Placecube Ltd

Digital Place for Local Public Services (PaaS)

Your integrated platform for making and re-using websites and digital services. Re-use cubes co-developed with Councils, create new services using Placecube’s low-code UX, form, data and process building tools, or use the full-code development capabilities of the embedded Liferay DXP. Cloud-based, open-source and fully scalable to accelerate your digital transformation.

Features

• Web CMS: LocalGov templates, microsites, intranets/extranets, personalisation, Headless API.
• User research-based local government information architecture and responsive UI/UX
• Low-code Forms: rules builder, custom fields, payments, notifications, integrations
• Low-code Multi-stage Processes: model data, actions, stages, API integrations
• Customer Contact Management (CRM) cube supports phone, email, face-to-face interactions
• Resident/Business Account: authentication, back-office integration, role-based access control, SSO
• Built-in integration tools, provide and consume OpenAPI compliant RESTful services
• Modular service architecture supporting open standards, built on open-source
• Reuse open-source licensed cubes, develop complex services using full-code
• Includes powerful ElasticSearch engine and integrates AI/ML cloud services

Benefits

• Accelerate your digital journey with reusable components, co-developed with councils
• Low code gives you control to adapt and extend services
• Process SLAs and digital automation improves service delivery speed
• End-to-end service digitisation and process improvement reduces operating costs
• Support income generation through integrated eCommerce capability, tailored for LocalGov
• Enables mobile ready WCAG 2.2 AA compliant websites, services
• Cloud system fully scalable to meet high levels of demand
• Open standards, ease of integration removes legacy application constraints
• Consolidate, simplify and reduce contract costs into one PaaS platform
• Independence from proprietary software vendor ‘lock-in’ – taking back control

£110,400 an instance a year

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  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 jenny.dias@placecube.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

142501583986979

Contact

Jenny Dias
020 8895 6756
jenny.dias@placecube.com

Planning

• Planning service: Yes
• How the planning service works: We’ll first conduct an initial discovery workshop where we learn about your objectives, technologies, and data, to plan the implementation approach. Depending on the nature of the work, one of our certified solutions architects may produce a detailed solution design for your new cloud environment, before passing to one of our DevOps engineers in the build phase.
• Planning service works with specific services: No

Training

• Training service provided: Yes
• How the training service works: Provide training on the use of Placecube cloud based services and applications. This includes , Digital Place and Liferay DXP.
• Training is tied to specific services: Yes
• Services the training service works with:
  • Digital Place for Communities
  • Foster Carer Recruitment Service
  • Digital Place for Local Public Services
  • Liferay DXP
  • Digital Place for Building Digital Services
  • Digital Place for the Workplace
  • Robotic Process Automation
  • Liferay Analytics Cloud
  • Digital Place for eCommerce
  • Open Place Directory

Setup and migration

• Setup or migration service available: Yes
• How the setup or migration service works: We’ll first conduct an initial discovery workshop where we learn about your objectives, technologies, and data, to plan the migration approach. We may then produce a migration design document which outlines our recommendation and the steps to achieve your migration to the cloud or between cloud services, before moving into the implementation phase where we can help you conduct the migration.
• Setup or migration service is for specific cloud services: No

Quality assurance and performance testing

• Quality assurance and performance testing service: Yes
• How the quality assurance and performance testing works: All Placecube products are continually tested using automated quality assurance tools and real time performance monitoring, in order that any bugs, issues or downtime is promptly identified and resolved. This same level of quality assurance and performance monitoring can also be applied to our bespoke professional services delivered solutions. In addition to being hosted within AWS, in most cases, products are delivered using a clustered infrastructure, which provides further resilience and continuous service delivery. To evidence this level of resilience, we are happy to share infrastructure and architecture diagrams for our products and solutions. ; ; Our performance testing is not restricted to service availability. We also proactively test response times for applications and interfaces, using a range of tools. Any performance metrics which fall outside of agreed SLA’s, as per the G-Cloud Call of Agreement, are reported to clients at the time of the event and are also recorded within a quarterly report. In addition to publishing this report to relevant stakeholders within the client, a review meeting is conducted within 2 weeks. All major incidents (Priority 1) and any recurring incidents are subject to investigation, including root cause analysis, the results of which are also shared in the quarterly report.

Security testing

• Security services: No

Ongoing support

• Ongoing support service: Yes
• Types of service supported:
  • Buyer hosting or software
  • Hosting or software provided by your organisation
  • Hosting or software provided by a third-party organisation
• How the support service works: Our solution is ready-to-use and can be deployed at pace.; Firstly, we will work with you in person and via virtual meetings to discuss branding, design, and the tools you want to use. We will then set up sessions to walk through the service as described above.; Once deployed, we provide a dedicated web-based support desk, available from 09.00-17.30, normal business days as standard. Telephone, on-site or 24/7 extended support service can be made available at extra cost. Our support team consists of highly skilled, experienced professionals, who can help troubleshoot any problems.; We also have an expert technical and content team who will optimise your Directory and build your inhouse skills. Additional training beyond the standard described above is available at extra cost.

Service scope

• Service constraints: Support is handled remotely. Onsite is available at additional costs.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Support Centre Hours - 09.00 - 17.30 ; Priority Level 1 - 1 Clock hour; Priority Level 2 - 2 Business hours; Priority Level 3 - 2 Business Hours; Priority Level 4 - 24 Business Hours
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Phone support: No
• Web chat support: No
• Support levels: Standard Support included in annual subscription; Priority Level 1 – Critical means complete outage and/or inability of all users of the system to undertake any interaction with it and which has a severe impact on the client and its business and/or users especially, but not limited to, Catastrophic Fault or Catastrophic Service Failure.; Priority Level 2 – High means limited outage and/or limited or restricted use for all or part of the system by users with potential business impact.; Priority Level 3 – Medium means limited or periodic outage and/or limited or restricted use for all or part of the system by users with minimal business impact.; Priority Level 4 – Low means no outage and unrestricted use for all the system by users with no business impact.; Placecube provide a dedicated web-based support desk, available 24/7. Support hours are 09.00-17.30, normal business days as standard. Telephone, on-site or 24/7 extended support service can be made available at extra cost. Our support team are highly skilled, experienced professionals, who help troubleshoot problems.; We have an expert technical and content team who will optimise your Directory and build your in-house skills. Additional training beyond the standard is available at extra cost.

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

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

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: Certified by British Assessment Bureau
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: First certified 12/10/2010 recertified 26/02/2024
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: Physical premises, covered by Hosting partner
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  All employees and associates/contractors work from home, eliminating the need to travel to and from work. Travel to attend face to face meetings is undertaken only when necessary and journeys made via public transport, unless impractical to do so.; We use technology and digital tools to conduct our business, reducing the use of paper and printing. Supplies are procured from environmentally friendly sources. To tackle economic inequality, we recycle computer equipment and mobile devices to benefit those most in need.; We encourage employees to adopt environmentally sustainable working practices and to contribute ideas as to how we improve.; We have ceased the use of ‘branded goodies’ at conferences and are exploring more environmentally friendly approaches.

  Covid-19 recovery

  Minimal impact on the business as all our staff work from home

  Tackling economic inequality

  We work collaboratively and ensure that our clients never pay twice for the same development, actively promoting re-use, and repeatable services.; Digital Place is open-source, and non-proprietary, meaning that our customers can choose to resource new digital projects internally, or through local supply chains. Our promotion of local economic opportunities extends beyond the confines of the Authority, for we actively encourage collaboration by making the platform free to use for partner organisations and community groups. The product can be shared at no additional cost - delivering real economic gain for the public purse.; Supporting the development of strong integrated communities, using the Digital Place Platform delivers a meaningful impact on local employment and economy – benefiting the wellbeing of those communities.; To tackle economic inequality, we recycle computer equipment and mobile devices to benefit those most in need.

  Equal opportunity

  Placecube embraces diversity, inclusion, and equality through our people. Our actions, supported by our various policies and processes enable this. We are committed to the Living Wage movement, are Disability Confident, and support the Armed Forces Covenant.; We recognise that the social value of place-based, connected, local public service can transform the lives of the most vulnerable in communities and make best use of the public purse, so that ever tightening resources can be focused on priorities and not duplication.; We contribute to the public sector and the not-for-profit sector through our free-to-use open knowledge exchange platform. Through Knowledge Hub, we contribute to best practice sharing and collaboration, supporting sector-led improvement, knowledge retention and skills development.

  Wellbeing

  Placecube embraces diversity, inclusion, and equality through our people. Our actions, supported by our various policies and processes enable this. We are committed to the Living Wage movement, are Disability Confident, and support the Armed Forces Covenant.; We recognise that the social value of place-based, connected, local public service can transform the lives of the most vulnerable in communities and make best use of the public purse, so that ever tightening resources can be focused on priorities and not duplication.; We contribute to the public sector and the not-for-profit sector through our free-to-use open knowledge exchange platform. Through Knowledge Hub, we contribute to best practice sharing and collaboration, supporting sector-led improvement, knowledge retention and skills development.

Pricing

• Price: £110,400 an instance a year
• Discount for educational organisations: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  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 jenny.dias@placecube.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.