Request of information: Platform Engineering

VTT is seeking information from qualified platform engineering providers as part of our procurement process. This Request for Information (RFI) aims to gather comprehensive details about the capabilities, experience, and service offerings of potential providers. Our objective is to identify a provider capable of delivering robust and scalable platform engineering solutions that align with our organizational needs. CURRENT STATE •VTT lacks a centralized platform engineering service for researchers. •There is no internal developer portal or self-service option available for deploying and managing workloads. •The organization does not have a structure to support platform engineering, such as dedicated platform teams. However, some tools are already in place. •VTT has contractual agreements with software and hardware providers for most of the required tools. •Researchers do not have predefined “golden paths” or “paved roads” to follow when initiating research projects. Overview of VTT network can be found as an attachment. FUTURE STATE •Build a minimal viable platform for VTT, ensuring all essential functionalities are in place. •Minimize the time required to establish IT infrastructure for research projects, streamlining processes wherever possible. •Standardize common tools to create uniformity and ease of use across various projects. •Provide self-service options to empower researchers and reduce dependency on IT support. •Assemble a dedicated platform team responsible for overseeing the development and maintenance of the infrastructure. •Foster a platform engineering community within VTT, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing. •Enable continuous development and refinement of platform engineering practices to support researchers' evolving needs. •Adhere to growing regulatory requirements, such as ISO27001 and the Secondary Use Act, ensuring compliance and data security. •First minimal viable platform must be built to run on-prem, but later needs to be scalable towards public cloud or private cloud. •Existing VTT software and hardware contracts should be used as much as possible. The platform engineering provider will be expected to provide the following services: •Design, build, development, and maintenance of scalable platforms •Integration of various software tools and services •Continuous improvement and optimization of platform performance •Implementation of robust security measures to protect data and systems •Technical support and troubleshooting •Collaboration with our internal teams to address specific needs and challenges