UNBOXED CONSULTING LIMITED

Back Office Planning System (BOPS) – Multi-tenanted SaaS service

An intuitive, cloud-based development management system, including integrated enforcement, appeals and pre-application services, handling all application types from submission to publication. BOPS has demonstrated measurable reductions in processing time during live pilots with local authorities and was developed through the government’s Open Digital Planning programme, funded by MHCLG.

Features

• Receives applications from multiple sources, including PlanX and Planning Portal
• Open, standardised data for 'single source of truth' across services
• Open API for quick and easy integration
• Integrated, public-facing communications platform with configurable templates via GOV.UK Notify
• Instant, automated publishing through the Digital Planning Register
• Intuitive document handling and automated constraints data
• Data driven workflow bringing officers information when they need it
• Designed with planners through MHCLG's Open Digital Planning programme
• Open data to support easy reporting and integrations
• Innovative, continuous improvement product development model, led by local authorities

Benefits

• Cloud-hosted, SaaS model - no installation, can be used anywhere
• Intuitive, responsive user interface requires minimal onboarding and reduces mistakes
• Streamlined, in-system consultation for faster turnaround and rapid validation
• Reduced failure demand through public self-service and faster processing
• Adapts to legislative changes, easy to add new application types
• Shared hosting and maintenance costs with frequent, automated updates
• Developer-led support - no hidden fees for upgrades or servicing
• Highest standards of privacy, data protection, Cyber Essentials Plus accredited
• Developed by a community of LPAs driving innovation in planning
• Built in accordance with the Technology Code of Practice

• Free trial available

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 sales-team@unboxedconsulting.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

634061456854293

Contact

Jo Oliveira
+44 (0)20 7183 4250
sales-team@unboxedconsulting.com

About your service

• Service categories:

  Applications

  Production and operations

  • Other operations

  Service industry and public sector operations

  • Other
• Multi cloud support: No

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: BOPS is a web-based SaaS product and requires no local software installation. It is supported on modern browsers and operates in virtual desktop environments.; ; The service is hosted on Amazon Web Services; infrastructure availability and recovery are aligned to AWS service guarantees. BOPS follows a continuous deployment model, with regular updates delivered without downtime.; ; The service relies on third-party integrations including submission services, GOV.UK Pay and Notify, and OS mapping APIs, which must be configured during onboarding.; ; Implementation requires customer involvement to configure local policies and migrate legacy data. Mandatory MFA, session timeouts and malware scanning apply.
• System requirements:
  • Computer with an internet connection and a modern browser
  • PlanX licence is recommended but not required

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: P1: Response within 1 hour, during working hours 9 am to 5 pm. Remediation work prioritised immediately on response. P2: Response within 4 hours, during working hours 9 am to 5 pm. Remediation work prioritised within 2 hours of response. P3: Response within 1 business day, (9am to 5pm). Remediation work commenced within 4 business days.
• 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: Unboxed provides first-, second- and third-line support. All support requests are logged and managed through a central service desk, which acts as the single point of contact. First-line support provides initial triage, user assistance, handling of known issues and service requests, and is responsible for communication with customers throughout the lifecycle of an incident. Issues that cannot be resolved at first line are escalated appropriately. Second-line support is provided by experienced product and application support engineers and covers investigation of functional defects, configuration issues, authorised data corrections, and coordination of fixes and releases. Third-line support is provided by the BOPS engineering team and includes resolution of code-level defects, infrastructure and platform incidents, security issues, and performance or scalability concerns. Incidents are categorised by priority, with Priority 1 incidents including service unavailability, statutory deadlines being put at risk, or data security issues. Customer-facing support is available during UK business hours by default, with optional enhanced support plans available. Costs are charged on a monthly basis depending on the level of coverage selected, with additional remediation charged at an agreed hourly rate.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: BOPS is provided with a set of standard integrations and is configurable by your own team. The software is available for set-up on a self-service basis, but the BOPS team will be available for troubleshooting and limited training where required.; The same open APIs used for onboarding and integration are available throughout the contract and at service exit.; Any training beyond that specified, or any custom integrations will be chargeable on a day rate basis.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • Other
• Other documentation formats:
  • End to end demos in video form
  • Developer documentation in repository
• End-of-contract data extraction: BOPS is designed with an API-first approach to ensure customers retain access to their data throughout the contract and at exit.; Planning application data, application forms, documents, public comments and structured policy assessment data are accessible via open, secure APIs and can be exported without vendor-specific tools. Authorised users can also access audit logs recording all actions taken by internal and public users.; For full service exit or migration, Unboxed can provide a complete data extract from the underlying managed database in an agreed format. Data is stored using industry-standard relational database technology and can be supplied using encrypted snapshots to support re-provisioning or migration to other platforms.; The BOPS team will work with customers to agree the most appropriate extraction approach based on their requirements, ensuring data is provided in a usable, structured form.
• End-of-contract process: If a customer decides to stop using BOPS, the service will be terminated on the agreed termination date or at the end of the G-Cloud contract.; Planning application data is retained in accordance with statutory record-keeping obligations. Prior to termination, customers are encouraged to extract their data using the available APIs or agreed export mechanisms.; Following termination, the BOPS database remains available for up to 30 days to support final data extraction. After this period, Unboxed securely deletes any remaining service data, including encrypted database snapshots, in accordance with documented data sanitisation processes.; Comprehensive audit logs are retained to support accountability and compliance throughout the contract and at exit.
• Documentation accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AA

