Onclusive

Forward Planner

A database of future events and announcements, covering national and international politics and news, alongside a suite of interactive reports to aid communications planning. The Communications Grids, Stakeholder Diaries, and Horizon Scanners allow users to plan activity in a shared environment that offers visibility of other plans across the organisation

Features

• Future News & Events Database
• Search & Filter Functionality
• Custom Alerts
• Integrated Planning Calendar
• Collaboration Tools
• Reporting & Insights
• API & Data Feeds

Benefits

• Plan with confidence
• Increase strategic impact
• Save time on research
• Improve cross-team alignment
• Enhance media engagement
• Support data-driven decisions

• Education pricing available
• Free trial available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at rfpuk@onclusive.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

709907253977617

Contact

Tess Fezzuoglio
07776107307
rfpuk@onclusive.com

About your service

• Service categories:

  Application Development and Deployment

  Analytics and business intelligence

  • Business Intelligence
• Multi cloud support: No

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: No
• System requirements: Forward Planner can be used with any modern web browser

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: In platform support 24/7 with answers provided immediately. If further help required, maximum of 4 hours response time
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes
• Support levels: All Forward Planning customers receive high quality support; a dedicated Account Manager who provides ongoing support, consultancy, and personalised onboarding, including tailored training for all users. Training is unlimited, free, and supported by regular sessions, guides, and in app support. In addition, our responsive support team offers 24/7 assistance, aiming to respond within 30 minutes on weekdays and within an hour outside office hours, accessible via email or directly through the platform.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Kick-off call to align on requirements, configure the platform, gather assets, and plan training. Users receive structured onboarding with documentation, sample outputs, and online training covering service setup, coverage, reporting, and updates. Team training ensures users can confidently perform day-to-day tasks, with additional sessions available for wider teams or new starters.; ; A dedicated account manager supports onboarding, captures and refines requirements, and serves as the primary point of contact, with tailored sessions available for complex needs. Once live, users have ongoing in-platform support, refresher training as needed, and a quarterly review to address evolving requirements and ensure continued value.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: Clients can extract data from the system through the relevant export features such as a CSV file prior to the contract ending
• End-of-contract process: Access to the platform is switched off for users at the end of the final day of the contact and all data is wiped from the system after a set number of days. There is no extra cost to the customer
• Documentation accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AA

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: No
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Description of service interface: Web-based application interface
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Accessibility testing: Voice to text chat
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: The Forward Planner API uses authentication header for secure access to data. To get an API key users must log into their Forward Planner account, navigate to API settings in their account profile and generate or copy their existing API key. To authenticate they use their username and API key; ; APIs can be set up for Public (Onclusive) Events, Planner Events (including user-added events) and saved searches, with all the event data points available; ; All data is returned in JSON format with UTF-8 encoding; ; API access is an additional cost
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: Other
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: 1. Platform Customisation; Custom Branding: Users can create a branded platform featuring their own logo, color scheme, and styling.; Unique URL & Login Page: Clients can set up a custom URL and a tailored login page to match their brand identity.; Additional Features: Depending on their requirements, clients can select specific features to enhance the platform experience.; ; 2. Content & Categories; Category Selection: Users can choose categories and modules relevant to their needs, allowing for a more personalised experience.; ; 3. Reports Customisation (Planner+); Branded Reports: Planner+ reports can be customised with the user’s branding, including logos, colors, and other visual elements.; Tailored Presentation: This ensures that reports reflect the client’s identity and can be shared externally while maintaining brand consistency.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Each subscribing organisation receives a dedicated Forward Planner instance, with its own subscription limits for users, categories, and planning activities. We monitor on demand on the service and ensure we always have ample capacity

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Usage stats available include last log-in date; number of calls to the API (including searches run); number of email alerts received by month; number of events included in those email alerts
• Reporting types: Reports on request
• Resource tagging: No
• FOCUS resource tagging: No

