NEC SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED

Jadu Creative by NEC

A low-code, web-based platform for digital service delivery. Incorporating collaborative case management, payments, forms, customer MyAccount and website with integration to NEC services. Build end-to-end digital transactions for service requests, applications, and payments. Secure, responsive, accessible websites on all devices. Includes rich toolset of APIs and extension points for developers.

Features

  • Bundled with NEC Software Solutions integrations to Citizen Access portals
  • Granular access controls, with audit trail and user login reports
  • Forms are integration-ready with CRM, payment gateways, databases, etc
  • Advanced form features: branching rules, data retention, PDF generation
  • Web timeline view of customer cases, Real-time messaging and updates
  • Non-technical workflow, rules and notifications configuration
  • Create repositories for structured data and allow customer generated additions
  • Visitor login and personalised landing pages based on stated preferences
  • Customisable components for embedding third party content into homepages

Benefits

  • Secure, extensible and affordable Content, Form and Case Management Platform
  • Accessible forms & websites which meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards
  • Highly secure hosting and GDPR-compliant platform
  • Customer accounts providing transaction history and personalised web experience
  • Build end-to-end digital services and drive savings through channel shift
  • Quickly locate relevant content through powerful navigation and discovery tools
  • No programming required - non-technical forms and service workflow design
  • Developer API for easy system modification and extensions
  • Platform built on open-source technologies
  • Enable business users to configure complex systems integrations and payments

Pricing

£300 an instance

Service documents

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 frameworks@necsws.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

1 4 1 9 5 8 7 4 8 9 6 0 1 9 8

Contact

NEC SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED NEC Frameworks Team
Telephone: 07852 936231
Email: frameworks@necsws.com

Service scope

Software add-on or extension
No
Cloud deployment model
Public cloud
Service constraints
No.
System requirements
A modern web browser is required to access the service

User support

Email or online ticketing support
Email or online ticketing
Support response times
Jadu provide a level of support which is built into the monthly subscription cost. This provides an online help desk and ticketing system available 24/7 with telephone support during business hours (8am-6pm, Monday to Friday, except English Bank Holidays).

On-call engineers will respond to critical availability issues outside of standard business hours. The support SLA is included in the terms of service document.

The help desk is staffed with dedicated support engineers, with sysadmins, software engineers and other technical experts becoming involved to resolve support issues as necessary.
User can manage status and priority of support tickets
Yes
Online ticketing support accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Phone support
Yes
Phone support availability
9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
Web chat support
Web chat
Web chat support availability
9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
Web chat support accessibility standard
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Web chat accessibility testing
Online support web chat is provided using the Jadu Connect platform. The Jadu Connect user interface is regularly tested with NVDA and JAWs.
Onsite support
Yes, at extra cost
Support levels
Jadu provides a standard level of support, which is built into the monthly subscription cost. This provides an online help desk and ticketing system available 24/7 with telephone support during business hours (8am-6pm, Monday to Friday, except English Bank Holidays).

On-call engineers will respond to critical availability issues outside of standard business hours.

Jadu’s support SLA is included in the terms of service document. The help desk is staffed with dedicated support engineers, with sysadmins, software engineers and other technical experts becoming involved to resolve support issues as necessary.

An Enhanced level of support (an additional £650 per month) increases the number of support accounts an organisation can have as well as out of hours deployments and a number of inclusive professional service days for small works. A named Customer Support Advisor is assigned to every customer, irrespective of whether standard or enhanced support has been chosen.
Support available to third parties
Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

Getting started
Jadu provides certified training for administrators, consisting of both Jadu Connect Foundation Training (Online), and Jadu Connect Practitioner Training (Webinar).

Jadu can optionally lead with the build of the first digital service at a cost.

Additionally there is an online implementation guide and online user manuals for administrators and customer service agents.

Customer service agents are also able to access a dedicated online Jadu Connect Advisor Training course.
Service documentation
Yes
Documentation formats
HTML
End-of-contract data extraction
Tools are provided to export data from within the application.

