NEC SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED

NEC Housing

NEC Housing is a comprehensive, flexible Housing Management platform, providing a 360° view of customers and assets. It drives automation across housing management, repairs and asset management, supporting safe communities and ensuring compliance.

NEC Housing can be delivered via the cloud or on-premise and can be accessed on any device.

Features

• Can be used on any device.
• Intuitive interface offers a fresh and contemporary look and feel.
• Comprehensive flexible platform with 360 Views of customers and assets.
• Enhanced customer engagement with integrated CRM and online self-service.
• Understand and engage with customers. Open integration to third-party systems.
• Strategic asset management and scenario modelling.
• Repairs and contractor management, planned, servicing and cyclical maintenance.
• Issue and track personalised communications, surveys and campaigns.
• Powerful data warehouse with dashboards and analytics capability.
• Scalable solution suitable for small to very large housing providers.

Benefits

• Access information wherever you are, on any device.
• Deliver faster, consistent services, resolved at first point of contact.
• Deliver excellent customer services through multiple channels.
• Powerful data insight: understand customers and properties, make informed decisions.
• Integrated online services, providing customer access to information 24/7.
• Open integration enables low cost, easy access to data.
• Optimise income with effective rent and arrears management.
• Improve operational efficiency through effective repairs and maintenance management.
• Reduce application management overheads.
• Reduced downtime all maintenance scheduled out of hours.

£1.08 a unit a month

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

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

916522570514486

Contact

NEC Frameworks Team
07852 936231
frameworks@necsws.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Private cloud
• Service constraints: Our service does not have any specific constraints buyers should be aware of.
• System requirements:
  • Internet access is via https over a Virtual Private Network.
  • NEC will provide a URL link to NEC Housing SaaS.
  • Access is through a supported browser, defined below.

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: All logged incidents or service requests are acknowledged immediately via NEC’s ITSM Support Portal. Timescales will vary in accordance with the priority of the logged ticket, and our targeted response times during contracted support hours are as follows: ; ; Priority 1 (Critical): service unavailable to end-users - 15 working minutes ; ; Priority 2 (Medium): partial loss of an important business function for end-users - 30 working minutes ; ; Priority 3 (Low): low impact on End-User operations where processing can continue - 60 working minutes ; ; Priority 4 (Minor/guidance and advice): problems affecting 1 or 2 end-users – 1 working day
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 A
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: NEC provides a single level support service, included in the standard charge for the solution. The details of the support services are: ; ; Available 24x7 excluding planned/emergency maintenance. ; ; Support response available 09:00-17:30 each Business Day. ; ; The solution achieves a minimum of 99.5% availability. ; ; End-users can log tickets online 24x7. ; ; The end-user has the option to assign the priority when logging the ticket, as follows: ; ; Priority 1: Service unavailable to end-users/complete loss of a critical business function/security breach. ; ; Priority 2: Partial loss of a business function at a critical time in the business cycle with medium impact on end-user operations/performance degradation affecting 25% or more of end-users. ; ; Priority 3: Minor problems with low impact on end-user where processing can continue/performance degradation affecting less than 25% of end-users. ; ; Priority 4: Service Requests/problems affecting 1 or 2 end-users. ; ; NEC uses reasonable commercial endeavours to provide identification and resolution, obviation and/or mitigation of operational bugs/errors reported by the customer in the solution in accordance with these timescales: ; ; Priority 1: 4 working hours. ; ; Priority 2: 8 working hours. ; ; Priority 3: 36 working hours. ; ; Priority 4: 72 working hours. ; ; Client Services Manager manages the ongoing relationship, cloud/support engineers allocated as appropriate to resolve any technical issues.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Onboarding activities will vary from client to client, according to requirements. The onboarding process differs for clients who already run NEC Housing compared to those clients migrating from other applications. Activities may include, as required: • Provision of access to an appropriate environment. • Provision of disaster recovery services. • Provision of a URL to log onto the solution. • System Administrator log on credentials supplied. • Configuration services. • Integration with third party systems. • Data services including data migration. NEC will manage the onboarding process, including migration activities, using its ASSIST methodology, based on PRINCE2. All onboarding activities will be agreed with clients and charged in accordance with the NEC SFIA rate card.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats: PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: All data relating to the organisation, as well as any NEC Housing SaaS data, will (unless agreed otherwise with you) be permanently deleted from the live NEC Housing SaaS no less than ten working days from termination or expiry and in accordance with the legal requirement for data destruction. Throughout the duration of the contract you can extract a variety of business data by use of the standard reporting suite within NEC Housing SaaS. However, if you would like to extract your data in a different manner outside of the standard reporting suite, then you must give us at least two months written notice prior to termination or expiry. We will then carry out a one day scoping study to agree the scope of the data to be extracted, together with the format. Following the one day scoping study we will provide a fixed price for the extraction of the data based on the SFIA rate card.
• End-of-contract process: All data relating to the organisation, as well as any NEC Housing SaaS data, will (unless agreed otherwise with you) be permanently deleted from the live NEC Housing SaaS no less than ten working days from termination or expiry and in accordance with the legal requirement for data destruction. Throughout the duration of the contract you can extract a variety of business data by use of the standard reporting features within NEC Housing SaaS. However, if you would like to extract your data in a different manner outside of the standard reporting suite, then you must give us at least two months written notice prior to termination or expiry. We will then carry out a one day scoping study to agree the scope of the data to be extracted, together with the format. Following the one day scoping study we will provide a fixed price for the extraction of the data based on the SFIA rate card.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: NEC Housing has been designed to be used on any device, enabling access to information wherever you are, at any time. Screens resize and content layout adapts to the size and type of device in use, ensuring that the display is optimised. Please contact NEC to discuss offline mobile working requirements.
• Service interface: No
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 A
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: NEC provides a set of REST APIs for performing various actions on NEC Housing. The transactions replicate existing business functionality currently performed within NEC Housing, such as being able to query records, update, change and create new records as a front end user of the application would. These REST APIs are delivered using Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS) deployed on Apache Tomcat. All APIs utilise efficient filtering, search and pagination capabilities to ensure a REST consumer application can optimise the delivery of the information they need. Information returned by the API also adheres to NEC Housing Job Role and Navigation security restrictions. The same level of validation will be performed when the transaction is submitted as would occur if the user were actually using the NEC Housing platform to process the business transaction. Security is also paramount in the design, utilising the built-in ORDS configuration and whitelisting capabilities to prevent unauthorised access. Authentication is mandatory for all REST APIs utilising HTTP Basic Authentication validated against NEC Housing users. In addition, the REST APIs can be configured to use OAUTH2 Client Credentials flow if required.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • Open API (also known as Swagger)
  • Other
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: NEC Housing is a flexible solution designed to suit the needs of housing providers of all types and sizes. The platform can be tailored through system parameters, design of processes, definition of fields and field labels and customisation of system messages and notifications. Configuration of this nature can be undertaken by systems administrators, or with the help and support of NEC consultants.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: The number of users is proportional to the number of properties managed. Each client instance is allocated its own computer resources (processing power, memory and storage) in accordance with the size of the organisation / number of properties. This is sized to enable users to undertake normal operational activities without affecting other users.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Monthly service reports are provided and show metrics, such as service availability, number of calls raised, closed and outstanding, and time to resolution.
• Reporting types: Regular reports

