VERISK SPECIALTY BUSINESS SOLUTIONS LIMITED

Staff Attendance Recording System (StARS)

StARS is an integrated personnel management system for fire and rescue services. The system manages staff data and appliance availability, rostering, sickness management and reporting. It provides key management information for strategic planning and decision making.

Features

• Integrated with mobilising systems (Vision, ProCAD)
• Integrated with HR systems (Cyborg, ResourceLink)
• Integrates with payroll systems via data extract
• Real time management reporting
• Recording of attendance, absence and sickness

Benefits

• Supports the front line whilst delivering back office savings
• Single point of data capture
• Elimination of dual data entry and paper processing
• Quicker and more effective deployment of resources
• Real time view of resource availability
• Provides key management information, allowing strategic planning and decision-making
• Improves resilience and efficiency for both support and operational staff
• Improved workforce strategic planning of staffing levels and shortfalls
• Streamlines the process of managing personnel and resources
• Self administration and configuration

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 simon.lamb@verisk.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

358824264055553

Contact

Simon Lamb
020 7655 3000
simon.lamb@verisk.com

About your service

• Service categories:

  Applications

  Enterprise resource management

  Human capital management

  • Core Human Resources Applications
• Multi cloud support: No

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: None
• System requirements: N/A

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: Responding to questions is on a best endeavours basis within a working day. For application issues and depending on severity but normally within two hours of a support log being raised.
• 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
• Support levels: Support is provided via a helpdesk between the hours of 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. The cost of this support is included in the product costs.; ; Application support outside of these hours can be provided at additional cost subject to mutual agreement. Outside of normal support hours our hosting team provides support service between 8am-6pm and outside of those hours we have critical infrastructure support for availability issues only.; ; Support issues can be raised via email, portal and phone and subsequently managed, monitored and tracked via the Zendesk support portal. The support portal is available 24x7 and is staffed from 9am – 5pm on working days.; ; A client account manager, service delivery manager and support team are available as part of the service.; ; In addition, application hosting is 24x7x365 excluding planned maintenance windows, hosted services are covered for critical events outside standard support hours listed.
• Support available to third parties: No

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: We provide on-site and online training and documentation.; ; We include additional support known as ‘hyper care’ for an agreed amount of time following go live. This is in addition to the standard support and maintenance service. The objective of this additional support is to ensure a smooth transition from Implementation to Business as Usual, as Verisk recognise that during the period following go live, clients face a number of challenges such as an increased volume of requests for help and support from users becoming familiar with the platform.; During hyper care, the Verisk team would provide the following assistance:; • Supporting first line support activities such as responding to ad hoc questions and queries and general assistance of the business users; • Supporting the investigation and analysis of issues; • Carrying out analysis and developing solutions (data fixes, application changes) as required; • Supporting the platform and hosted services
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: An extract of the data will be provided in CSV format.
• End-of-contract process: Within 28 days of termination of a contract with a client or as otherwise agreed a chargeable Statement of Work to manage the exit of the Service would describe the appropriate handling of client data, including returning the data to the client and secure destruction of data.; Verisk follows a documented process to ensure all areas of the Verisk business are engaged to confirm complete and clean separation ensuring secure protection of:; • Client's data to be returned and/or destroyed - usually in the form of a widely used and accepted industry standard, e.g. MS SQL backup files, CSV or native file formats. Other formats can be requested but these would be subject to the agreed exit statement of works; • Client's IP is returned and purged from within Verisk; • Verisk's IP is returned and purged from Client; • Verisk's internal records and process manuals are updated accordingly.
• Documentation accessibility standard: None or don’t know
• How the documentation is accessible: Provided as a PDF document.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Chrome
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: The application is available to be used on any internet browser, however it is best viewed on desktop or tablet devices
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: None or don’t know
• Description of service interface: Desktop application surfaced via a browser.
• Accessibility standards: None or don’t know
• Description of accessibility: All of the functionality is available to users based upon individual roles and security.
• Accessibility testing: None
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: The API provides methods that provide the following functionality:; Booking Leave; Employee Details; Teams/Employees for Shifts and Stations; Appliance Details; Appliance Riders; ; The API is initiated upon request.; ; The API methods provide the full functionality required to complete those tasks and are available to be accessed/used whilst a subscription is held.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: Open API (also known as Swagger)
• API sandbox or test environment: No
• Customisation available: No