Form structures can be exported as .tar files, user submitted data can be exported in CSV and XML format.

Any other form data not accessible via the export tools provided in the application can be exported via database export. Users can extract all case data via csv export or webhooks.
End-of-contract process
A service plan can be cancelled at any time.

When you do this, your platform becomes unavailable, and all public-facing forms are taken offline – no further usage or subscription charges will apply.

You will have access to your platform for export purposes only, for a further 30 days, following which all content and data will be deleted permanently.

Using the service

Web browser interface
Yes
Supported browsers
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
Application to install
No
Designed for use on mobile devices
Yes
Differences between the mobile and desktop service
The platform uses responsive web design to allow the same interfaces to adapt and be displayed on devices of different dimensions. This means that both desktop and mobile users can access the same features in the same place, giving a consistent experience across all a user's devices.
Service interface
Yes
User support accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Description of service interface
Jadu’s modern interfaces are developed using the Pulsar user interface framework. The platform uses responsive web design to allow the same interfaces to adapt and be displayed on devices of different dimensions. This means that both desktop and mobile users can access the same features in the same place, giving a consistent experience across all a user's devices.
Accessibility standards
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Accessibility testing
Jadu’s modern interfaces developed using the Pulsar user interface framework are tested using desktop screen reader software, and our text editor supports a variety of screen readers including JAWS, VoiceOver, NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) and ChromeVox. Additional testing has been undertaken to confirm that animated backgrounds in the software do not trigger seizure in individuals with Photosensitive epilepsy.
API
Yes
What users can and can't do using the API
The Jadu Connect Service API provides users with the ability to create and update service requests (cases), progress cases through the workflow and register and retrieve contact details.

Jadu Central supplies both a PHP and RESTful XML API. The PHP API is fully functional, allowing both read and write of application data. The RESTful XML API allows users with an authorised API key to access publicly available content already published to the website.
API documentation
Yes
API documentation formats
HTML
API sandbox or test environment
No
Customisation available
Yes
Description of customisation
A broad range of settings can be adjusted from within the application user interfaces.

Additional custom functionality can be developed to extend the core feature set. Extensibility of the platform is a core feature of the Jadu Central.

For the digital concierge component of the platform branding options allow customers to upload their own logos and set a system-wide colour scheme. For the form and website component, skinning is possible through web template design.

Scaling

Independence of resources
Monitoring tools are used to measure usage of the application and where necessary additional resources can be added.

Analytics

Service usage metrics
Yes
Metrics types
Monthly and daily reports for number of cases by case type for a user defined date range. Users can export all case data to CSV to build reports not currently available in the reporting dashboard. Webhooks can also be configured to push real-time updates to a central datastore / reporting service endpoint for consumption.
Reporting types
Real-time dashboards

Resellers

Supplier type
Reseller providing extra features and support
Organisation whose services are being resold
Jadu

Staff security

Staff security clearance
Conforms to BS7858:2019
Government security clearance
Up to Security Clearance (SC)

Asset protection

Knowledge of data storage and processing locations
Yes
Data storage and processing locations
  • United Kingdom
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
User control over data storage and processing locations
No
Datacentre security standards
Managed by a third party
Penetration testing frequency
Less than once a year
Penetration testing approach
Another external penetration testing organisation
Protecting data at rest
Other
Other data at rest protection approach
Sensitive data is encrypted within the database and filesystem. 'Sensitive data' includes: - Any data submitted by a member of the public, including their personal details - The personal details of internal users of the system - IP addresses - API access credentials
Data sanitisation process
Yes
Data sanitisation type
Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
Equipment disposal approach
Complying with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v.30, CAS (Sanitisation) or ISO/IEC 27001

Data importing and exporting

Data export approach
Through the service application interface.
Data export formats
  • CSV
  • Other
Other data export formats
XML
Data import formats
  • CSV
  • Other
Other data import formats
Case workflows and forms can be imported in JSON format.

