Faculty Science Limited

Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Model and Machine Learning Discovery Services

We help organisations deploy powerful cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) and data science tools to extract insights and value from data. Our Discovery projects interrogate your data alongside organisational needs to recommend machine learning and AI solutions. We bring deep expertise in supervised, unsupervised and reinforcement learning, NLP and wider ML.

Features

• Machine learning discovery service to leverage data insights and value
• Advanced scalable cloud-based machine learning, AI, and data science tools
• Discovery phase to interrogate data and identify machine learning solutions
• Develop business cases to support data science tool deployment
• Deep expertise across supervised learning, unsupervised learning and reinforcement learning
• Real-world application of research-grade tools for prediction, classification, clustering etc.
• Deep experience in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and predictive analytics
• Data engineering solutions and data architecture for big data analytics
• Access powerful and easy-to-use dashboards, apps, and data visualisations

Benefits

• Deployment on our cloud-based data science environment or your cloud
• Identify service improvements, process automation, and efficiencies in operational delivery
• Deep experience of AI and machine learning engagements across government
• Iterate fast from discovery to proof-of-concept to deployment
• Agile approach to respond rapidly to changes in requirements
• Up-skill analytical teams in cloud-based tools and machine learning
• Improve data governance, architecture and quality
• Develop a cloud strategy that avoids dependence and spreads risks
• Integrate new AI tools with existing data and tech stacks
• Expert team of data scientists with mathematics and physics PhDs

£700 to £3,000 a unit a day

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 commercial.operations@faculty.ai. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

216810007284198

Contact

Neil Smith
02071930738
commercial.operations@faculty.ai

Planning

• Planning service: Yes
• How the planning service works: We conduct detailed Discovery exercises at the beginning of all our engagements. These allow us to build a deep understanding of your opportunities, challenges, context, and priorities. We thoroughly explore and test your data to understand its coverage and quality. Then we work with you to identify exactly how data science tools could help solve your problems, and to specify those solutions before they’re implemented. We also develop an understanding of how you’ll want to consume the outputs of cloud-based data science software, and create a deployment plan which exactly matches your needs and systems.
• Planning service works with specific services: No

Training

• Training service provided: Yes
• How the training service works: Faculty offers a comprehensive range of training in cloud-based data science tools, techniques and strategy. This ranges from our ‘AI for Executives’ course to help senior managers lead AI business transformations, our ‘BI to AI’ course which helps analysts to become data scientists, to technical masterclasses in cutting-edge techniques. Our technical team deliver the data science training involved in our prestigious Fellowship, and have extensive experience of delivering technical training to clients in all sectors and with diverse levels of prior experience. We can provide deep technical training in virtually all modern data science / ML tools and techniques.; ; Our data science engagements are regularly structured with specific objectives to build capability in client’s data science and analytical teams. For example, we can work hand-in-glove with client teams to plan and deploy cutting-edge data science tools in the cloud, while training the client’s analytical team in data science techniques - so that our engagement builds capability, not dependence.
• Training is tied to specific services: No

Setup and migration

• Setup or migration service available: Yes
• How the setup or migration service works: We are experts in helping organisations transition to cloud-based data science workflows. As well as the installation of our cloud-based data science development environment, ‘Faculty Platform’, we can advise on the design and build of other cloud-based elements of data/system architecture, such as data warehouses.; ; We have substantial real-world experience of the sorts of data engineering solutions, data pipelines and ETL operations which are required to prepare data from all kinds of sources for data science work. This can include extensive data cleaning and validation, including supporting clients in the use of automated data cleaning tools.; ; We can also help clients to transition from one cloud provider to another, or from on-premises operations to cloud operations.
• 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: We assist buyers in quality assurance and performance testing through our comprehensive approach to implementing data science tools. Our process ensures accuracy, transparency, and alignment with client expectations.; ; Quality assurance begins with careful agreement on metrics and results with clients, ensuring that data science tools are judged by relevant criteria. We specialize in real-world A/B testing and Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), enabling us to maximize the value derived from data insights and machine learning models.; ; Data quality and governance are fundamental to our approach. Our team addresses data quality issues and designs robust governance architectures to support successful implementation.; ; Our engineers develop, deploy, and maintain code with a focus on user needs and system requirements. Through iterative user testing, security assessments, and phased rollouts, we ensure that systems are well-tested and can handle required loads.; ; Performance testing is a key component of our process. We conduct automated and manual performance testing to consistently meet client non-functional requirements. This includes testing data processing pipeline throughput and tooling support for concurrent users.; ; Overall, our approach ensures that buyers receive high-quality, performant solutions that meet their needs and expectations.

