PDMS Limited (Professional Data Management Services Limited)

Context - Demands Based Case Management

Online demands based case management and service transformation module designed to support customer centric service transformation and continuous improvement working. Evidence based decision making around measures and system constraints. Currently working with local authorities and housing departments.

Features

  • Intuitive user interface to speed up recording
  • Extensively configurable to reflect actual issues
  • Integration with other application inc. address and person gazetteers
  • Activity costing supported
  • Allows system constraints (blockages/ hindrances ) to be identified
  • Supports associations between demands, system constraints and strategic purposes
  • Mobile case working supported
  • Graphically plot client's progress via spider graphs and other representations
  • Integrated reporting
  • Supports GDPR

Benefits

  • Customer focused model
  • Supports continuous improvement by identifying real issues
  • Supports service transformation activities
  • Supports and assists evidence based decision making
  • System constraints and blockages can be monitored and addressed
  • Supports practitioner 'learning' and development of best practice
  • Supports 'Social Care' models
  • Extensive configuration options provide flexible customization
  • View issues the context of wider strategic purposes or objectives
  • Supports full audit history and transparency

Pricing

£1,000 an instance a month

  • Education pricing available
  • Free trial available

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

Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

3 4 5 7 4 2 1 9 6 2 6 9 2 8 1

Contact

PDMS Limited (Professional Data Management Services Limited) Catriona Watt
Telephone: +44 (0) 1624 664000
Email: saasenquiries@pdms.com

Service scope

Software add-on or extension
Yes, but can also be used as a standalone service
What software services is the service an extension to
PDMS Context delivers a secure, scalable and flexible multi-module environment covering an increasing range of Local Authority and County Council Services. The modules are designed to support service transformation by associating demands with system blockages and constraints, which can be tied back to the organisation's strategic objectives.
Cloud deployment model
Private cloud
Service constraints
Upgrades are planned at quarterly intervals, whilst every effort is made to minimise disruption there may be occasions where the service is unavailable. Notifications of updates are published at least two weeks in advance of the planned date.
System requirements
Based on Industry standard tecnologies, no specific constraints.

User support

Email or online ticketing support
Email or online ticketing
Support response times
A response to a support request can typically be expected to be received within four working hours of the support call being raised, however PDMS will work to agree SLAs with the buyer and can provide higher levels of service where required.
User can manage status and priority of support tickets
Yes
Online ticketing support accessibility
None or don’t know
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
As standard, PDMS provide support 09.00 - 17.00 Monday to Friday excluding UK bank holidays. The support level depends on the type and scope of the solution being supported, and the support hours required. Please see they SFIA rate card for our standard rates. Technical account management / support engineers are available where required.
Support available to third parties
Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

Getting started
Support can be offered via any of the following methods:-
- Documentation (online)
- Skype/ Webinar
- Onsite training (additional cost)
Service documentation
Yes
Documentation formats
PDF
End-of-contract data extraction
Admin users have the ability to export both reference data configurations and case data as XML.
End-of-contract process
PDMS can provide a backup of the client's data from any module or modules, subscribed to. This data can then be deleted from the hosting infrastructure.
Assistance outside of the above or as described within our Service Definition document may attract an additional cost.

Using the service

Web browser interface
Yes
Supported browsers
  • Internet Explorer 11
  • Microsoft Edge
Application to install
No
Designed for use on mobile devices
Yes
Differences between the mobile and desktop service
The service is designed to operate in most standard browsers and should show no difference between mobile and desktop.
Service interface
No
User support accessibility
WCAG 2.1 A
API
No
Customisation available
Yes
Description of customisation
All reference data is user configurable. Report templates can be configured and saved. Configuration ability is controlled by role within the application. All configuration is done via admin screens within the application itself.

Scaling

Independence of resources
PDMS Software-as-a-Service is hosted on a highly resilient infrastructure using multiple storage, memory and processing units across multiple locales in multiple Data Centres on the Isle of Man – an architecture aimed at achieving extremely high availability. The Data Centres adhere to best practices described by the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centre Operations, and meet the Uptime Institute Tier Level 3 classification. PDMS holds ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System standard certification and Cyber Essentials Plus.