Data-in-transit protection

Data protection between buyer and supplier networks
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
  • Legacy SSL and TLS (under version 1.2)
Data protection within supplier network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
  • Other
Other protection within supplier network
Traffic between various network tiers is restricted with the use of both physical and local software firewalls.

Additionally where applicable TLS encryption (Version 1.2 or above) is utilised.

Data exchange within various internal networks may use a combination of IPSec VPNs, SSH, TLS or Encrypted RDP protocols.

Availability and resilience

Guaranteed availability
We guarantee 99.9% availability excluding planned maintenance. Our SLA is contained within our terms of service.
Approach to resilience
This information is available on request.
Outage reporting
Customers are notified by our support team in the event of an outage and we maintain a public status dashboard.

Identity and authentication

User authentication needed
Yes
User authentication
  • Username or password
  • Other
Other user authentication
Users must create an account with their email address and a password with min 8 characters, at least 1 upper and lower case and one symbol.
Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels
The application user interface provides granular access control for Jadu Central users. The user’s experience of the publishing environment can be controlled at multiple levels. User permission management and workflow management are carried out via the application user interface. Individual users can be temporarily disabled when necessary.
Access restriction testing frequency
At least every 6 months
Management access authentication
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
At least 12 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

Standards and certifications

ISO/IEC 27001 certification
Yes
Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001
BSI
ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date
07/06/2021; valid until June 2024. Certificate IS 598449.
What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover
The NEC Information Security Management System (ISMS) is registered to ISO 27001:2013 and therefore audited by BSI at least annually. All NEC staff are required to comply with the ISMS.
ISO 28000:2007 certification
No
CSA STAR certification
No
PCI certification
No
Cyber essentials
Yes
Cyber essentials plus
Yes
Other security certifications
Yes
Any other security certifications
Cyber Essentials Plus

Security governance

Named board-level person responsible for service security
Yes
Security governance certified
Yes
Security governance standards
  • ISO/IEC 27001
  • Other
Other security governance standards
ISO 9001:2015
Information security policies and processes
We follow a security policy approved and externally audited as part of our ISO27001 accreditation. A copy of the policy is available upon request.

Operational security

Configuration and change management standard
Supplier-defined controls
Configuration and change management approach
All configuration changes must be submitted to a review process. An audit trail of configuration changes is retained. Configuration changes are applied by an automated, tested process, never manually to eliminate human error.
Vulnerability management type
Supplier-defined controls
Vulnerability management approach
Our sysadmin team members are subscribed to various vulnerability publishing lists e.g. cve.mitre.org. Any published and relevant vulnerabilities affecting the application stack are carefully reviewed. If a vulnerability is discovered that affects any of the stack components and a vendor patch is available Jadu will attempt to contact the customer to establish a suitable time for updating the affected software. If customer data or reputation is at risk and the customer is unreachable within a reasonable time window we will apply the patch in an emergency immediately.
Protective monitoring type
Supplier-defined controls
Protective monitoring approach
Jadu uses internal and external monitoring systems to monitor server health in real time.
Incident management type
Supplier-defined controls
Incident management approach
An incident will be reported via portal or telephone or identified by our service desk team. The service desk team will analyse the incident and gather as much information as possible from log files, investigations etc and will at the same time make senior management aware of the incident and escalate appropriately in accordance with our defined escalation procedures Following an incident, a report will be compiled and shared with the customer and any further actions clearly identified. All incidents are reviewed by Jadu’s security council quarterly and this process is subject to external audit via our ISO27001 accreditation.

