Perform Learn Develop Ltd

The PLD Mentoring Platform

Easy to use mentoring and coaching software helps support and engage employees by making effective connections for learning, skill development and collaboration. The software provides all the tools users need to be matched and guided through the mentoring experience and keep their relationships on track and aligned with their goals.

Features

• User friendly profiles and search capability connects mentees and mentors
• Matching algorithms identify the most appropriate mentors for mentees
• Online training support with videos and PDF guides
• Configurable mentoring user journey with templates and checklists
• Mentoring meeting planner with integrated video
• Ability to set and track mentoring goals
• Career diagnostic tools and development planning
• Programme administration centre with management reports and metrics
• Process tracking, metrics, engagement alerts and nudges
• Ability to run integrated coaching and reverse mentoring programmes

Benefits

• Skills and knowledge transfer between employees
• Career advice and guidance
• Successful employee onboarding
• Diversity and inclusion support
• Talent development
• Employee retention
• Improved succession planning
• Professional development support
• Employee satisfaction
• Quick and easy to set up and run

£5,000 to £7,500 a licence a year

• Education pricing available

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

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

478164553152420

Contact

Chris Murray
01625251055
chris@pldmentoring.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Private cloud
• Service constraints: None
• System requirements: The service runs on all modern browsers

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: Standard support is Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm.
• 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
• Onsite support: No
• Support levels: Within standard hours of support client may report problems (Service Requests) either via phone or email. PLD provide an initial response to any calls or emails in standard hours of support in a timely manner.; PLD will provide an initial response and aim to resolve any calls or emails during the standard hours of support within 2 hours (if made before 4pm) or by 10am the following working day if made after 4pm. ; If a support issue can not be resolved within 2 hours PLD will advise client with estimated time of resolution. ; Outside standard hours users can search our knowledgebase or log issues and service requests online. ; Definition of Priorities ; 1 - incidents affecting more than one user that are critical and will disrupt the software’s operation if the incident is not resolved as soon as possible. ; 2 - incidents affecting more than one user that are not critical and will not seriously disrupt the software’s operation if the incident is not resolved as soon as possible. ; 3 - incidents affecting a single user that are not critical and will not seriously disrupt their use of the software if the incident is not resolved as soon as possible.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: We provide full implementation support to users of the system.; Each implementation will have an assigned lead. PLD will provide examples of previous configurations to help the client decide on items such as branding and profile design. ; PLD will support the client with project management of the implementation, providing implementation plans etc.; The client will receive a test platform for the software to test prior to going live.; Online training is delivered by our support team and documentation is available through the software platform's administration function.; Following implementation the client is assigned an account success manager to review their use of the platform and ensure everything is going as expected as well as offering examples of best practice evidenced across our client base.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • PDF
  • Other
• Other documentation formats:
  • Word
  • Powerpoint
• End-of-contract data extraction: Data is supplied on request by the supplier.
• End-of-contract process: All client data is promptly deleted from supplier systems.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Internet Explorer 11
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: None
• Service interface: No
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• API: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Most aspects of the platform are configurable per client but are implemented by the supplier. Configurable items include; ; Branding the mentoring platform to your branding guidelines including imagery. Profile choices and matching algorithm. Software user journey. Integration of client resources to support specific elements of their mentoring programme. Application notifications and onscreen messaging.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Server architecture caters for this.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Within the mentoring software's administration function the client can track registrations, mentoring relationships, engagement statistics, skills and expertise being exchanged between mentors and mentees and other user information such as mentoring goals set and achieved, meetings held and resources used.; The software platform also has a survey capability that tracks mentor and mentee feedback.
• Reporting types: Real-time dashboards

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to 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: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: ‘IT Health Check’ performed by a CHECK service provider
• Protecting data at rest: Encryption of all physical media
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Through CSV export.
• Data export formats: CSV
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats: Other options are available as per client requirements

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 system is online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year with 99.9% availability, with the exclusion of planned and scheduled systems maintenance. ; PLD will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that such maintenance is carried out during off peak hours to minimise user inconvenience. ; The Customer Service team will communicate 48 hours in advance any maintenance activity and estimated down time to the service contacts nominated by the client. ; The hosting infrastructure and application are monitored in real-time with alerts and detailed email reports sent to our development team who will assess the impact and notify the customer services team. ; If the service disruption is expected to last for more than 15 minutes the customer service team will notify service contacts nominated by the client.
• Approach to resilience: Physical infrastructure is hosted and managed within Amazon’s secure data centers on Amazon Web Service (AWS) technology. AWS enforces a high level of physical security to safeguard their data center with military grade perimeter controls and security staff at all points of ingress. As for environmental protection, AWS has sophisticated fire detection and suppression equipment, fully redundant power infrastructure with integrated UPS units and high-end climate control systems to guarantee an optimal working environment for the hardware.; The database component of the server architecture ensures encryption at rest.; All system and service data relating to clients is stored in the database architecture. ; FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.
• Outage reporting: Email alerts.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication: Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Two factor authentication and certified access tied to an individual.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication: 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: 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: No
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: Cyber Essentials Plus

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards: Other
• Other security governance standards: Cyber Essentials Plus
• Information security policies and processes: We have data protection and information security policies for our client solutions and we have a set of internal security principles that we follow. ; ; We review and decide the principles based on our company size, "remote first" working practice and lack of physical infrastructure.; ; PLD Devices; Make sure you use a (strong) password on your local machine and mobile phone.; Use a cloud and local back up for your device, but make sure the encrypted option is selected.; Store sensitive company data in a secure and redundant environment, instead of locally.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: For our managed client solutions we have test, staging and production environments. All 3 are separate stand-alone instances. Changes have to be internally tested in order to be deployed to staging. Clients need to approve changes before they are deployed to production from staging.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: We use an external penetration testing provider to run tests at intervals agreed by the client. We also monitor all software aspects for security updates and ensure timely updates.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Amazon GuardDuty is a threat detection service that continuously monitors for malicious activity and unauthorised behaviour to protect accounts and workloads.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Our server architecture, which includes data redundancy and rolling back ups with cloud provisioned we server instances, allows for rapid recovery from incidents as required.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Supplier-defined process

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Tackling economic inequality

  The mentoring and coaching platform has many use cases where it helps to tackle inequality. Examples include individuals who are long term employed being coached by experienced executives back into the job market. Charitable foundations supporting young people from less advantaged backgrounds access careers where they would normally face barriers to entry such as Law.

  Equal opportunity

  Several organisations use the mentoring and coaching platform to support equal opportunities. These include charitable organisations using the software to support 1-1 personalised mentoring to empower young people aged 16-25 from less advantaged backgrounds with the soft and hard skills needed to thrive, whilst building employment networks to strengthen access to opportunity. Several professional bodies use the software platform to support their members from under represented communities develop their careers.

  Wellbeing

  Mentoring is an excellent way to support mental health and build confidence, several organisations use their mentoring platforms to specifically support positive mental health.

Pricing

• Price: £5,000 to £7,500 a licence a year
• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: 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 chris@pldmentoring.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.