Enterprise Data Analytics Modernization Assessment and Roadmap

Description: Description of Services The WCB requires the Contractor to conduct an assessment of its current Business Intelligence, analytics, and cloud data environment and to develop a practical modernization strategy that aligns with WCB's long-term enterprise data and analytics objectives. The Contractor shall: a) Current-State Assessment Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current-state BI, analytics, and cloud data environment, including its architecture, infrastructure, data integration processes, reporting and analytics components, security, governance, operating model, performance, and cloud operating costs. The assessment shall identify key risks, constraints, technical debt, gaps, and opportunities for improvement and optimization. Required Deliverable - Current-State Assessment: The contractor shall deliver a documented current-state assessment summarizing the existing architecture, key components and dependencies, material findings, risks, constraints, technical debt, gaps, and opportunities for improvement and optimization. b) Future-State Vision and Target Architecture Collaborate with WCB stakeholders to develop a future-state vision and end-to-end target architecture for WCB’s enterprise data and analytics environment, maintaining a Data Lakehouse direction consistent with WCB’s Data Strategy. The recommended architecture shall support enterprise reporting, advanced analytics, AI, and the increased use of structured and unstructured data, while aligning with leading practices for modern cloud data platforms and WCB’s business and technology objectives. The Contractor may identify and recommend newer or emerging technologies or architectural approaches that complement or offer an alternative to this direction where they provide additional value to WCB. Such recommendations shall explain the anticipated benefits, key risks, and alignment with WCB’s strategic objectives. The Contractor shall provide supporting architecture diagrams and documentation covering, at a minimum: •Data ingestion and integration; •Data storage, processing, and Lakehouse components; •Reporting, analytics, and semantic models; •Security and data governance; •AI and advanced analytics enablement; •Environment and deployment architecture; •Resiliency, business continuity, disaster recovery, monitoring, and operational support; and •Cloud performance and cost optimization. Required Deliverable – Future-State Architecture: The Contractor shall deliver a consolidated, end-to-end future-state architecture package comprising the supporting diagrams and documentation specified above. The package shall show how the architecture components work together and the transition from WCB’s current Azure environment to the proposed future state, including recommended technologies, key architecture decisions and their rationale, dependencies, and any required interim architecture. It shall be sufficiently detailed to serve as the approved technical foundation for the modernization roadmap and subsequent implementation planning, with outstanding design decisions clearly identified. c) Modernization Options and Recommendations Evaluate modernization options and provide recommendations regarding WCB's data architecture, data integration processes, reporting environment, semantic model strategy, governance capabilities, and operating model. The Contractor shall assess appropriate transition approaches from the current environment to a modern cloud-native platform capable of supporting WCB's future enterprise data, analytics, and AI requirements, including consideration of Data Lakehouse capabilities. The Contractor shall evaluate the cost implications of the recommended modernization options, including expected changes to major cloud cost drivers, opportunities for cost optimization, and material cost trade-offs between options. Recommendations shall consider technical fit, cost, scalability, security, supportability, operational complexity, required skills and capabilities, vendor dependency, and alignment with WCB's existing technology environment and strategic direction. The Contractor shall provide recommendations regarding the future-state operating model, including key roles, responsibilities, required capabilities, and ongoing platform governance and management. Required Deliverable – Modernization Options and Recommendations: The Contractor shall provide a documented comparison of the viable modernization options, including the evaluation criteria, material advantages and disadvantages, cost implications, risks, dependencies, and rationale for the recommended option. d) Modernization Roadmap Develop a practical, phased modernization roadmap identifying the short-term, medium-term, and long-term initiatives required to transition from the current environment to the recommended future-state architecture. At a minimum, the roadmap shall identify: •Priorities and recommended sequencing; •Key dependencies and prerequisites; •Expected business and technical outcomes; •High-level implementation approaches; •Indicative timing and relative level of effort for recommended initiatives, where reasonably practical; •Key organizational, technical, and capability considerations; •Legacy platform transition, coexistence, and decommissioning considerations; •Key risks and considerations; and •Opportunities to minimize unnecessary rework and investment during the transition. Required Deliverable – Modernization Roadmap: The Contractor shall deliver a prioritized, phased modernization roadmap identifying the recommended initiatives, sequencing, dependencies, prerequisites, expected outcomes, indicative timing and relative level of effort, high-level implementation approaches, key risks and considerations, and legacy transition, coexistence, and decommissioning considerations. e) Implementation-Planning Recommendations Develop recommendations at a planning level of detail sufficient to support WCB's planning and scoping of subsequent implementation initiatives and future Statements of Work (SOWs), where applicable. For each recommended