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 v3.0)

Public sector networks

Connection to public sector networks
No

Social Value

Fighting climate change

Fighting climate change

NEC has committed to being Net Zero by 2030. We project our carbon emissions will reduce by 50% from our baseline by 2026.
We have implemented a multitude of initiatives to support this:
• Appointing an Environmental Manager and Environmental Champions.
• Successfully obtaining certification for and implementing ISO14001:2015 Environmental Management System (EMS).
• Developing a Carbon Reduction Plan, which is published on our website and an Environmental Strategy.
• Maintaining an Environmental Aspect and Impact Register (down to site level) through which to capture elements of our operating practices which could negatively impact the environment.
• Working with government accredited consultants to understand environmental impact and using outputs to inform future improvement activities.
• Collaborative activities to influence customers, supply chain partners and employees.
Specific initiatives applicable to our contract delivery approach include:
• Energy used on the contract will be from green energy sources.
Business travel will reduce where possible through utilisation of technology such as:
• Video conferencing.
• Sharing documents.
• Conference call facilities.
• Working from home/flexible working arrangements.
• Approval controls in place for commercial flights.
• Use of environmentally friendly data centres.
Our Environmental Policy objectives, relevant to the contract include:
• Meeting all relevant legal requirements and monitoring our compliance.
• Minimising our environmental impacts for the life cycle (including disposal) of work equipment and other physical assets under our control.
• Demonstrating efficient use of energy, water, and other natural resources.
• Maximising opportunities to minimise our waste by reusing or recycling waste, where practical.
• Ensuring our supply chain is aware of our environmental policy and our commitment to ensuring its effective implementation.
• Increasing environmental awareness and commitment amongst colleagues through training and briefings.
Continuing to identify opportunities to improve our environmental performance through clear objectives, plans and targets.
Covid-19 recovery

Covid-19 recovery

Since the emergence of Covid-19 as a global health crisis, we have supported our customers and the local communities they serve to adapt to the challenges posed by the pandemic. As a supplier of software and services to the public sector, this has included rapid development and deployment of software solutions to enable the efficient and effective delivery of new government schemes and changes in legislation, such as provision of Test and Trace Support Payments and new hospitality sector licensing requirements.
Initiatives we have implemented to support the policy outcomes include:
• Increasing our pre-pandemic workforce numbers through recruitment of an additional 250 UK based roles, many of whom were unemployed following redundancy from other sectors such as hospitality.
• Re-training and redeploying temporarily displaced colleagues rather than imposing redundancies or taking advantage of the furlough scheme.
• Commitment to investing over £400,000 in training and apprenticeships.
• Working collaboratively with customers to introduce new ways of working.
• Delivering community based social value through donations in kind to voluntary sector organisations impacted by the pandemic.
As part of our response to the pandemic we invested in and introduced several initiatives and workplace adaptations to protect employee health and safety, including:
• Introducing wider use of remote and flexible working, including making additional allowances for those caring for young children.
• Enhancing office safety, including installing sanitising stations, hygiene screens and digital thermometers.
• Increasing the frequency of colleague communications, with a focus on provision of mental health support and reducing the risks of isolation/loneliness.
• Providing all employees with free access to additional specialist resources, including 24x7 counselling and mental health services.
Tackling economic inequality

Tackling economic inequality

We recognise the expertise, innovation and value that can be gained from having a diverse supply chain and providing all suppliers with a fair and equal opportunity to become suppliers to us and our customers. We operate openly and transparently to enable this collaboration with third-party suppliers including large enterprises, sub-contractors, SMEs, VCSEs, mutuals and social enterprise organisations.
Additionally, we are committed to nurturing new and existing talent and creating a sustainable learning and development culture, equipping our staff with the appropriate skills, knowledge and processes so the company continues to deliver innovative, industry leading solutions.
Processes and practices we have adopted to tackle economic inequality include:
• Using outcome-based specifications and co-design methods to encourage suppliers, communities, users and third sector organisations to collaborate and propose solutions based upon end user requirements, rather than being prescriptive.
• Advertising supply chain opportunities openly and always operating transparently.
• Including modules covering anti-bribery and corruption, whistleblowing, equality and diversity in our all-colleague compulsory Annual Compliance Training.
• Having policies and operating practices that support effective supply chain relationships through fair selection and responsible management. For example, only flowing down appropriate contract terms.
• Paying at least 95% of all invoices within agreed terms and agreeing to reduced payment terms for SMEs and subcontractors.
• Never deducting sums from payments as a charge for remaining on our supplier list.
• Investing in new jobs and training opportunities through an active Apprenticeship scheme.
• Creating opportunities for career progression and investing in reward and recognition initiatives that support employee retention.
• Following the foundational principles of the Good Work Plan in respect of employee satisfaction, fair pay, well-being and safety, career progression, voice, and autonomy.
• Having appropriate controls in place to mitigate cyber security risks.
Equal opportunity