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Verisk's standard (also referred to 'Tier 2') Managed Service utilises a shared AWS tenancy, however environments have dedicated infrastructure (not shared) so there are none of the concerns with shared resources associated with typical 'multi-tenant' offerings. Security perimeters are in place with virtual firewalling (in AWS).; ; AWS Managed Service environments are fully segregated by client, and by production and non-production purposes.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: We are able to show activity monitoring and access, however, in the project it is important to explicitly define the requirement and test the outputs meet the business need.; ; Service metrics include:; ; - Concurrent connections to the service; - Application activity
• Reporting types:
  • Regular reports
  • Reports on request
• Resource tagging: No
• FOCUS resource tagging: No

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: 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: Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 4.0)
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Encryption of all physical media
  • Other
• Other data at rest protection approach: The Encryption Policy requires that all encryption should use common, well-understood ciphers that follow the standards outlined in the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 140-2, including: AES 256, and TLS 1.2, and that encryption is automated where possible.
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Equipment disposal approach: Complying with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v4.0, CAS (Sanitisation) or ISO/IEC 27001
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed / Cryptographic Erasure
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation / Secure Erase

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Data can be exported upon request.
• Data export formats: CSV
• Data import formats: CSV

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 Verisk AWS managed service offering has an SLA of 99.5% uptime for 'Standard' (Tier 2) or 99.9% for Bespoke/Tier 1.; ; Verisk does not apply a methodology of penalties/service performance credits as standard as part of our contracts with clients. As such, this would need to be discussed as part of any further commercial negotiations.
• Approach to resilience: AWS provides identified critical system components required to maintain the availability of our system and recover service in the event of outage. Critical system components are backed up across multiple, isolated locations known as Availability Zones.; Each Availability Zone is engineered to operate independently with high reliability. Availability Zones are connected to enable you to easily architect applications that automatically fail-over between Availability Zones without interruption. Highly resilient systems, and therefore service availability, is a function of the system design.
• Outage reporting: Verisk will predominantly utilise email communication, via Verisk's Service Management toolset 'Zendesk'. This is in line with our Core Service Guide that can be provided on request.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Other user authentication: Verisk support SSO with MFA via customer-federated authentication, where we can utilise either Okta, Microsoft Entra Id (Azure AD) and; JumpCloud.
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Claim and Role based authorisation.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • 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: Between 1 month and 6 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: User-defined
• How long system logs are stored for: Less than 1 month

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: SOC2 Type I; SOC2 Type II
• Information security policies and processes: VSBS has defined a set of policies for information security. These policies are a mix of policies written specifically for VSBS and others adopted from Verisk Analytics. The policies are approved by appropriate management &, where appropriate, published, communicated (and acknowledged) to employees & relevant external parties.; At the highest level, an overarching 'Information Security Policy Framework' is defined, which sets out the organisation's approach to managing its information security objectives.; At a lower level, topic-specific policies are defined, which further mandate the implementation of information security controls & are structured to address the needs of certain target areas & groups (for example, but not limited to, Acceptable Use, Access Control).
• Software Security Code of Practice: Yes