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: Faculty can provide tailored ongoing support to meet various needs. We provide comprehensive service desk user support for our own cloud-based Faculty Platform, as detailed under ‘user support’. In addition, we offer ongoing maintenance of data science and AI tools implemented on Faculty Platform or on clients’ own infrastructure. This includes, for example, monitoring the health and performance of deployed applications and machine learning models, and resolving issues where necessary.

Service scope

• Service constraints: None

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Normally, support for cloud and deployed services is agreed on a case-by-case basis during contract length. Faculty provides technical support on the schedule of the UK workweek, Monday to Friday, 9-5. ; Post contract, we can offer a premium option for 24/7 support at an extra cost. For example, with a graduated response scheduling: Level 1 (fatal) issues (e.g. a large number of users prevented from working) have a response time of 1 hour. Level 2 (severe) issues have a response time of 4 hours, while Level 3 (medium) and Level 4 (minor) issues extend to 24 hours.
• 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: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the web chat support is accessible: N/A
• Web chat accessibility testing: None
• Support levels: Faculty provides technical support for our platform on 24/5 basis as standard, with a premium option for 24/7 support.; ; For our Faculty Platform, clients receive a dedicated Faculty Technical Manager to support the on-boarding process. After on-boarding, Customer Support Engineers provide proactive support. By default, support is provided via phone, email and through the platform console.; ; Faculty provides a graduated response scheduling depending on the severity of the incident. Level 1 (fatal) issues (e.g. a large number of users prevented from working) have a response time of 1 hour. Level 2 (severe) issues have a response time of 4 hours, while Level 3 (medium) and Level 4 (minor) issues have a response time of 24 hours.; ; Standard support is provided at no extra cost as part of the Platform licence. Enhanced support options can be agreed on a case-by-case basis. Support for other cloud and deployed services is agreed on a case-by-case basis.

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Developed Vetting (DV)

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: British Assessment Bureau
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 23/2/2023
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: N.A
• 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

  As a founding member of the “Tech Zero” taskforce, a climate action group for tech companies, we’re deeply committed to reducing both our own operational Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and driving pro-environmental change/commitments across wider industry through setting ambitious but achievable targets for members of our action group:; • We publish our Carbon Reduction Plan on an annual basis and commission “Supercritical”, an external carbon foot-printing company, to bi-annually calculate our baseline tCO2e “Scope 1-3” emissions. We emitted 591 tonnes CO2e in 2022, 2.05 tCO2e per employee, comparing favourably to baseline average of ~5.5 tonnes per employee at similar technology companies. We also balance by purchasing carbon removal offsets, actively removing carbon from the atmosphere.; • We work alongside the UK Government’s Sustainable Business Council to help tackle climate change by determining the best path to achieving net-zero and boosting green investment. ; Using AI for decarbonisation is one of our core external business priorities as a firm, with our dedicated ‘Energy Transition & Environment’ unit leading AI builds with projects from energy-source transition for National Grid to optimising tidal power generation.