Analytics

Service usage metrics
Yes
Metrics types
Configurable Audit history can provide activiy and usage metrics.
Reporting types
  • Real-time dashboards
  • Reports on request

Resellers

Supplier type
Not a reseller

Staff security

Staff security clearance
Other security clearance
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
Supplier-defined controls
Penetration testing frequency
At least once a year
Penetration testing approach
Another external penetration testing organisation
Protecting data at rest
Other
Other data at rest protection approach
Secure Tier 3 Data centres
Secure containers, racks or cages
Physical access control
Encryption of Physical media
Safe destruction of physical media
Data sanitisation process
Yes
Data sanitisation type
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
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
Admin users have the ability to export both reference data configurations and transactional case data as XML. In addition, report data can be downloaded as .csv files.
Data export formats
  • CSV
  • Other
Other data export formats
XML
Data import formats
  • CSV
  • Other
Other data import formats
XML

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
The Service Availability is set at 99.9%
The Service Availability stated above is the percentage of the time the Service is available for use when measured over any one calendar month subject to Exceptions (see below) calculated according to the formula:
(The number of minutes the service is available to the Customer
PLUS
The number of minutes the service is unavailable to the Customer due to exceptions)
DIVIDED BY
The total number of minutes in the month

If the Service availability over any one calendar month is less than the above defined Service Availability, the Customer may request financial recompense.
The financial recompense shall be calculated as a portion of the monthly Subscription fee to the Customer proportionate to the unavailability of the system, i.e.
{1 MINUS [(The number of minutes the service is available to the Customer
PLUS
The number of minutes the service is unavailable to the Customer due to exceptions
MINUS
The number of minutes the service is unavailable to the Customer due to other reasons)
DIVIDED BY
The total number of minutes in the month]} TIMES BY The monthly Subscription fee.
Further information can be found in the Service Definition Document
Approach to resilience
PDMS Software-as-a-Service is hosted on a highly resilient infrastructure using multiple storage, memory and processing units across multiple locales in multiple Data Centres on the Isle of Man – an architecture aimed at achieving extremely high availability. The Data Centres adhere to best practices described by the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centre Operations, and meet the Uptime Institute Tier Level 3 classification. PDMS holds ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System standard certification alongside Cyber Essentials certification.

Further information is available on request and also within the Service Definition document.
Outage reporting
In the event of a planned outage, a notice is displayed on the system homepage and also via email to the system administrator.

Identity and authentication

User authentication needed
Yes
User authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Username or password
Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels
Access (to management interfaces and support channels) is restricted by least privilege access using active directory accounts with strong username and password combinations. Access is restricted on both a need and time basis with the default being that support staff do not have access.
Access restriction testing frequency
At least once a year
Management access authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • 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
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
At least 12 months

Standards and certifications

ISO/IEC 27001 certification
Yes
Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001
LRQA
ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date
Held since 25/03/2003
What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover
All areas of the business and our services are in scope.
ISO 28000:2007 certification
No
CSA STAR certification
No
PCI certification
No
Cyber essentials
Yes
Cyber essentials plus
Yes
Other security certifications
No

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
Cyber Essentials Plus
Information security policies and processes
As part of its ISMS, PDMS have the following policies and processes; Information Security Policy, Secure Development Process, Acceptable Use Policy, Change Control Policy, Data Classification and Handling Policy, Data Protection Policy, Business Continuity Policy and an Incident Management Process, all of which are governed, managed and audited through our ISO certifications. All policies are owned and regularly reviewed by the relevant departmental manager.

It is the responsibility of each departmental manager to ensure that all of their staff follow the information security policies and processes, however compliance is audited by the Quality and Standards Manager, with any issues identified reported to the relevant manager, for rectification.

Operationally, Information Security is jointly managed by the Chief Security Officer and the Quality and Standards Manager, both of whom report directly to the Managing Director, who has overall ownership at Board Level for Security, allowing issues that require immediate escalation to be reported to the Directors. Operational Issues that do not require immediate escalation are discussed at the monthly management meetings, where it is a standing issue. All issues discussed during these meetings that require escalation are reported upwards to Board of Directors for it to be discussed, where appropriate.

Operational security

Configuration and change management standard
Supplier-defined controls
Configuration and change management approach
All changes made to PDMS systems and core infrastructure are subject to PDMS' change management processes. These are either performed through the code tools, or through services utilised by our internal departments. Where a change is identified, the staff member proposing the change must document the reason for the change, any known implications including security impacts, and any proposed times for the change to occur.
All changes are then reviewed prior to implementation by any relevant staff to ensure their awareness of the potential change. The potential change is then approved and the change can be made.
Vulnerability management type
Supplier-defined controls
Vulnerability management approach
PDMS subscribe to a number of forums and internet based information sources, that provide information about potential vulnerabilities in the systems and services that we use. Information provided by these is analysed and, where necessary, verified by our Infrastructure Team. Once a manufacturer releases a patch for their services and systems this will be deployed to the live environment within a week. Test environments are patched first to ensure that operational issues are not caused by the patch.
Protective monitoring type
Supplier-defined controls
Protective monitoring approach
The principle method of identifying potential security issues in our systems and network is through penetration testing, which is undertaken both internally and, where appropriate, through approved third parties.
When a potential compromise in the security of our systems and network is identified a suitably qualified member of staff is tasked with investigating and providing a solution to the issue.
If as a result of the tests it is determined that an actual incident has occurred, our incident management protocols commence immediately upon discovery, to enable rectification as soon as possible.
Incident management type
Supplier-defined controls
Incident management approach
PDMS allow all staff the ability to report security incidents through a number of methods, including email, telephone, and system based forms. Ultimately all reported incidents are managed by the Chief Security Officer, who follows the Incident Management Process, which identifies how the incident should be managed, including when to provide updates to any customers that may be affected. Customer Incident Reports are normally provided in a written document.

All incidents are reviewed following their satisfactory conclusion, in order to determine what lessons can be learned, in order to improve the process or prevent future occurrences.

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

PDMS is committed to reducing our impact on the environment and has held the ISO I4001 environmental certification for over 10 years. We have reduced energy consumption and waste and have increased the amount of waste we recycle.
We are proactively working towards net zero gas emissions and are currently implementing a monitoring plan with specific milestones. For example, we are currently replacing the roof of our head office and are incorporating solar panels so we can generate and consume our own electricity. We offset the carbon dioxide we produce by purchasing carbon credits specifically choosing projects that support clean energy in the UK and globally.
Chris Gledhill, our CEO, is the sector lead for the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce Climate Change Programme which enables us to share best practice across the business community.
We measure and monitor the environmental impact of the contracts we deliver. We also ensure that environmental protection and improvement is a key consideration of any partners or suppliers we work with.
Additional environmental initiatives that PDMS can commit to as part of this contract include:
• Carbon offsetting of the carbon produced through any specific contract
• Supporting any of our customer’s initiatives which increase biodiversity or habitat creation
• Provide volunteering opportunities for our staff to support customer’s or customer’s local community environmental initiatives where appropriate
• Supporting wildlife and environmental charities with donations or by providing services in kind
At the heart of, and embedded in its constitution, is PDMS’ commitment to social responsibility. In support of our work over the last 30 years and our ongoing commitment to social responsibility, in 2022 PDMS will be embarking on obtaining the Social Value Quality Mark Accreditation.
Covid-19 recovery

Covid-19 recovery

For people who have been left unemployed by COVID 19 we can provide the following:
· Workshops to support people in finding a job such as mock interviews and CV advice
· Mentoring to provide support and guidance for those who are unemployed or looking to transition to new roles
· Work experience placements
· Internships
· Volunteering time to support charities that are helping deal with the impact of COVID-19
· Providing services in kind to support COVID 19 community initiatives
We operate our employment and skills platform, SignedUp Skills across the country, reaching currently, 29% of the population. We have built up considerable expertise in helping to promote opportunities, focusing on high-growth or high-vacancy sectors e.g. social care. We provide valuable LMI to a wide audience including those who are unemployed, furthest from the workplace or seeking to re-train enabling informed career decisions to be made. We can commit to sharing our expertise with key sectors/communities as part of this contract.
COVID-19 has taken a toll on the physical and mental health of many people and within our organisation, we have expanded our comprehensive support programme for our staff and their family wellbeing, helping to reduce the burden on local healthcare services. This includes providing paid time off to attend any health-related appointments, access to bereavement support and counselling, externally trained mental health first aiders and private health care.
We have improved workplace conditions that support the COVID-19 recovery effort by introducing a flexible policy allowing employees to decide whether they want to work from home or in our offices. During COVID we switched to fully remote working with no disruption to our service. The ease with which PDMS and our clients adapted to remote working has led to an ongoing and sustainable reduction in travel.
Tackling economic inequality

Tackling economic inequality

By operating our SignedUp Skills employment and skills platform, which reaches 29% of the UK population, we indirectly afford a wider voice to tackling economic inequality. The work we undertake with our customers gives us an in-depth understanding of regional employment and skills issues, and employment shortages of high-growth sectors and challenges faced by rural communities.
Addressing economic inequality through skills development is one of the corner stones of our social responsibility activities. We will work closely with our customers to ensure that the maximum benefit is achieved for their local community and ensuring that our social value priorities are aligned.
As appropriate to the contract, PDMS can offer the following:
• Work experience placements for students to provide an insight into the world of work and develop skills for the workplace.
• Longer term work placements for college/undergraduate students to help develop skills and expertise covering a range of job roles from digital (e.g. developer, analyst, designer) through to general business functions (e.g. marketing).
• Apprenticeships through UK and Scottish Government schemes.
• Support for local schools/colleges with careers talks covering a range of in-demand digital roles. Participating in mock interviews and providing CV writing guidance.
• Support for the Junior Achievement Company of the Year Programme which runs across the UK, helping to develop an understanding of entrepreneurship in young people.
• Provision of mentors to help young people, particularly those in deprived areas. We are actively involved in a number of schemes e.g. Career Ready and MCR Pathways in Scotland.
• Provision of support (both financial and people) to local community initiatives to help encourage the wider engagement of young people in the tech industry e.g. CodeClubs
• Our staff also have volunteer days which they use to support a variety of charities and community initiatives
Equal opportunity

Equal opportunity

PDMS is a Living Wage accredited supplier and we ensure that all our suppliers (e.g. office cleaners) also pay the minimum Living Wage.
We have a modern slavery statement which outlines our zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery and have effective controls and verifications in place to safeguard against modern slavery in our supply chain. This also applies to safeguarding against use of child labour and zero-hour contracts.
PDMS advocates for accessibility in UX design and has hosted workshops to promote accessibility. We work with local charities who provide “experts by experience” and currently facilitating a 20-week placement for a student with disabilities who is undertaking a project investigating how User Experience and Accessibility can affect business.
We actively support several charities whose primary aim is to help promote equality in the technology sector:
• Empowering Women to Lead Digital Transformation Programme – we sponsored the inaugural Scottish programme and graduation in 2021 and doing so again in 2022. The Programme is designed for emerging and potential women leaders in digital transformation roles in organisations across the public, private and third sectors
• PDMS supports initiatives including LoveTech which aims to address gender inequality in the technology sector. This charity hosts events for young girls to encourage them to consider a career in STEM
In terms of social value activities relating to equal opportunities we can provide the following as appropriate to the contract:
• Create additional placements for those facing barriers to employment using UK Government or local schemes where appropriate.
• Support charitable organisations addressing the issue of inequality in the digital and wider STEM sector.
• Sponsor places on the Empowering Women Programme where appropriate.
• Work with clients to support any of their chosen charities or voluntary organisations that address diversity and inclusion issues.
Wellbeing

Wellbeing

At PDMS, we promote an open culture around wellbeing and mental health. We conduct regular anonymous staff surveys every six weeks to monitor how staff feel in relation to workload, stress, health and mental health issues. This helps form the support we provide to our team.
We operate inclusive and accessible recruitment practices and have a flexible work policy where our employees decide whether they want to work from home or the office.
We have an internal Wellbeing team and a dedicated wellbeing channel within our corporate intranet along with the following in support of the wellbeing of our staff:
· Externally trained mental health first aiders
· Access to bereavement support and counselling
· Access to private health care including online tools to help support mental health and access to specialist one-to-one counselling covering a range of issues from money worries to a relationship breakdown
· A regular series of talks from external experts on mental and physical health covering topics including nutrition, dealing with stress & anxiety, mindfulness, addiction and posture
· Time off to attend any medical, dentist, opticians, or health related appointments
· Subsidised gym membership to encourage physical activity

In relation to this specific contract, we can provide the following as appropriate to the contract:
· Continue our commitment to supporting the mental health and physical wellbeing of our staff. This will include specific focused mental health campaigns to help reduce the stigma around mental health
· Endeavour to support mental health charities who have a local community focus which can be through cash donations, providing services in kind or volunteering time
· Endeavour to meet the six standards in the Mental Health at Work commitment
· Where appropriate we can share resources with our clients e.g. access to our video library of expert talks

Pricing

Price
£1,000 an instance a month
Discount for educational organisations
Yes
Free trial available
Yes
Description of free trial
PDMS provide a free 30 day trial for up to 30 users and 10Gb of storage.
Telephone and email support as well as online documentation is provided during this period. Any additional configuration work associated with a trial deployment may be chargeable.

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