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Complies with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v4.0 or SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
• Configuration and change management approach: Verisk’s approach to managing IT infrastructure changes aligns with ITIL principles. Change roles, types of change and the process for creating and managing change are clearly defined. Their objectives include maintaining integrity, security, performance, and availability of existing systems, ensuring compliance with standards, delivering efficient changes, and allowing retrospective analysis of failed changes. Each IT Operational change requires both Technical approval and Business approval, with change history being logged and maintained, to support these objectives. Visual Studio Team Services to track changesets on code base. Impact assessment with regards to overall solution and design. Security assessment when changing API methods.
• Vulnerability management type: Complies with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v4.0 or SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
• Vulnerability management approach: Verisk operate documented Patching, Vulnerability Management, Scanning and Remediation procedures. Services are scanned by a range of tools, findings are categorised and defined to a CVSS score. Tracked vulnerabilities are addressed according to an agreed action plan. External, internet facing, IP addresses, owned by Verisk, all production and non-production internet facing URLs/fully qualified domains names, hosting Verisk products are scanned on a daily basis based on Tenable IO. Internal IP address scans are performed on all servers, desktops, laptops, appliances and networking devices, using Tenable IO. Vulnerabilities are escalated, addressed based on severity and reported to the Executive Team monthly.
• Protective monitoring type: Complies with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v4.0 or SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
• Protective monitoring approach: The following logs are captured to facilitate security event analysis, diagnosis and evidence. These logs are secured in a tamperproof format:; •Active Directory security logs; •EC2 Configuration; •AWS Cloudwatch events; •AWS EC2 / Microsoft Server / Verisk Product Security Logs; •AWS S3 and EBS Storage Security Logs; •Shared VPC tooling security logs; •Imperva DAM and Crowdstrike; Additional application logs (native to operating systems and Verisk products) are captured for troubleshooting purposed, not in tamperproof format, but access is audited. Systems are synchronised to a regional Domain Controllers, via group policy to ensure logging has the correct timestamp.
• Incident management type: Complies with a recognised standard, for example, CSA CCM v4.0 or ISO/IEC 27035:2011 or SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
• Incident management approach: Our Information Security Incident Management Procedure includes Roles and Responsibilities, procedures for reporting incidents and Management and Communication plans. Formal awareness training is provided to all staff which inform them of the need to report incidents or weaknesses. All reported incidents are immediately communicated to Verisk’s Information Security and Compliance Function, where they are analysed to determine whether a risk, nonconformity, incident or opportunity for improvement has been reported. The Information Security Function operates a formal incident log (referred to as the Information Security Improvement Plan), that captures events, incidents and non-conformities, along corrective actions and improvements.
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: No

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 v4.0)

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Pricing

• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: No

Discount percentage by annual call-off contract value (excluding VAT)

• Less than £250,000: 0%
• Between £250,000 and £500,000: 0%
• Between £500,001 and £1,000,000: 0%
• Between £1,000,001 and £2,500,000: 0%
• Between £2,500,001 and £5,000,000: 0%
• Over £5,000,001: 0%

Non-mandatory Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: LRQA Limited
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: Tuesday 29 October 2024
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: The StARS product is included under our ISO/IEC 27001 certification. We have a full Statement of Applicability for the ISO/IEC 27001 certification, which can be shared if necessary.
• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• ISO 9001 certification: No
• Quality management systems (QMS): No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: No
• Cyber Essentials Alternative: None of the criteria
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Cyber Essentials Alternative: None of the criteria
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications:
  • SOC1 Type II - Specialty Business Solutions Managed Service
  • SOC2 Type II - Specialty Business Solutions Managed Service

Social value

• Section B - Commitment for Future: Delivery:

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 1: Fair work: That offers fair wages and good working conditions. Help people get a job, stay in work, and progress in their careers, with good employment opportunities across the country. Notes: Where there is a large proportion of labour costs in the contract, commercial teams should consider MAC in Outcome 1 as a priority

    • New or retained jobs on the contract workforce in the relevant area that meet the criteria set out in MAC 1b, 1c and 1d
    • Providing opportunities for, and measuring and monitoring of, staff workforce conditions over time, including employee engagement, involvement in decision-making and satisfaction and adapting to any changes in the results, with clear processes for acting on issues identified
    • Plans to engage the contract workforce in deciding the most important workplace issues to address
    • Monitoring of employee engagement rates (by protected characteristic) and, where necessary, the development of actions to ensure all voices are heard across the diversity of the workforce
    • Employment contracts that reflect actual hours worked; steps taken to ensure employees understand their contracts and have the ability to review and adjust them if actual hours regularly exceed contracted hours
    • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about, and feel empowered to, address their physical wellbeing
    • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about and feel empowered to report and address bullying and harassment
    • Activities to cascade good practice on fair working conditions throughout the supply chain
    • Offer a pay and leave entitlement to all eligible staff who become kinship carers, ideally equivalent to statutory adoption pay and leave
    • Payment of more than the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (as appropriate) to the contract workforce
    • Monitoring and reporting of gender and ethnicity pay gaps and plans to address them where necessary
    • Understanding of in-work progression issues affecting the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors
    • Measures to support in-work progression to help people in the contract workforce, to move into higher paid work by developing new skills relevant to the contract
    • Support for the contract workforce by providing career advice, and providing opportunities for staff working on the contract with in-work progression career development into known skills shortages or high growth areas
    • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
    • Volunteering opportunities for staff
    • Understanding of the modern slavery risks and issues affecting the market, industry, sector or country (of origin or of source) relevant to the contract, and the workforce in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key subcontractors
    • Measures to identify, mitigate and manage modern slavery risks relating to the contract and how these will be implemented
    • Outline policies and practices to be applied to or put in place for the contract to mitigate and manage modern slavery risks, including: Pre-employment checks, recruitment practices. Workplace conditions, safeguarding plans and processes in place and regular monitoring with relevant groups considered, which may include sampling
    • How these flow down the supply chain and are monitored Illustrative examples include reporting, site visits, audits, etc.
    • How to ensure business decisions re: price/cost, short lead times, payment timescales do not create modern slavery risks in the supply chain
    • How the supplier will work with NGOs, trade unions or other businesses to address modern slavery risk
    • Means of influencing staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders with respect to modern slavery risks relating to the contract

