
5.2.    The expenditure will be funded from the Opinion Research team’s cross-cutting budget, held within the City Intelligence Unit, which is part of the Strategy and Communications directorate. There is sufficient budget in the Opinion Research 2024-25 plan to fund this request.
5.3.    Details of previous expenditure are found at 1.5, above. Overall spend to date on the software is circa £73,000. Total spend over seven years will be up to £93,000.
 

6.1.    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Executive Director of Strategy and Communications concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, failing within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conducive, or incidental to the promotion of economic development and the improvement of the improvement of the environment in Greater London, and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is fought, officers have complies with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:
•    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;
•    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and
•    consult with appropriate bodies.
6.2.    In taking the decisions requested, the Executive Director of Strategy and Communications must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation) and persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Executive Director of Strategy and Communications should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.
6.3.    Officers have indicated at paragraphs 1.4 to 1.6 of this report that the services in respect of which it is proposed that a contract is to be awarded have been procured in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.
6.4.    Should the Executive Director of Strategy and Communications make the decisions sought officers must ensure that the procurement is conducted fully in accordance with the re-seller framework and the GLA and framework supplier enter into and execute all required call-off documentation before the commencement of the supply and services.
 

7.1.    The project will be delivered according to the following timetable: