NEC SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED

NEC Risk Based Verification (RBV)

NEC Risk Based Verification (RBV) allows local authorities using NEC Benefits to check information supplied by claimants for new claim and change in circumstances against a risk model to determine the likelihood of its accuracy.

Features

  • Real-time risk scoring
  • NEC Benefits screens display risk score
  • Local policies are applied within the parameters
  • Change to local policies can be implemented at any time
  • Streamlined evidence requests if CA-B is in use
  • Automated increased risk scores as required under DWP guidelines
  • Fully compliant with HB/CTB S11/2011
  • Full training provided

Benefits

  • Reduces administrative burden, therefore reducing staff costs
  • Faster processing of claims, increasing efficiency
  • RBV details always available in claim context block
  • If CA-B available, makes public input faster and more accurate
  • The only RBV product fully integrated with NEC Benefits

Pricing

£11,500 a licence a year

Service documents

Request an accessible format
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Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

2 0 7 2 6 8 9 3 9 6 1 0 1 5 9

Contact

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

Service scope

Software add-on or extension
Yes
What software services is the service an extension to
NEC Revenues and Benefits
NEC Citizen Access Suite
Cloud deployment model
Private cloud
Service constraints
The service is available 24x7, except for planned and emergency maintenance and with 99.5% availability. We will provide at least 24 hours advance notice of any planned maintenance and schedule the work outside Normal Business Hours.
System requirements
  • Browser Based. Internet access via HTTPS over Virtual Private Network
  • NEC will provide a URL link to NEC SaaS
  • Access via browser supporting Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Safari 9+

User support

Email or online ticketing support
Email or online ticketing
Support response times
Upon receiving a Support Request, but in any event within four working hours during Normal Business Hours, the Service Desk will prioritise the call in accordance with the Service Levels process set out in the NEC Citizens Access Suite SaaS Service Description.
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
No
Onsite support
Yes, at extra cost
Support levels
Support is available 09.00 to 17:30 inclusive on Working Days, excluding the days between Christmas and New Year.
You will be provided with a login to the NEC Customer Portal where you will be able to raise incidents. All incidents reported will be responded to on-line, however telephone conversations and remote database access may also be required depending on the nature of the incident.
All support provided is undertaken by our staff remotely. All support staff are UK based.
Incidents reported are responded in the following timescales:
• High Priority – 60 minutes
• Normal Priority – 300 minutes
• Low Priority – None
All support is included in the annual SaaS charge.
Support available to third parties
Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

Getting started
NEC with our partner Xantura will provide full training on the use of NEC RBV and advise on implementing the local authority policy within the functionality.

Full documentation / training manuals are provided which are supplemented by on-line help facilities.

From time to time further guidance may be issued as part of new release documentation or Information / Software Release Bulletins
Service documentation
Yes
Documentation formats
PDF
End-of-contract data extraction
All risk based software is only held within the NEC Benefits system, therefore there is no requirement for NEC to extract any data at contract end.
End-of-contract process
There is no end of contract cost to the Local Authority. Once written notice is received from the Authority NEC will remove the ability to call the RBV web service from the contract end date.

Using the service

Web browser interface
Yes
Supported browsers
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
Application to install
Yes
Compatible operating systems
  • Linux or Unix
  • Windows
Designed for use on mobile devices
No
Service interface
No
User support accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
API
No
Customisation available
Yes
Description of customisation
There are various system parameters to allow the authority to implement their own local policy for Risk Based Verification. These parameters are available online in the NEC Benefits system. It is the authority’s choice as to who can amend these parameters, but they are normally restricted to the System Administrator

Scaling

Independence of resources
The number of users is proportional to the size of the service. Each client instance is allocated its own computer resources (processing power, memory and storage) in accordance with the size of the organisation. This is sized to enable users to undertake normal operational activities without affecting other users.

Analytics

Service usage metrics
No

Resellers

Supplier type
Not a reseller

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
User control over data storage and processing locations
Yes
Datacentre security standards
Managed by a third party
Penetration testing frequency
At least once a year
Penetration testing approach
‘IT Health Check’ performed by a CHECK service provider
Protecting data at rest
Other
Other data at rest protection approach
TBC
Data sanitisation process
No
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
There are various batch process which export RBV related data, these are available from the NEC back office functionality. As required by the DWP, SHBE data files also include appropriate RBV details.

RBV data attributes are also available with Business Objects.
Data export formats
Other
Other data export formats
Not applicable
Data import formats
Other
Other data import formats
Not applicable

Data-in-transit protection

Data protection between buyer and supplier networks
IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
Data protection within supplier network
IPsec or TLS VPN gateway

Availability and resilience

Guaranteed availability
The service is available 24x7, except for planned and emergency maintenance, with support response available between 09:00 and 17:00 each Business Day.

NEC SaaS is typically provided at 99.5% availability. There are no service credits available.
Approach to resilience
Available upon request.
Outage reporting
Outages will be treated as a Major Incident (MI) and managed by the ISO20000:2018 certified process. A named user will receive an email and an SMS message notifying them of the status of the MI until resolution. The incident will also be logged on the Service Desk system where the status is also visible to the user.

Identity and authentication

User authentication needed
Yes
User authentication
Username or password
Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels
We have a Secure Managed Environment which we use to manage all Secure Plus services. This environment has been independently accredited by a CESG-approved accreditor and is completely separated from the Service environment.
Support staff access this environment through devices that have been hardened and locked down according to CESG guidance. Support staff have additional security clearance to SC MOD/NPPV Level 3.
Access restriction testing frequency
At least once a year
Management access authentication
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

Access to user activity audit information
Users have access to real-time audit information
How long user audit data is stored for
User-defined
Access to supplier activity audit information
Users receive audit information on a regular basis
How long supplier audit data is stored for
At least 12 months
How long system logs are stored for
At least 12 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
Information security policies and processes
All of our services and processes are carried out in compliance with our ISO27001:2013 certified Information Security Management System (ISMS). The ISMS is supported by a comprehensive set of standards and policies. All staff undertake mandatory annual security and data protection awareness training to ensure they are familiar at all times of the importance of operating in a secure manner and of the policies in place.
The NEC Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) operates at board level and has overall responsibility and accountability for all aspect of security governance. The SIRO is supported by an Information Security Steering Group (ISSG) which is headed by the Security Director and has representatives from all areas within the organisation. The ISSG is responsible for agreeing policies with the SIRO and ensuring they are implemented across the business.
An operational Security Working Group (SWG) is responsible for managing any incidents that may occur and in an advisory capacity to provide advice and guidance to the organisation.

Operational security

Configuration and change management standard
Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
Configuration and change management approach
We have an ISO20000:2018 certified service management system. The components of the service are created as Configuration Items and added to our Configuration Management Database when the Change Request has been completed. As part of the Change Management Process, when future Changes affect the components our CMDB is updated accordingly throughout the lifetime, up to and including decommissioning and disposal.
We hold a weekly Technical Change Advisory Board, which is attended by at least one member of the Security Team, who will assess any security implications.
Vulnerability management type
Supplier-defined controls
Vulnerability management approach
We have Symantec Endpoint Protection anti-virus software installed which assesses potential threats to our services. We deploy patches to our services in a timely manner. Critical security patches are applied as soon as possible, and all other patching is done on a quarterly cycle. Our Security Team has signed up to various security alert subscriptions, alerting us to potential threats that may affect our services.
Protective monitoring type
Supplier-defined controls
Protective monitoring approach
We use the protective monitoring tool LogRhythm to identify potential compromises. We have a team of Security Administrators who regularly review the audit logs and take relevant action.
When a potential compromise has been identified, it is reviewed by the Security Team and an investigation is carried out. This may result in a Major Incident or a Service Change being raised, and these are managed in accordance with the relevant process.
Speed of incident response is dependent on the severity, any critical incidents are prioritised and an emergency remedial plan will be put in place.
Incident management type
Conforms to a recognised standard, for example, CSA CCM v3.0 or ISO/IEC 27035:2011 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
Incident management approach
Incident Management is part of our ISO20000:2018 certified Service Management system.
All incidents are handled within the same process. Users report incidents through the Service Desk, and a Security Incident document is then raised. This is reviewed by the Security Team and is managed in accordance with the Incident Management Process.
At regular times Incident Reports are provided to the user, and once the Incident is closed a full report is produced which is used to identify any lessons learnt.

Secure development

Approach to secure software development best practice
Conforms to a recognised standard, but self-assessed

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
£11,500 a licence a year
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.