Unilink Software Ltd

Application development services for cloud solutions

Unilink provides cloud application architecture, design, development (incl. APIs) and support services for the transition to cloud. Our considerable experience spans across sectors, e.g. health, immigration, justice. All cloud design, development, strategy and support services are provided in adherence with Agile, SOA, DevOps and GDS principles.

Features

• Application architecture analysis, Cloud Readiness Assessment and Application Portfolio Analysis
• Agile digital delivery services for enterprise class, cloud-hosted applications
• DevOps built into application design/ development, reducing time to software-go-live
• Expertise in Continuous Integration& Design capability, use of analytics/data insight
• GDS-adhering design, development and testing of interfaces (APIs, legacy systems)
• Software design & development reviewed to meet WACG accessibility requirements
• Research, validation and sharing of user requirements inform application design/development
• Design and development of throw-away prototypes to understand user requirements
• Programming, integration, testing services for bespoke, third-party or open-source APIs
• Support design of business case development, quality plan and benefits-realisation

Benefits

• Extensive experience in using wide range of techniques and methodologies
• Latest software development patterns and practices deployed during application development
• Application quality assurance, automated testing, user acceptance testing, continuous integration
• Cloud strategy design/development release plan to meet customer requirements
• Software development projects delivered on time and in budget
• Risks and cost of application design and application development reduced
• Ability to scale teams to meet requirements for application development
• Awards for innovation show that we meet customers' needs brilliantly

£898 to £1,315 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 enquiries@unilink.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

606966837164606

Contact

Ann Caple
020 7036 3810
enquiries@unilink.com

Planning

• Planning service: Yes
• How the planning service works: Unilink provides services to: 1) define user requirements 2) develop user stories, 3) design, initially develop and architect solutions using cloud based products. Unilink uses Agile design based around users' needs. Our staff have expertise in SQL, Microsoft Visual Studio, C++ Visual C C# and in designing and building SOAP XML interfaces. The planning services are supported by experts with detailed practical and theoretical knowledge of biometrics, fingerprint, iris and facial recognition, document management, case management and with deep domain expertise in prisons and probation. We follow GDS guidance, the Technology Code of Practice, and the Service Design manual, to inform our planning.
• Planning service works with specific services: Yes
• Hosting or software services the planning service works with:
  • Unilink software
  • Azure, AWS, private cloud
  • Others

Training

• Training service provided: Yes
• How the training service works: All Unilink deployments are supported with onsite or online training. We develop staff training requirements analysis at the start of the assignment and would define and implement a capability development/transfer plan with the client as part of any engagement to ensure the benefits delivered are sustainable.
• Training is tied to specific services: Yes
• Services the training service works with:
  • Unilink Software
  • Others

Setup and migration

• Setup or migration service available: Yes
• How the setup or migration service works: Buyers are supported to move into the cloud with full transition and (where required) data migration services
• Setup or migration service is for specific cloud services: Yes
• List of supported services:
  • Unilink Software
  • Azure, AWS, private cloud
  • Others

Quality assurance and performance testing

• Quality assurance and performance testing service: Yes
• How the quality assurance and performance testing works: All Unilink deployments are supported with a full quality assurance and performance testing regime. Clients may elect to use this service line to procure additional support or consultancy

Security testing

• Security services: No

Ongoing support

• Ongoing support service: Yes
• Types of service supported: Hosting or software provided by your organisation
• How the support service works: We provide access to 1st-3rd line support and service management via dedicated service desks. This can be delivered through standard service hours or 24x7. All operators are UK based and have been vetted up to CTC level and above.

Service scope

• Service constraints: Typically, there are no service constraints related to this service.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: 1 hour but normally less. Users can log their support calls using the online portal and review their current status. Users cannot change their ticket priority, as this is determined by Unilink. Typically users submit issues via email to the 24/7/365 Unilink helpdesk. This results in an improved service as any fault is correctly categorised and therefore resolved more quickly.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: Web chat
• Web chat support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 A
• Web chat accessibility testing: Chat testing was performed during the development stage and continually refined through user feedback from over 60 successful deployments.
• Support levels: Service Support is offered through UK-based security cleared staff working within a ITILv3 Service Support model. Service Level Agreements are negotiated directly with Unilink to achieve customer objectives of service availability, recovery time and backup objectives. The Unilink Service Desk is the principal point of contact for all service users. This functional service is responsible for the Incident Management process and is also a key communications point for receiving and disseminating operational information to Unilink’s customers. Unilink is very experienced in working alongside customer Change and Release teams to deliver a seamless managed Service. Support is provided through a combination of Service desk, Email, Phone, Live chat and Onsite.

