The DWP have placed ‘DTA’ servers (Data Transfer Appliance) in each Local Authority to enable data to be sent from the department, securely and reliably.
The DWP contract for the supply and maintenance of the equipment is soon to expire, and failures of existing installations are starting to increase.
The DWP are working towards re-specifying the requirements for a replacement means of transferring data to Local Authorities, which is likely to remove the need to have a DWP managed server at each site. The goal is to provide Local Authorities with the same service, but via a message hub, rather than by accessing a local server.
The department have run some internal ‘proofs of concept’ and are moving towards a procurement. The department’s requirements for their ‘proof of concept’ are available for download below, and they are keen to get a reaction from some Local Authorities to inform their procurement of the replacement service.
DWP Requirements for their internal Proof of Concept
The message hub POC Criteria version 0.0d
Please use the form below to add some comments about the requirements, or if you have more detailed thoughts, please send them to paul.davidson@sedgemoor.gov.uk.
We would like to get feedback to the DWP by 15th August 2014.