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Security Clearance (SC)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: European Economic Area (EEA)
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 4.0)
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: NCSC approved service provider
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v4.0
  • Physical access control, complying with SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
  • Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: Microsoft Azure datacentres apply ISO 27001–aligned physical security controls, CSA CCM v4.0, SOC 1/2/3 (SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402), and data at rest is encrypted using AES-256.
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Equipment disposal approach: In-house destruction process
• Data sanitisation type: Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation / Secure Erase

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Reports can be exported from within the platform into PDF, with various options including Landscape / Portrait. The raw data can be exported into either CSV or DOCX, and in those users can choose which fields should / should not be exported via a field-picker
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats:
  • PDF
  • DOCX
• Data import formats: CSV

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: Availability is provided 24/7, and there are agreed protocols for informing clients of any outages and updating them of with expected timelines for resumption of service. As the service is hosted on Azure there are sometimes issues that are beyond our control, but we keep clients updated as we are. Service updates are planned and the client is notified a week ahead on the notification system on the service itself, unless there is an issue that requires faster turn around. Guarantees the availability of the solution up to 99.999%.
• Approach to resilience: Backups are taken regularly using cloud-native snapshot technologies and stored in encrypted, geographically separate locations. Disaster Recovery (DR) plans are tested annually, covering restoration, failover and validation of RTO/RPO objectives.; ; Both Azure and AWS datacentres are certified to internationally recognised standards (ISO 27001, ISO 22301, SOC 1/2/3), and include physical resilience such as redundant power, cooling, network paths and 24/7 guarded facilities.
• Outage reporting: Internal email alerts with dashboards; External email alerts to customers

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Other user authentication: All user authentication is handled through supported mechanisms: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), username and password, and optional identity federation via Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) or other OpenID Connect providers.
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Access to management interfaces is restricted using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and identity federation via Azure AD. Administrative functions are only available to authorised users with least-privilege roles. All actions are logged
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: Between 1 month and 6 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• How long system logs are stored for: Between 1 month and 6 months

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: No
• Security governance approach: We align to ISO 27001:2022 in addition with Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus to ensure security baseline
• Information security policies and processes: We follow structured security policies aligned with ISO 27001 and supported by Cyber Essentials Plus. Our Security Lead oversees governance, with escalation to senior management. Compliance is maintained through staff training, audits, MFA, patching, and monitoring. Policies are reviewed annually to ensure consistent, effective security management.
• Software Security Code of Practice: Yes

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: We use a controlled, ISO 27001-aligned change management process supported by Azure DevOps and AWS CI/CD pipelines. All service components are version-controlled and tracked through their full lifecycle using infrastructure-as-code and configuration repositories. Every change—code, configuration, or infrastructure—is peer-reviewed, security-assessed, and tested in segregated environments before deployment. Security impact assessments are carried out for all changes, with high-risk updates requiring senior approval. Deployment is automated to ensure consistency, with full audit trails maintained. Post-deployment monitoring validates that changes behave as expected without affecting performance or security.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: We operate a continuous vulnerability management process combining automated scanning, threat intelligence, and timely patching. Code dependencies are monitored using Snyk, while Trellix and SentinelOne provide runtime threat detection, malware protection, and behavioural analysis across our environments. Potential threats are assessed using CVSS scores, vendor advisories, NCSC alerts, and cloud-provider security bulletins. Critical vulnerabilities are patched immediately through automated CI/CD pipelines; high and medium-risk updates follow prioritised release cycles. Infrastructure and containers are continuously scanned, and results are tracked through remediation workflows. Threat intelligence feeds from Azure/AWS, MITRE, and industry sources inform rapid response and mitigation.
• Protective monitoring type: Complies with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v4.0 or SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
• Protective monitoring approach: Potential compromises are identified via weekly vulnerability scans, using our ORCA CSPM tool, dependency scanning - with sync code and end point devices using trellix EDR
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Onclusive uses pre-defined levels (Blocking, Major, Minor anomaly) to categorize incidents. Critical outages trigger an immediate crisis meeting to define the action plan.; Users report incidents 24/7 via the online ticket management service or via dedicated email support.; When a Security Incident or critical issue occurs, users are immediately notified via email and on the dedicated Status Page. Onclusive is committed to responding to a "critical" problem within 1 business hour. Follow-up dashboards showing bug handling and resolution times can also be provided.
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: No