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: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: Lloyds Register
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 08/07/2020
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: Our ISO 27001 certificate covers all requirements except for 'A.14.2.7 Outsourced development' as we do not outsource any development work.
• 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

  • Fighting climate change
  • Covid-19 recovery
  • Tackling economic inequality
  • Equal opportunity
  • Wellbeing

  Fighting climate change

  Unilink is passionate about the protection of the environment, which is why we have worked hard for our Carbon Neutral status—made official in, and maintained since 2020. Notably, our environmental commitments and policies are compliant with ISO:14001 standards. Through our ‘Green Team’ initiative, run by staff volunteers, we are constantly exploring the next steps in our journey toward minimising Unilink’s carbon footprint and environmental impact. A handful of actions forming our overall strategy include:; ; • Converting our fleet to electric cars;; • Installing solar panels for power generation at our offices;; • Rewarding staff through our cycle to work schemes;; • Embedding EnergyStar™ components into our Acante biometric kiosks; and,; • Taking close measurements of our carbon usage, investing into Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) reduction projects to counteract the impact Unilink makes.; ; Unilink has offset 240 metric tonnes of CO2 to date and planted over 240 trees in the UK toward rebuilding our damaged ecosystems. ; ; We are committed to reducing the environmental impact through our supply chain. We will create longer term & meaningful partnerships with suppliers to avoid lowest price transactional arrangements that don’t benefit the environment. We use our environmental expertise to help coach & mentor our Micro supply chain members. We will set objectives & plans to support this & then monitor progress to help improve practice.; ; We collect data on our efforts through a variety of channels, all of which are recorded in our Enterprise Data Management (EDM) system. Unilink supplies this information to clients and partners on a regular basis and invites all parties to suggest areas for improvement and initiative ideas to achieve this.

  Covid-19 recovery

  A key consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the negative impact on mental health in addition to increased isolation. ; Alongside out partner Serco, Unilink helped develop the Vulnerability Predictor Tool (VPT). This web-based application analyses patterns of behaviour and identifies individuals who may be at likely to self harm or attempt to take their own life. Through analysis of interactions processed by Unilink’s Prisoner Self-Service Kiosks/In Cell Devices and held in Unilink’s Custodial Management System (CMS) database, at-risk individuals can be identified and offered the help they need. With further development, this tool could assist safeguarding in other environments as well.; Unilink supports staff who are vulnerable to Covid-19 or sheltering, as well as encouraging personal Covid-19 recovery. To achieve this Unilink introduced a flexible working policy to reinforce the importance of our teams’ work/life balance and enable staff to work from home by equipping them with technology and home office equipment. This allows staff to negotiate work hours which alternate from ‘core’ hours to better balance their personal lives and, where possible, lower the risk of contracting Covid during interactions with colleagues. ; Physical and mental wellbeing infrastructure has also been established throughout our organisation. This includes a platform for wellbeing feedback within our HR system (Natural HR) which is monitored weekly and actioned upon by our HR team. We circulate a weekly newsletter, providing information from every part of the company. The newsletter also highlights channels through which staff can access support. These channels range from contacting our HR team, or Samaritans, to making use of our Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) Life membership. The latter provides a comprehensive health and wellbeing platform with a plethora of mindfulness workshops, courses, and support services offered to our team free of charge.

