Working with us as a delivery partner¶
Much of Defra's digital work is delivered with partners. This page sets out what you can expect from us, and what we expect from you, so we can work as one team.
In this section¶
| Page | Use it to |
|---|---|
| Contracting with this site | Cite a fixed version of the guardrails in a contract, and use the model clauses |
| Mobilisation checklist | Get access, devices and accounts in place, and know who to meet in week one |
| Handover and exit | Know what "done" means when you hand a service on |
| Working with other suppliers | Share integrations, incidents and environments with other teams |
| Deliver a service | See the guardrails, artefacts and evidence for each phase |
Why we publish this¶
We want partners - large and small - to understand how Defra builds technology before they bid or start work. Clear, public expectations mean better proposals, fewer surprises and faster delivery.
What you can expect from us¶
- Clear guardrails, published in the open, so you know what good looks like here
- Early access to architects - we would rather talk in week one than at a gate
- Reusable platforms and components so you can focus on user value
- Proportionate governance, with decisions delegated as close to the team as possible
- Timely decisions - the TDA aims to decide on complete exception requests within 10 working days
What we expect from you¶
| Expectation | Guardrail |
|---|---|
| Follow the guardrails, and raise early where you think one is wrong | Guardrails |
| Use Defra's strategic platforms and capabilities unless there is an agreed exception | GR-HOST-01, GR-TECH-01 |
| Follow the Defra software development standards for day-to-day engineering | GR-DEV-07 |
| Work in Defra's GitHub organisations from day one, in the open by default | GR-DEV-02, GR-OPEN-01 |
| Record significant decisions as ADRs in Defra repositories | GR-DEV-09 |
| Use AI coding assistants only as agreed with Defra, with every change reviewed by a person | GR-AI-07 (draft) |
| Build security in, including threat modelling with the team | Secure by Design |
| Hand over services that Defra, or another partner, can run and change | GR-DEV-08, GR-OPS-05 |
| Share knowledge with Defra staff as you go | - |
| Defra owns the code, data, documentation and intellectual property it pays for | GR-TECH-03 |
Using this site in bids and contracts¶
Commercial teams may reference this site in statements of requirements and statements of work. Cite a fixed, tagged version rather than the live site, so both sides share one baseline. Contracting with this site explains the versioning policy and has model clauses for guardrails, NFRs, code, ADRs, Secure by Design, AI coding assistants and exit.
Getting started on an engagement¶
- Read the guardrails and the relevant service pattern and patterns.
- Work through the mobilisation checklist: access, devices and who to meet in week one.
- Use Deliver a service for what each phase needs, and its evidence checklists before each assessment.
- Plan handover from the start.
Help us improve¶
Partners see many organisations. If something here makes it harder than it needs to be to deliver for Defra, tell us - open an issue or propose a change.