Equal opportunity

We want to be an employer of choice for people of all backgrounds, regardless of sexuality, disability, nationality, race, gender or religion. We are committed to ensuring workers either directly employed or employed within our supply chains are treated fairly, humanely, and equitably.
To encourage a diverse and varied workforce our approach to equal opportunity includes:
• Ensuring job adverts reach a diverse audience, including utilising job sites which encourage interest from disadvantaged and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups.
• Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, supporting candidates with disabilities through provision of supportive technology and/or changes to working practices.
• Collecting, analysing and senior reporting of equality and diversity data obtained during recruitment activities.
• Making appointments on the grounds of selecting the most suitable candidate for the post.
• Gender-neutral role definitions.
• Ensuring policies and employee communications promote respect and equality for all.
Other activities supporting equal opportunity within the workforce include:
• Tackling gender pay gap, through annual audits. Women now comprise over a third of our leadership team, including our Chief Executive.
• Compliance with Modern Slavery Act 2015 and 9 core principles of Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code.
• Ensuring effective controls are in place to mitigate and manage risks of exploitation within the supply chain, including supplier questionnaires and evidence requirements.
• Provision of appropriate channels for colleagues to have an effective voice, such as our Employee Steering Group.
• Investment in workforce development and training, including an active Apprenticeship and Graduate Recruitment programme.
• No use of zero hours contracts or fire and rehire practices.
• Being a Real Living Wage Employer.
• Flexible working practices.
• Transparent and structured promotion, pay and reward processes.
• Senior level sponsorship at board level supporting and promoting equal opportunity beyond basic statutory requirements.
Wellbeing

Wellbeing

Physical Fitness and Mental Stability is one of our sustainable development goals.
Our approach to supporting good health and wellbeing which will be applicable to the contract workforce includes:
• Providing employees with free and confidential access to specialist resources 24x7, including counselling and mental health services through our Employee Assistance Programme.
• Providing private healthcare cover for employees. Cover includes Doctor at Hand service to provide employees with fast and convenient access to advice, assistance and medical treatment, GP appointments anytime and anywhere.
• Maintaining compliance with the six standards of the Mental Health at Work commitment and a dedicated module to promote health and wellbeing as part of our all-colleague compulsory compliance training.
• Accommodating workplace adjustments, such as supportive technology for those with a disability or health condition.
• Encouraging good physical health by providing discounted corporate gym membership over 3,300 participating gyms through our employee GymFlex scheme.
We incorporate national health and wellbeing campaigns within our communications calendar, raising employee awareness and signpost to useful support pathways. Our 2022/23 calendar include raising awareness of the following nationally recognised campaigns:
• Stress Awareness Day.
• Mental Health Awareness week.
• World Menopause Day.
• National Eye Health week.
• World Diabetes Day.
• Stress Awareness Month.
• Suicide Prevention Day.
• Men's Health week.
Within one of our acquired businesses, we have Mental Health First Aiders who have trained to spot signs of mental ill health and provide early support for colleagues who may be developing a mental health issue.
Supporting employee health and wellbeing is underpinned by clear action plans for improvement and several Human Resources policies, such as our:
• Health and Safety Policy
• Alcohol, Drugs & Solvent Abuse Policy
• Menopause Policy
• Absence Policy
• Flexible Working Policy
• Gender Reassignment Policy.

Pricing

Price
£300 an instance
Discount for educational organisations
No
Free trial available
No

Service documents

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 frameworks@necsws.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.