  Covid-19 recovery

  During the pandemic, we supported our clients and staff, including the UK Government's COVID-19 programs, leveraging our expertise in AI and Data. We adopted and have continued to offer our employees hybrid working and flexible hours prioritising people in our return-to-office planning with funded office equipment and sustainable travel support. We regularly engage our workforce through “temperature-check” surveys , workshops and company "all hands"; To support COVID-19 recovery, we maintain workplace policies for efficient and safe remote working, encourage anonymous reporting channels and track hybrid working effectiveness. We have wellbeing policies in place to support all aspects of physical and mental health. Our data science fellowship mobilises PhDs and academics to become industry experts, contributing to a skilled, data-literate workforce."; During the pandemic, we are proud to have supported the NHS England with the Early Warning System utilising AI to forecast demand for critical resources, and recognised as Best Healthcare Analytics Project for the NHS by the Health Services Journal Partnership Awards in 2022.

  Tackling economic inequality

  As a leading company in the tech sector, we have a responsibility to train and recruit from groups that traditionally have found it difficult to find work in our industry.; ; • Faculty are signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant; we offer AI resettlement opportunities to Serving and transitioning Service Personnel. ; • Our Fellowship programme has trained 100+ female professional data scientists, with diversity a key objective (last year’s intake was 46.7% female, treble the industry average. It won the Princess Royal Training Award in 2022.; In addition, we believe that to get the best out of staff, they must feel rewarded and be free from financial stress.; • All Faculty’s staff earn comfortably more than the real living wage.; • We benchmark salaries yearly against industry averages for individual roles and groups within the company (gender, age groups, ethnicity); • Individual pay is also reviewed by the senior leadership team during the performance management process to ensure equal opportunity, with annual pay adjustments; • Our major suppliers (cleaning and office support) pay their staff London living wage

  Equal opportunity

  Faculty is deeply committed to promoting equal opportunity by identifying and tackling inequality in employment, skills and pay and supporting in-work progression for under-represented groups (e.g. gender/ ethnicity/disability/neuro-diversity). For example, given the lack of female representation within our industry, we have introduced a range of schemes aimed specifically at overcoming inequalities and barriers to hiring and retaining women in tech:; • We have active ‘Women in Data Science’ and Neuro-diversity staff communities, plus an accelerated development programme for female technologists. Female staff are promoted 2.6-months more quickly on average.; • For hiring, our staff are already 40% more gender-diverse than industry average, and we adopt name-blind hiring practices and mandatory mixed interview panels.; • Our Fellowship programme has trained 100+ female professional data-scientists, with diversity a key objective (last year’s intake 46.7% female, treble industry average). It won the Princess Royal Training Award in 2022.; • We are founding members of SheCanCode and 01Founders, supporting data-science; We will build on experience delivering existing initiatives to amplify the social value created in the delivery of any project, thereby taking more proactive steps to build technical skills amongst under-represented groups (including women, minority ethnic, and disabled) and ensure mixed teams with fair development opportunities in the contract itself.

  Wellbeing

  We offer a range of wider resources, including:; • 30+ Mental Health First Aiders trained to create a resilient peer support network.; • External counseling available for all staff, with an enhanced package for sensitive projects.; • Free health insurance and 20 active funded clubs/societies promoting health and wellbeing, and subsidised gym membership.; • Mental health days focused days at work such as where we provide massages.; • A safe/quiet space at the office designated to allow peace and calm for any employee that needs it.; • Proactive monitoring of excessive hours and an 'unlimited leave' policy, as well as the flexibility of a hybrid working model. ; We have robust processes aligned with CIPD’s Mental Health at Work standards and use a voluntary reporting framework for transparent workplace health and wellbeing. These processes include:; • Confidential communication of health issues and accessing support.; • Proactive monitoring of excessive hours.; • Regular one-to-one meetings with managers.; • Weekly anonymous checks on workloads and stress levels.; As specialists in our sector, we understand the impact of wellbeing and have a comprehensive approach to support our teams, including:; • Regular mandatory external staff counseling.; • Clear internal support structure with weekly wellbeing check-ins.; • Dedicated secure working areas to encourage discussion and limit unnecessary exposure to sensitive matter.; Our approach also addresses common sector issues, such as physical problems from excess screen time and disproportionate mental health issues.

Pricing

• Price: £700 to £3,000 a unit a day
• Discount for educational organisations: No

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 commercial.operations@faculty.ai. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.