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 2: Skills for growth: Supporting growth sectors and addressing skills gaps.

    • Understanding of employment and relevant skills issues, and of the education and training issues relating to the contract. Illustrative examples: demographics, skills shortages, new opportunities in high growth sectors, geographic/local community and skills/employment challenges
    • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
    • Activities to support relevant sector related skills growth and sustainability in the contract workforce. Illustrative examples: careers talks, curriculum support, literacy support, safety talks and volunteering
    • Delivery of apprenticeships, supported internships and T Level industry placement opportunities (Level 2, 3 and 4+) in relation to the contract

  • Mission: Kick start economic growth. To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

    Policy Outcome 3: Resilient, innovative and flexible supply chains: Support economic growth through enabling resilient businesses, opportunities for small businesses and voluntary, community and social enterprises

    • Structuring of the supply chain selection process to ensure fairness (e.g. anti-corruption) and encourages participation by a diverse range of businesses, including with regard to new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutual
    • Plans for positive actions with community groups.

  • Mission: Make Britain a clean energy superpower: To cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero

    Policy Outcome 4: Sustainable procurement practices: Reducing carbon footprints, minimising waste, and promoting the use of clean energy and green technologies.

    • Understanding of opportunities for additional environmental benefits delivery in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
    • Delivery of additional environmental benefits through the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
    • Understanding of how to influence staff, suppliers, customers, communities and/or any other appropriate stakeholders through the delivery of the contract to support climate and nature protection and improvement
    • Activities to reconnect people with the environment and increase awareness of ways to protect and enhance it

  • Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain

    Policy Outcome 6: Employment and training: For those who face barriers to employment

    • Delivery of training schemes and programmes to address any identified skills gaps and under-representation in the workforce for the contract (e.g. prison leavers, care leavers, kinship carers, disabled people)
    • Understanding of the issues affecting the representation of disabled people in the workforce in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors
    • Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, and retention-focused activities, including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition
    • Introducing transparency to pay and reward processes
    • Working conditions which promote an inclusive working environment and promote retention and progression
    • Understanding of the issues affecting inequality in employment, skills and pay in the market, industry or sector relevant to the contract, and in the supplier’s own organisation and those of its key sub-contractors. Measures to tackle inequality in employment, skills and pay in the contract workforce
    • Inclusive and accessible development practices, including guidance for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition

  • Mission: Break down barriers to opportunity: By reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of young people in Britain

    Policy Outcome 7: Creating a pipeline of opportunities: For the contract workforce, reducing barriers to entry for under-represented groups.

    • Other measures to offer development opportunities for the target cohort(s) in the contract workforce
    • Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort
    • Creation of outreach activities to create a pipeline of employees for the future contract delivery
    • Advertising, promotional and outreach activities designed to raise awareness of the offer to reach the target cohort

  • Mission: Build an NHS fit for the future: That is there when people need it; with fewer lives lost to the biggest killers; in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer.

    Policy Outcome 8: Increasing productivity through physical and mental wellbeing: In the supply chain and communities in the relevant area.

    • Understanding of issues relating to health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health, in the contract workforce
    • Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, development practices and retention policies that support-focused activities including those provided in the Guide for line managers on recruiting, managing and developing which support people with a disability or health condition

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 simon.lamb@verisk.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.