STCS Limited

Support, Enhancement and Transformation of .NET and PHP Cloud Services

Expert support and digital transformation services for clients working in and towards cloud-based services. Having worked with Local and Central Government, Higher Education and NHS for over 25 years we offer a full-service support solution for .NET, PHP and TLHC Manager software applications.

Features

• Support, migration and enhancement of Cloud-based .NET and PHP applications
• Transform legacy systems through enhancement or technology refresh exercises
• Augment in-house teams, deliver full projects or provide call-off support
• Tailored support packages providing flexible availability, response and service levels
• Support and adapt systems to reflect latest UX and Design
• Email, telephone and webchat support available
• Fully experienced in assuming immediate support for legacy systems
• Strong track record supporting digital transformation in Government and HiEd
• Ensure your applications remain scalable and resilient through proactive support
• Experienced in delivering projects to Government Digital Service standards (GDS)

Benefits

• Free survey of support portfolio to determine necessary resource requirement
• Clear, simple pricing structure with flexible banked support time
• Periodic review, reporting and adjustment of resource level provided
• Access to extensive pool of analysts, designers and developers
• Cost reduction through use of flexible, scalable resource pool
• Flexible approach to integration of legacy systems with cloud solutions
• Risk reduction through access to experienced, multi-faceted team
• Maintain ROI by keeping your systems current
• Support teams fully experienced in UK Gov systems with BPSS
• Identify opportunities to improve effectiveness and efficiency

£400 to £970 a unit a day

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at digm@stcs.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

360883524139432

Contact

Stephen Connolly
0191 490 3232
digm@stcs.co.uk

Planning

• Planning service: Yes
• How the planning service works: From the outset we work with you to fully understand your core needs and explore the opportunities available to address the challenges you face. With extensive expertise in user research and technical implementation, we can help you to develop a roadmap to inspire your digital growth in the cloud. Our highly skilled team includes Business Analysts, Solution Architects, Designers, UX Designers, Developers and Service Delivery experts, ready to form an appropriate team to drill down into the detailed operational plans required to achieve your goals. We have worked with Government Agencies for over 20 years, scoping full delivery transformation projects as well as planning to augment in-house teams with the additional skills needed to migrate to a new technical approach. Excelling in stakeholder engagement at all levels, we can assist with everything from workshops and focus groups, through to Proof of Concept, Prototyping or user trials.; This attention to detail is carried through to all areas of the resulting plan, with the Business being fully involved at every stage to ensure the selected strategy is scalable, secure and responsive to your requirements.
• Planning service works with specific services: No

Training

• Training service provided: Yes
• How the training service works: STCS have extensive experience in training provision for end-users and technical teams. We typically provide on-site training sessions for systems we develop and support, often within practical, hands-on workshops. We can also provide remote training support via Web walkthroughs and e-learning materials. We are frequently asked to assist with knowledge transfer and mentoring of client staff during migration and delivery. All training is completely flexible and delivered to fit with your business needs.
• Training is tied to specific services: No

Setup and migration

• Setup or migration service available: Yes
• How the setup or migration service works: Whether migrating existing applications to the cloud or moving between alternative cloud-based services, we can assist by identifying the most appropriate architecture for your needs. This may be in response to a known issue with the existing solution, or a proactive measure to improve the scalability, security and responsiveness of your digital offering.; We work with you to ensure we are fully aware of existing risks and limitations before finalising any detailed migration plan. We adopt a pragmatic approach to the migration strategy, backed with solid experience of ‘lift and shift’ re-hosting projects, and of full re-engineering programmes that produce cloud-native solutions. Customer commitment and appetite can also lead to the adoption of a ‘re-platforming’ approach, with a tailored level of adjustment to take advantage of a cloud-based architecture, without completely redesigning the applications. We can adjust the scale of the migration to fit your business needs, minimising risk and disruption whilst delivering resilient and durable solutions.
• 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: With our ISEB Qualified test team involved from the outset of any migration or refresh project, we can also assist with QA audits of existing cloud-based architectures. Whilst striving to respond flexibly to changing requirements and environments, we place great importance on protecting customers, projects and budgets, by applying appropriate change control. We accommodate client preference when selecting manual and automated Testing and QA tools, commonly utilising Microsoft TFS and HP Quality Centre for our cloud-based activities.; Where our clients choose to involve Product Owners, Change Owners or testers through an iterative approach to migration and refresh, STCS are happy to accommodate this. We recognise the advantages of stakeholder involvement, allowing all performance requirements to be identified, as well as ensuring confidence in emerging changes through interim releases. Working with you in this way allows us to improve end to end functionality and performance, by ensuring we stress test the genuine user experience at identified standard and peak usage periods.; ; Testing activities include: Unit testing, full System test incorporating cross browser and mobile app, integration and UAT testing, load and stress testing to ensure scalability. We also have in-house expert level DBA skills to optimise performance from the ground up.

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: Fully bespoke support packages, from first line presence, to third line technical support, either as a one stop support resource or by augmenting in-house teams. Our support team includes senior .NET and PHP developers. ; We begin with Preliminary Discussions about supported applications, existing architecture and technologies used. We can investigate the support portfolio at zero cost, confirming the scope of support, reporting and MI required. ; Support begins with a familiarisation stage, involving further investigation and configuration work identified as urgent during our initial system survey. We have many years of experience in assuming immediate responsibility for legacy and undocumented systems.; STCS retains a flexible, scalable resource pool, allowing immediate access to analysis, design and full .NET and PHP development skills. Availability of staff fully experienced in supporting Government services is invaluable in ensuring supported services remain current and provide maximum ROI. Transparent pricing structure allows you to bank time, with unused effort contributing to proactive system improvements for your cloud-based services.; Support issues are tracked for progress, time spent and outcomes, to ensure that SLA’s are adhered to, with monthly reports measuring performance.

Service scope

• Service constraints: No constraints

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Priority 1 - will respond within 1 working hour.; Priority 2 - will respond within 2 working hours.; Priority 3 - will respond within 4 working hours.; ; Also, telephone contact is available continuously within working 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: No
• Support levels: A Service Manager is assigned to every support contract.; ; Priority 1 - respond within one hour; Allocate a support person to investigate the fault and to work continuously, in working time, until the fault has been identified and fixed. We will keep the client informed about progress at regular intervals. ; ; Priority 2 - respond within two hours; Allocate a support person to investigate the fault and to work continuously in working time until the problem has been diagnosed. We will keep the client informed about progress at regular intervals and will implement a fix within two working days. ; ; Priority 3 - respond within four hours; Will fully investigate the problem within two working days and discuss the fix with the client representative. Will either implement the fix within 5 working days or agree to implement any change with the next planned release of the system. ; ; The above three levels of support are part of the standard support package. The price is based upon the attached rate card prices and the support effort that would be required (depending upon the scale of the applications).

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

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

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• 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

  Tackling economic inequality

  Tackling economic inequality

  Cover degree apprenticeships and helping people into software careers who didn't have the opportunity to go to University

Pricing

• Price: £400 to £970 a unit a day
• Discount for educational organisations: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at digm@stcs.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.