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Independent review of processes (for example CESG CPA Build Standard, ISO/IEC 27034, ISO/IEC 27001 or CSA CCM v4.0)

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Pricing

• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: A proof of concept of up to 3 months of future planning events will be built; ; For a data-only trial, access is granted for a week. For a Planner+ trial, access is granted for 14 days. In both instances this can be reviewed and extended where necessary

Discount percentage by annual call-off contract value (excluding VAT)

• Less than £250,000: 10%
• Between £250,000 and £500,000: 10%
• Between £500,001 and £1,000,000: 10%
• Between £1,000,001 and £2,500,000: 10%
• Between £2,500,001 and £5,000,000: 10%
• Over £5,000,001: 10%

Non-mandatory Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• ISO 9001 certification: No
• Quality management systems (QMS): No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Please provide your Cyber Essentials Certificate Number: 4c40f6cc-9d36-44f6-96f2-0173fd4e20c5
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Please provide your Cyber Essentials Plus Certificate Number: 44a51e11-d264-4666-aae8-9b1b4e0aa403
• Other security certifications: No

Social value

• Section B - Commitment for Future: Delivery:

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 1: Fair work: That offers fair wages and good working conditions. Help people get a job, stay in work, and progress in their careers, with good employment opportunities across the country. Notes: Where there is a large proportion of labour costs in the contract, commercial teams should consider MAC in Outcome 1 as a priority

    • New or retained jobs on the contract workforce in the relevant area that meet the criteria set out in MAC 1b, 1c and 1d
    • Providing opportunities for, and measuring and monitoring of, staff workforce conditions over time, including employee engagement, involvement in decision-making and satisfaction and adapting to any changes in the results, with clear processes for acting on issues identified
    • Plans to engage the contract workforce in deciding the most important workplace issues to address
    • Ensuring new workers are informed of their right to join a trade union
    • Monitoring of employee engagement rates (by protected characteristic) and, where necessary, the development of actions to ensure all voices are heard across the diversity of the workforce
    • Employment contracts that reflect actual hours worked; steps taken to ensure employees understand their contracts and have the ability to review and adjust them if actual hours regularly exceed contracted hours
    • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about, and feel empowered to, address their physical wellbeing
    • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about and feel empowered to report and address bullying and harassment
    • Activities to cascade good practice on fair working conditions throughout the supply chain
    • Offer a pay and leave entitlement to all eligible staff who become kinship carers, ideally equivalent to statutory adoption pay and leave
    • Payment of more than the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (as appropriate) to the contract workforce
    • Monitoring and reporting of gender and ethnicity pay gaps and plans to address them where necessary
    • Entitlement to sick pay for the contract workforce, with provision in place for any staff who do not meet the earnings threshold for statutory sick pay, payment of sick pay from day one of absence and payment of staff on the contract workforce who are off sick a replacement income of 100% of their usual earnings for as long as possible
    • Plans for an appropriate income replacement policy for staff who are required to spend time away from work to care for a sick dependent or close relative
    • Understanding of in-work progression issues affecting the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors
    • Measures to support in-work progression to help people in the contract workforce, to move into higher paid work by developing new skills relevant to the contract
    • Support for the contract workforce by providing career advice, and providing opportunities for staff working on the contract with in-work progression career development into known skills shortages or high growth areas
    • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
    • Volunteering opportunities for staff
    • Understanding of the modern slavery risks and issues affecting the market, industry, sector or country (of origin or of source) relevant to the contract, and the workforce in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key subcontractors
    • Measures to identify, mitigate and manage modern slavery risks relating to the contract and how these will be implemented
    • Outline policies and practices to be applied to or put in place for the contract to mitigate and manage modern slavery risks, including: Pre-employment checks, recruitment practices. Workplace conditions, safeguarding plans and processes in place and regular monitoring with relevant groups considered, which may include sampling
    • How these flow down the supply chain and are monitored Illustrative examples include reporting, site visits, audits, etc.
    • How to ensure business decisions re: price/cost, short lead times, payment timescales do not create modern slavery risks in the supply chain
    • How the supplier will work with NGOs, trade unions or other businesses to address modern slavery risk
    • Means of influencing staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders with respect to modern slavery risks relating to the contract

