Page 89 - Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities - A U4SSC deliverable

The challenges

The DVSA found that some of the WEF “AI Government Procurement Guidelines” were harder to
implement:

“Support an iterative approach to product development”

As elements of delivery might shift due to the agile nature of the work, it is important to ensure this
is reflected in the ITT and how it is scored, and not only focus on the lowest price.

“Consider during the procurement process that acquiring a tool that includes AI is not a
one-time decision; testing the application over its lifespan is crucial”

Life cycle management of the tool was not considered fully upfront and became a challenge once
the technology had been developed. When the DVSA team identified this issue, they worked with
supplier partners to put together a plan to further develop the skills of the continuous improvement
team. This ensured that the system continues to work effectively and meets users’ needs, as well
as providing technical support that addresses issues related to hosting and live service failures.

Next steps

The DVSA is now using the AI approach to further develop its risk ratings data model to help identify
where errors might be being made in the MOT, including a “predictive vehicle failure model”.

This will fine tune their approach and help officers to better understand the likelihood of a vehicle
passing or failing its MOT. They will then use this to target testers who repeatedly record results
contrary to the prediction.

The DVSA is confident that their innovative use of AI is the correct approach. It allows them to be
flexible, and to develop approaches to risk rating that keep getting better. They are more able to
respond to what they learn and to any changes in tester behaviours.

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