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: Up to 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: Supplier-defined controls
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: ‘IT Health Check’ performed by a CHECK service provider
• Protecting data at rest: Physical access control, complying with another standard
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type: Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
• Equipment disposal approach: Complying with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v.30, CAS (Sanitisation) or ISO/IEC 27001

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Clients can quickly and easily extract data with embedded interactive reporting regions or reporting tools of their choice.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats:
  • PDF
  • Excel
• Data import formats: CSV

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • Private network or public sector network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: The service is available 24/7, except for planned and emergency maintenance, with support response available between 09:00 and 17:30 each Business Day. NEC Housing SaaS is typically provided at 99.5% availability.
• Approach to resilience: NEC has dual data centres in two separate geographical locations, so if one data centre is affected, we can failover to our secondary data centre. More information is available on request.
• Outage reporting: Outages will be treated as a Major Incident and managed by the ISO20000: 2018 certified process. A named user will receive an email and SMS message notifying them of the status of the MI until resolution. The incident will also be logged on the Service Desk system where the status is also visible to the user.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Limited access network (for example PSN)
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Separate networks are used for users, and for support and management purposes. These are logically separated using vlans and firewalls. All management and support staff have access via the management network and end users are excluded.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • 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 receive audit information on a regular basis
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: User-defined
• How long system logs are stored for: At least 12 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: BSI
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 07/06/2021; valid until June 2024. Certificate IS 598449.
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: N/A, our ISO 27001 certification covers all our office locations.
• 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 and Cyber Essentials Plus
  • Business Continuity Management ISO22301:2019
  • Environmental Management ISO14001:2015
  • Information Security Management ISO27001:2013
  • Service Management ISO20000:2018
  • Quality Management ISO9001:2015