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
  • Other
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: As BOPS is a back office system not designed for public use, the assumption is that the majority of its use will be by administrators using desktop computers. However, the system is designed to broadly comply with the GDS Design System and is responsive to mobile use.
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Description of service interface: Users access the system via a browser on desktop or laptop computers
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Accessibility testing: Full accessibility reviews carried out by a third party (Digital Accessibility Centre) every two years and recommendations implemented.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: BOPS has an open REST API, whose access is secured with an API token that can be set for individual users in the global admin panel. The API provides the ability to retrieve planning applications, either individually or in a list, which can be filtered by specific search criteria. It is also possible to retrieve attributes of a particular planning application, such as validation requests or documents. It is possible to submit planning applications and public comments directly via the API.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats: Open API (also known as Swagger)
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: BOPS follows a configuration-first SaaS model. Core functionality and workflows are shared across all customers to ensure consistency, security and interoperability, while allowing customers to configure local parameters.; Via the BOPS Admin interface, authorised administrators can configure planning application types, local planning policies and guidance, informatives, consultees, role-based user access, pre-application settings, and organisation profile information.; Core workflows, data schemas and system behaviour are not customisable on a per-customer basis. This ensures alignment with national planning data standards, supports interoperability with services such as Planning Portal and PlanX, and avoids bespoke customisations that increase cost and exit risk.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: BOPS is a multi-tenant SaaS application. Each tenant is accessed via a unique subdomain, preventing cross-tenant access to sessions, authentication credentials and cookies.; Data is hosted in the UK on Amazon RDS using a shared database architecture with strict logical separation enforced at the application layer. This approach is regularly tested, including through independent penetration testing.; The service is deployed on scalable AWS infrastructure using container-based services, allowing capacity to increase automatically in response to demand. External access is protected by AWS CloudFront with rate limiting and DDoS protection to prevent one customer’s traffic from degrading service performance for others.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: BOPS provides service metrics primarily via reports on request. The system utilises application performance monitoring tools, such as AppSignal and AWS CloudWatch, to track real-time system health, error rates, and API response times.; Administrators can access comprehensive audit logs detailing all actions taken by internal and public users. Additionally, the system supports data extraction for monitoring operational efficiency, helping Local Planning Authorities track processing times and service usage.
• Reporting types: Reports on request
• Resource tagging: No
• FOCUS resource tagging: No

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

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

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: NCSC 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
• 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: Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation / Secure Erase

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: BOPS provides multiple data export mechanisms. Core planning application data, structured application forms, policy assessments and public comments are available via open, secure APIs and can be accessed directly by customers and third-party systems.; Audit logs are available within the service and can be exported on request.; For full system exit or large-scale migration, Unboxed can supply a complete data extract from the underlying managed database using industry-standard formats, including encrypted database snapshots where appropriate. This approach avoids proprietary tooling and supports straightforward migration to alternative platforms.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats: Json (used for structured planning application and policy data)
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats: Json

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • Other
• Other protection between networks: SSH for remote console access
• Data protection within supplier network:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • Other
• Other protection within supplier network: SSH for remote console access