initiative, the Contractor shall identify the high-level scope, key prerequisites and dependencies, significant implementation considerations, and material design decisions that would need to be addressed during subsequent implementation planning or delivery. The roadmap and associated recommendations shall provide WCB with a clear and actionable path from its current environment to the WCB-approved future-state architecture, while maintaining continuity of business operations and alignment with ongoing modernization initiatives. Implementation activities shall remain subject to WCB approval and any subsequent SOWs. Required Deliverable – Implementation-Planning Recommendations: The Contractor shall provide planning-level information for the recommended initiatives sufficient to inform WCB's subsequent implementation planning and development of future SOWs. Detailed solution design, implementation planning, technical specifications, and implementation execution are not required as part of the Initial Services. The Services shall normally be performed during Business Hours. However, the WCB may request some of the Services to be performed outside Business Hours from time to time, as deemed necessary, in the unfettered discretion of the WCB. The Contractor shall not be entitled to charge overtime rates unless specified in the Fee Schedule. The Vendor must have experience and knowledge with the following: a.Demonstrate successful completion of at least three (3) similar engagements of similar size or like organizations within the previous five (5) years involving cloud data platforms, data warehouses, analytics platforms, BI modernization, or cloud optimization initiatives. b.Provide three (3) client references for relevant engagements, including the client's name, contact information, a brief description of the services provided, and the dates of the engagement; c.Demonstrate relevant experience designing, assessing, implementing, or optimizing data and analytics solutions within Microsoft Azure. d.Demonstrate experience assessing or optimizing analytics and reporting platforms within cloud-based architectures. e.Demonstrate experience assessing and modernizing SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)-based data integration environments using Azure Data Factory and/or other modern Microsoft cloud data integration technologies. f.Demonstrate experience assessing and modernizing data integration, Extract, Transform and Load (ETL), and/or Extract, Load and Transform (ELT) processes within cloud-based architectures. g.Confirm its ability to comply with all applicable WCB data residency, privacy, security, and information governance requirements, including any requirement that WCB data be stored and processed in Canada. h.Confirm its ability and willingness to perform such portions of the Services onsite in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as may be reasonably required by WCB during the engagement. The Vendor should demonstrate capability and experience in the following (which may be considered an asset when evaluating): a.Experience with Microsoft Azure and, as an additional asset, comparable data platform services in AWS or Google Cloud; b.Cloud cost optimization and FinOps; c.Power BI architecture; d.Semantic modelling and reporting modernization; e.Lakehouse architecture; f.Microsoft Fabric experience; g.Advanced analytics and AI readiness; h.Public-sector or regulated environments. The Proposal should include an overview of the proposed resource(s), including resource profiles or resumes highlighting their experience performing similar projects. The Proposal should identify each proposed resource’s role, responsibilities, relevant experience, expected level of participation, and availability during the Initial Services. The WCB requires the Successful Vendor to deploy quality and seasoned resources to provide the Services. The WCB shall reserve the right to terminate the Agreement if the respective Vendor proposes or field inadequately qualified resources in providing the Services, or such other reasons in the opinion of the WCB, acting reasonably. The Contractor will not be required to have and maintain workers compensation coverage for its workers who will be providing the Services, unless required pursuant to The Workers Compensation Act. The Services shall be provided onsite at the WCB's facilities and from the Contractor's facilities located in Canada, as applicable, unless otherwise agreed in writing. The Initial Services described in section 4(a) through (e) shall commence as soon as practicable following execution of the Agreement. The WCB intends to complete the Initial Services as expeditiously as reasonably possible. The Contractor shall propose a schedule for completing the Initial Services, including the anticipated completion date and any key WCB resource, information, or decision-making requirements necessary to achieve the proposed schedule. The initial term of the Agreement shall be two (2) years from the Effective Date. The WCB shall have the option, in its sole discretion, to extend the Agreement for up to three (3) additional years, subject to the terms of the Agreement. The initial Services described in 4(a) through (e), including the assessment, review, and development of the recommendations and a modernization roadmap, will be provided under the Agreement. If the WCB elects to proceed with the implementation of any recommendations arising from the roadmap, such implementation Services may, at the WCB's absolute discretion, be provided pursuant to subsequent Statements of Work (collectively the "SOWs"). The scope of any subsequent implementation Services cannot be fully determined at the time the Agreement is executed, as the WCB's needs and priorities may evolve based on the outcome of the initial Services and information obtained during the engagement. Accordingly, prior to commencing any such implementation Services, the parties will mutually agree in writing to the applicable SOW, including the scope of work, deliverables, resource requirements, project schedule, acceptance criteria, fees, and completion dates. See more