ASCENDANT SOLUTIONS LTD

Unity

Unity is Ascendant’s single‑view customer platform for business rates and council tax, giving councils a verified, up‑to‑date, actionable picture of every customer. It unifies fragmented datasets, automates verification, streamlines communication, and supports fraud detection, inspections, workflows, campaigns, and data driven decisions to improve operational efficiency and service delivery.

Features

• Single customer view from consolidated datasets
• Automated data verification and fraud detection
• Advanced filtering across key customer attributes
• Bulk email/SMS with audited templates
• Dashboards showing arrears, trends, KPIs
• Editable records with full audit logs

Benefits

• Reliable single source of truth
• Fraud reduction and improved compliance
• Significant time savings
• Improved engagement through SMS/email
• Higher data quality and accuracy
• Better decision making via dashboards
• Digitisation of manual processes
• Supports collaboration across teams

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 support@ascendantsol.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

419704252807581

Contact

Richard Hanby
01302543157
support@ascendantsol.co.uk

About your service

• Service categories:

  Application Development and Deployment

  Application platforms

  • Model driven application platforms
• Multi cloud support: No

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: Planned updates will commence Friday's between the hours of 20:00 and 20:10 and Servers reboot between 3:00am and 3:05am GMT daily to update operating systems, Service may be unavailable during these times. Feature additions and improvements are deployed without scheduled downtime and switchover is normally instant, without interrupting normal service.
• System requirements:
  • Google Chrome Version 80.0.3987.132 or higher. Or
  • Microsoft Edge Version 44.17763.831.0 or higher. Or
  • Internet Explorer Version 11.1039.17763.0 or higher. Or
  • A modern, HTML5 web browser with Javascript enabled.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: Standard Priority (Normal SLA) - Monday to Friday 8:00am - 5.00pm - Response Time within 2 Working Hours, Resolution Target within 48 working hours.; Critical Priority SLA - Response Time within 30 Working Minutes, Resolution Target within 4 working hours.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: Technical support is included within service price.; ; Level 1 Support - Partnerships Director; Level 2 Support (Initial Escalation) - Technical Director; Level 3 Support (Secondary Escalation) - Managing Director
• Support available to third parties: No

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Each purchase includes 4 hours of remote “Train the Trainer” onboarding, enabling the Buyer to confidently administer and cascade training within their organisation.; Additional training, both remote and on site, is available to purchase separately through our G Cloud services. Rates are defined in the associated pricing schedule.; Onboarding training will be provided within 5 working days, or another timeframe agreed with the Buyer.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: A 90 day grace period is provided at the end of the contract to allow the Buyer to extract any required information prior to automatic data deletion.
• End-of-contract process: A 90 day grace period is provided at the end of the contract to allow the Buyer to extract any required information prior to automatic data deletion.; If the Buyer requires additional support or prefers to have data delivered in a different format or method this will be quoted for and billed at the Senior Engineer Development Day Rate. ; During this period, account managers will normally contact the Buyer to confirm requirements and to offer the option of an extended Read Only service (available separately on G Cloud as “Storage and Processing”).
• Documentation accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AA

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: Minor layout differences for menus and pages to fit the mobile device screen.
• Service interface: No
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: Using our API, you can:; Refresh, Export and Filter Data
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: Open API (also known as Swagger)
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Administrators have the ability to alter user access to access different parts of the service, create, update and delete users. Specify requirements for 2 Factor Authentication Reporting is designed to be self serve multi-reuse with user input defined results. Development/Enhancement requests can be submitted via Support@ascendantsol.co.uk

Scaling

• Independence of resources: During normal operation services scale in accordance with demand and have an average utilisation of under 1%.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Login activity Page visits Credit usage (where data supply is provided on a cost per unit basis)
• Reporting types: Real-time dashboards
• Resource tagging: Yes
• FOCUS resource tagging: Yes

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

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: 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: ‘IT Health Check’ performed by a CREST-approved service provider
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with CSA CCM v4.0
  • Physical access control, complying with SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
  • Physical access control, complying with another standard
  • Encryption of all physical media
  • Scale, obfuscating techniques, or data storage sharding
• 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: Access through the web service via XLSX or CSV
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats: XLSX
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats: XLSX

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)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: 99% availability. Scheduled Maintenance is published at status.ascendantsol.co.uk
• Approach to resilience: Highest levels of replication are in use throughout Azure services including secondary site geo-replication of IaaS PaaS and SaaS solutions which provide at least 6 copies of stored information in different physical locations. Further information available on request.
• Outage reporting: https://status.ascendantsol.co.uk

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Management interfaces are only available to predefined users, that hold authoritative roles within their organisation. There are further management controls which are only accessibly by supplier staff.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Description of management access authentication: IP Address restriction, Biometric, Device compliance