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 2: Skills for growth: Supporting growth sectors and addressing skills gaps.

    • Understanding of employment and relevant skills issues, and of the education and training issues relating to the contract. Illustrative examples: demographics, skills shortages, new opportunities in high growth sectors, geographic/local community and skills/employment challenges
    • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
    • Activities to support relevant sector related skills growth and sustainability in the contract workforce. Illustrative examples: careers talks, curriculum support, literacy support, safety talks and volunteering

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 3: Resilient, innovative and flexible supply chains: Support economic growth through enabling resilient businesses, opportunities for small businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises

    • Ensuring accessibility to contracting and subcontracting opportunities for disabled business owners and employees
    • Structuring of the supply chain selection process to ensure fairness (e.g. anti-corruption) and encourages participation by a diverse range of businesses, including with regard to new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutual

  • Mission: Make Britain a clean energy superpower: To cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero

    Policy Outcome 4: Sustainable procurement practices: Reducing carbon footprints, minimising waste, and promoting the use of clean energy and green technologies.

    • Understanding of opportunities for additional environmental benefits delivery in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
    • Collaborative ways of working with the supply chain to deliver additional environmental benefits in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
    • Delivery of additional environmental benefits through the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
    • Understanding of how to influence staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders through the delivery of the contract to support climate and nature protection and improvement
    • Activities to reconnect people with the environment and increase awareness of ways to protect and enhance it

  • Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain

    Policy Outcome 6: Employment and training: For those who face barriers to employment

    • Understanding of employment and skills issues, and of the skills and employment shortages of high growth sectors relating to the contract
    • Delivery of training schemes and programmes to address any identified skills gaps and under-representation in the workforce for the contract (e.g. prison leavers, care leavers, kinship carers, disabled people)
    • Understanding of the issues affecting the representation of disabled people in the workforce in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors
    • Collection of the views and expertise of disabled people and their representative organisations on successfully supporting disabled employees or applicants
    • Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, and retention-focused activities, including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition
    • Introducing transparency to pay and reward processes
    • Offering a range of quality opportunities with routes of progression if appropriate, e.g. T Level industry placements, students supported into higher level apprenticeships.
    • Working conditions which promote an inclusive working environment and promote retention and progression
    • Other measures to provide equality of opportunity for disabled people and those with health conditions into employment, including becoming a Disability Confident employer and inclusion of supported businesses in the contract supply chain
    • Understanding of the issues affecting inequality in employment, skills and pay in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors. Measures to tackle inequality in employment, skills and pay in the contract workforce
    • Inclusive and accessible development practices, including guidance for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition

  • Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain

    Policy Outcome 7: Creating a pipeline of opportunities: For the contract workforce, reducing barriers to entry for under-represented groups.

    • Understanding of issues relating to entering the contract workforce
    • Creation of outreach activities to create a pipeline of employees for the future contract delivery

  • Mission: Build an NHS fit for the future: That is there when people need it; with fewer lives lost to the biggest killers; in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer.

    Policy Outcome 8: Increasing productivity through physical and mental wellbeing: In the supply chain and communities in the relevant area.

    • Understanding of issues relating to health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health, in the contract workforce
    • Understanding barriers to access to health and social care services or employment opportunities e.g. digital inclusion
    • Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, development practices and retention policies that support-focused activities including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing which support people with a disability or health condition
    • Actions to invest in the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the contract workforce

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at rfpuk@onclusive.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.