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: BOPS is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and benefits from the availability guarantees of the underlying AWS infrastructure, aside from scheduled maintenance.; Unboxed is responsible for the availability of the BOPS application layer, including monitoring, incident response and service restoration. Availability is actively monitored using application performance and infrastructure monitoring tools, with automated alerts to the engineering team in the event of service degradation or outage.; Additional support services are available to provide enhanced incident response and operational support where required.
• Approach to resilience: The service is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and makes use of managed cloud services to reduce single points of failure. Application environments are deployed using Infrastructure as Code (IaC), ensuring consistent, auditable configurations and enabling controlled, repeatable rebuilds in the event of infrastructure or application failure.; Core services such as databases, caching and storage use managed AWS services configured for resilience, including automated backups, multi-availability-zone support, failover and point-in-time recovery. These mechanisms protect against data loss caused by system failure or accidental deletion.; BOPS is continuously monitored using tools such as AppSignal and AWS CloudWatch. Alerts are generated for service degradation, error conditions, or dependency failures, enabling timely investigation and response by engineers.; Documented incident and recovery processes are in place to coordinate response and restoration activities. Recovery mechanisms, including database restore and environment rebuild, are periodically exercised to validate their effectiveness and ensure the service can be restored within acceptable operational timeframes following an incident.
• Outage reporting: BOPS uses automated monitoring tools such as AppSignal and AWS CloudWatch to detect outages or service degradation.; In the event of a service-affecting incident, Unboxed notifies nominated contacts at affected customers via agreed communication channels, typically email, with updates provided until the issue is resolved.; Where appropriate, a post-incident summary is shared with customers to explain the cause, impact and remedial actions taken.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: The user interface is accessible only with username, password and two-factor authentication via email. Different access levels guarantee that certain actions can only be performed by those with a particular role (for example, planning officers cannot change the configuration for their organisation nor carry out actions and approvals that are designated for planning managers only).; For some functions, where an applicant or a consultee who is not part of the planning team updates the application, we also authenticate via a secure/magic link.; Only agreed individuals can access support channels.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: User-defined
• 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

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: Directors and the CTO are responsible for Information Security. All Unboxed staff report to them in this area and comply with a Cyber Essentials Plus certified policy. Policies are enforced through training, spot-checks and device management software.
• Software Security Code of Practice: Yes

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Any changes to either the configuration or source code is raised using a pull request which is then peer reviewed (including security assessment) before being merged. Apps have a staging/preview environment where changes can be tested for user acceptance before being deployed to the live environment.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: BOPS source code repositories automatically create pull requests when a CVE security alert is published for a dependency. These requests are prioritised and expedited through the change management process based on vulnerability severity and applicability.; BOPS is built using Ruby-on-Rails, which provides built-in protections against common classes of web application vulnerabilities such as CSRF, XSS and SQL injection, reducing exposure to known vulnerability patterns.; Servers are configured to apply operating system updates automatically and send notifications if a restart is required. Servers are regularly refreshed using up-to-date system images, ensuring vulnerabilities are addressed promptly and minimising risk during scaling events.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: BOPS uses a combination of monitoring tools such as Appsignal and CloudWatch to alert should we see elevated error rates, individual exceptions or performance problems such as external APIs being slow to respond or returning errors. Servers are also configured to log all commands to external services which prevents tampering and remote access is notified externally to Slack where it can be challenged and confirmed. Apps also have internal custom monitoring to alert to suspicious patterns of behaviour. Response to P1 issues is within an hour, the type of response is dependent on the issue.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: BOPS maintains an Incident Management policy with pre-defined processes for responding to common incidents and attacks. Users report operational issues directly via dedicated channels, where they are triaged by the product team. Additionally, automated monitoring tools like AppSignal and AWS CloudWatch alert developers to errors or suspicious activity immediately.; Relevant security incidents are reported to the customer within an agreed timescale and format. Comprehensive audit logs track all user actions, providing the necessary data for incident investigation and post-event reporting.
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: Yes

Secure development

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

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Pricing

• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: A free testing account is available for evaluation. This includes full access to the sandbox environment for exploring features and workflows. It excludes live application processing, real payments, and statutory register integration. Access is provided for the duration of the evaluation and onboarding process.

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: No
• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• ISO 9001 certification: No
• Quality management systems (QMS): No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Please provide your Cyber Essentials Certificate Number: B3821133-d9ad-4306-9e32-06da821ee4fd
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Please provide your Cyber Essentials Plus Certificate Number: 852228b7-236f-4b61-80cb-5bd4829d7b46
• 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
    • 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
    • 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
    • Payment of more than the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (as appropriate) to the contract workforce
    • 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
    • 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

  • 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

  • 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
    • Activities that demonstrate a collaborative way to work with a diverse range of businesses as part of the supply chain
    • 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
    • Measures to involve local stakeholders and/or users in design (e.g. in the design of services, systems, products or buildings)
    • Measures to engage users and communities and build relationships to increase community integration build trust and influence how the contract is delivered
    • Plans to respond flexibly and adapt approaches to community engagement and initiatives

  • 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
    • 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

  • 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
    • 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

  • 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
    • Understanding of issues relating to entering the contract workforce

  • 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

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 sales-team@unboxedconsulting.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.