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users receive audit information on a regular basis
• How long user audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• 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: Between 1 month and 6 months

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: Our ISO 27001/2022 compliant Business Management System governs how our information security policies and procedures are set out and regulated. These policies and procedures are available on request from our Data Security Manager.
• 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: Ascendant Solutions has a detailed Secure Development Policy in line with our Business Management System, which conforms to ISO 27001 and contains controls assessed to be required as part of regular risk assessment process.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Dedicated infrastructure is updated automatically at high frequency. High value assets are stored off dedicated hardware and managed by Microsoft Azure with all monitoring and security options enabled. Logging - We log extensive non-personal event data to help identify threats and potential compromises. Cloud services autonomously monitor and notify of events. Application level logs are stored in High Availability Public Cloud resources, replicated and backed up frequently. We retain application logs indefinitely.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Our services and applications log extensive non-personal event data to help identify threats, vulnerabilities. For cloud services all available additional measures are enabled with monitoring events being catalogued and notifications submitted to administrators on at least a weekly basis and immediately on identification for high risk scenarios. During a security incident the Data Security Manager will assess the risk posed whilst disabling the risk then restoring service after only remedial action. The DSM will notify affected users of service restoration and separately notify any users with data affected in the compromise. We respond immediately on identification of any incident identification.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Our applications automatically notify us of unexpected behaviour. We utilise Rate Limiting for sensitive assets and Automated Alerts for highly sensitive assets to service desk personnel. Our database servers notify personnel of any breach risk event, non breach security risks are assessed during weekly automated threat management reviews with data classification. All activity, IP addresses and UserIds are logged with offsite storage. Users Email "InformationSecurity@AscendantSol.co.uk" to report incidents. Ascendant Solutions provide incident reports via email.
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: Yes

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: British Assessment Bureau
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: Tuesday 8 July 2025
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: No exclusions apply
• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• ISO 9001 certification: No
• Quality management systems (QMS): Yes
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Please provide your Cyber Essentials Certificate Number: 54b20033-d24f-40d2-98f5-4745f29bdf64
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Please provide your Cyber Essentials Plus Certificate Number: 5fa75fb2-4de6-4243-8ae3-f8e378a8173f
• Other security certifications: No

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
    • New apprenticeships on the contract workforce in the relevant area that meet the criteria set out in MAC 1b
    • 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
    • Ensuring new workers are informed of their right to join a trade union
    • 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
    • Entitlement to sick pay for the contract workforce, with provision in place for any staff who do not meet the earnings threshold for statutory sick pay, payment of sick pay from day one of absence and payment of staff on the contract workforce who are off sick a replacement income of 100% of their usual earnings for as long as possible
    • Plans for an appropriate income replacement policy for staff who are required to spend time away from work to care for a sick dependent or close relative
    • 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

    • Understanding of the types of businesses in the market and the level of participation by new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutuals
    • Activities to identify opportunities to open up sub-contracts under the prime contract to a diverse range of businesses, including new businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs, VCSEs and mutuals
    • Understanding of local demographics, needs and opportunities for the co-design of the goods, services and works to be delivered under the contract
    • Methods for engaging with different parts of the community (including the education system and charities representing the community) and how communities come together to inform decisions, strategy and projects to leave a positive legacy for future generations

  • 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
    • Collaborative ways of working with the supply chain to deliver additional environmental benefits 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

    • Understanding of employment and skills issues, and of the skills and employment shortages of high growth sectors relating to the contract
    • Creation of employment opportunities particularly for those who face barriers to employment, such as prison leavers, care leavers and/or who are located in deprived areas, and for people in industries with known skills shortages or in high growth sectors
    • 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
    • Collection of the views and expertise of disabled people and their representative organisations on successfully supporting disabled employees or applicants
    • 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
    • Offering a range of quality opportunities with routes of progression if appropriate, e.g. T Level industry placements, students supported into higher level apprenticeships.
    • Working conditions which promote an inclusive working environment and promote retention and progression
    • Other measures to provide equality of opportunity for disabled people and those with health conditions into employment, including becoming a Disability Confident employer and inclusion of supported businesses in the contract supply chain
    • 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.

    • Understanding of the issues affecting the development of new skills by target cohort
    • Other measures to offer development opportunities for the target cohort(s) in the contract workforce
    • Understanding of issues relating to entering the contract workforce
    • Creation of outreach activities to create a pipeline of employees for the future contract delivery
    • Content of the outreach activity is designed to suit 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
    • Understanding barriers to access to health and social care services or employment opportunities e.g. digital inclusion
    • 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
    • Actions to invest in the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the contract workforce

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 support@ascendantsol.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.