  Tackling economic inequality

  By converting to home-based working, Unilink have furthered our ability to recruit from more deprived areas of the UK than surround our various offices. By uplifting talented individuals from less advantageous locations, Unilink has embraced new voices into our organisation. Diversity of background is especially important because it supports our social purpose of helping rehabilitate those people in prison or on probation, who come from every type of background.; Our CEO mentors at the Imperial College London Imperial Venture Mentoring Service (IVMS). Through our apprenticeship programme, we nurture the interests of the next generation toward meaningful careers. We offer training plans for experience, personal development & professional qualifications, mentoring, rotation of different teams & departments. Apprentices are offered management support as well as regular constructive feedback alongside monitoring/review meetings throughout their placement with us.; One particularly disadvantaged group is that of prison leavers—to whom Unilink dedicate time and resources. We are currently offering our IT expertise to the charity Turnaround Project, who offer training and employment experience before people complete their sentences in order to ‘turnaround’ prison leavers’ future prospects. We are working with the Northern Ireland prison service on a pathfinder project to develop, at our cost, social media training for soon to be released prisoners to understand social media marketing for a small business they might set up outside of prison. Unilink make donations to various trusts and charities who work toward similar rehabilitation aims. The Koestler Trust, for example, promotes art in prisons. Our partnership with Code 4000 helps to teach software development and technical skills to prisoners during their time in custody. Upon completion of their sentence, 0% of these graduates have reoffended or returned to custody since the organisation’s conception in 2016. Other initiatives we support include The Longford Trust, Nepacs, Pact, and Key4Life.

  Equal opportunity

  Unilink believe everyone should have the chance to achieve their potential, and our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy (sponsored by the Board) aims to achieve this in a variety of ways:; - Unilink actively encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates via specialist agencies/publications & using a diverse interview panel;; - Flexible working hours and work-from-home options ensure staff are not at a disadvantage due to disabilities, culture, or religious dependencies;; - We offer accessible working environments to support disabled team members;; - We offer WCAG 2.1A-compliant application forms/channels; our UX design take into account digitally excluded users; - We train employees on the benefits of diversity within the workforce, with annual training workshops for: anti-slavery and human trafficking; equality, diversity & inclusion; environmental impacts; and, sustainable procurement;; - Unilink embed our social values ethos via direct employee action, with a team of volunteer staff who regularly discuss our EDI policy and suggest improvements;; - Unilink welcomes and facilitates cultural celebrations within the workplace.; ; The positive impact of this work is measured through regular staff surveys which gauge the opinions of our team regarding the engagement with and embracing of EDI values. This data is segmented, analysed, and reviewd in regular meetings wherein our senior team can establish our plan of action moving forward. We additionally utilise our Human Resources (HR) System—Natural HR—to monitor the diversity of our workforce regarding the nine main protected characteristics.; ; Employees who suffer from any form of disability are offered HR check-ups from our Head of HR to ensure Unilink supply all necessary assistance/equipment necessary for the fulfilment of their role. This commitment can be traced back to our hiring practices, wherein Unilink takes great care in properly accommodating the needs of all candidates, ascertaining these well in advance of interviews.

  Wellbeing

  Unilink has robust structures in place to support the wellbeing of our workforce and boost company-wide morale. Our HR system (Natural HR) invites daily feedback from staff regarding their wellbeing. This offers a release valve for staff, and ensures HR can assist the team, offer counsel, and put remedial measures in place for employees should they need it. All responses are monitored by our HR team and trends discussed at weekly meetings. Unilink’s Head of HR is responsible for undertaking wellness check-ups, and following up on concerns raised in Natural HR or directly with the HR team. Unilink offers membership of the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC), and support via CSSC Life which provides a comprehensive health and wellbeing platform.; ; To support the work/life balance of our team, we have established a flexible working policy. Managers within Unilink are open to discussion regarding deviation from core hours in order for our staff to better support their personal lives. We also have a generous overtime payment policy. Any work beyond defined contractual hours will incur a higher rate of pay up to two times the employee’s hourly rate (depending on whether they are working a weekday, weekend, or Bank Holiday).; ; But Unilink is interested in more than our staff wellbeing and aim to support our communities as well. We encourage our team to play a role in the wider community and support their endeavours via direct and matched funding of any charitable event they wish to run. In the past this has involved sponsorship of local sports teams and youth football clubs, as well as Macmillan Coffee Mornings and Children in Need internal fundraising initiatives. We have sponsored events of an organisation in Scotland called “families outside” which helps friends and family stay in touch with their loved ones in prison.

Pricing

• Price: £898 to £1,315 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 enquiries@unilink.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.