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: The NEC Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) operates at board level and has overall responsibility and accountability for all aspect of security governance. The SIRO is supported by an Information Security Steering Group (ISSG) which is headed by the Security Director and has representatives from all areas within the organisation. The ISSG is responsible for agreeing policies with the SIRO and ensuring they are implemented across the business. An operational Security Working Group (SWG) is responsible for managing any incidents that may occur and in an advisory capacity to provide advice and guidance to the organisation.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Configuration and change management approach: NEC is certified for ISO20000:2018 for Service Management, which covers both our Configuration Management and Change Management processes. This is audited both internally by our Data Protection Officer (DPO) and Head of the Compliance, Risk and Audit team, and externally by the UKAS accredited audit body British Standards Institute, (BSI). NEC follows an ITIL-based approach, and the NEC service desk personnel have undergone the relevant ITIL qualifications for their roles. ; Our CMDB is updated accordingly throughout the lifetime of the asset, up to and including decommissioning and disposal.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: NEC has entered into security knowledge sharing partnerships to react to new and increasing threat levels. NEC are members of the NCSC Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership (CiSP) for early identification and advice on security threats, incidents and solutions. The NEC InfoSec team subscribes to a number of key suppliers and cyber security websites, which send daily alerts on the latest vulnerabilities. NEC are members of the Cyber Network Reporting Service (CNR) that helps the NCSC to rapidly notify organisations that might be affected by malicious software.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: NEC implements a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system which provides alerts and reports that enable log sources to be processed in accordance with GPG13. Custom rules can be defined to detect and alert on suspicious behaviour. The InfoSec team reviews the SIEM alerts and reports on a daily basis to check for any anomalous behaviour. The NEC security monitoring policies and practices are aligned with incident management policies and practices. Any significant security issues identified will result in the NEC InfoSec team raising a security incident in the NEC service management system to initiate the detailed analysis process.
• Incident management type: Conforms to a recognised standard, for example, CSA CCM v3.0 or ISO/IEC 27035:2011 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
• Incident management approach: Incident Management is part of our ISO27001:2022 certified Information Security Management system (ISMS). All incidents are handled within the same process. Users report incidents through the Service Desk, and a Security Incident is then raised on the ISMS. This is reviewed by the Security Team and is managed in accordance with the Security Incident Management Process. The security incident is kept updated, and once the Security Incident is closed a full report is produced which is used to identify any lessons learnt.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Conforms to a recognised standard, but self-assessed

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: Yes
• Connected networks: Public Services Network (PSN)

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

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

  Fighting climate change

  NEC is committed to being Net Zero by 2030.; To support this objective, we targeted a 50% reduction in our 2020 baseline emissions by 2026. We are ahead of target, having already achieved an independently audited reduction of 64% in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent(tC02e). ; We have implemented a multitude of initiatives to support this, including:; -Appointing an Environmental Manager and Environmental Champions to promote our objectives. ; -Successfully obtaining certification for and implementing ISO14001:2015 Environmental Management System(EMS). ; -Developing a Carbon Reduction Plan, which is published on our website.; -Maintaining an Environmental Aspect and Impact Register (down to site level) through which to capture the elements of our operating practices that could negatively impact the environment.; -Working with government accredited consultants to understand our environmental impact.; -Collaborative activities to influence customers, supply chain partners and employees.; Specific initiatives applicable to our contract delivery approach include:; -Ensuring directly sourced energy is from renewable sources.; Reducing business travel where possible through utilisation of controls and technology such as:; -Video conferencing.; -Electronic sharing of documents.; -Conference call facilities.; -Working from home/flexible working arrangements.; -Approval controls for commercial flights.; -Use of environmentally friendly data centres.; Additionally, our Environmental Policy objectives include:; -Meeting all relevant legal requirements and monitoring our compliance.; -Minimising our environmental impacts for the life cycle (including disposal) of work equipment and other physical assets under our control.; -Demonstrating efficient use of energy, water, and other natural resources; -Maximising opportunities to minimise our waste by reusing or recycling waste, where practical.; -Ensuring our supply chain are aware of our environmental policy and our commitment to ensuring its effective implementation.; Increasing environmental awareness and commitment amongst employees through training and briefings.; We’ll continue to identify opportunities to improve our environmental performance through clear objectives, plans and targets.

  Covid-19 recovery

  During the COVID-19 global health crisis, NEC supported its workforce, customers and the local communities they serve, to adapt to the challenges the pandemic posed. As a provider of software and services to the public sector, this included the rapid development and deployment of software solutions to enable the efficient and effective delivery of new government schemes and changes in legislation introduced as a direct response to the pandemic. Examples include provision of software to assist with Test and Trace Support Payments and new hospitality sector licensing requirements. ; Initiatives we implemented that support the policy outcomes include:; • Increasing our pre-pandemic workforce numbers through recruitment of an additional 250 UK based roles, many of whom were unemployed following redundancy from other sectors such as hospitality.; • Re-training and redeploying temporarily displaced colleagues rather than imposing redundancies or taking advantage of the furlough scheme.; • Investing over £400,000 in training and apprenticeships.; • Working collaboratively with customers to introduce new ways of working.; • Delivering community based social value through donations in kind to voluntary sector organisations impacted by the pandemic. ; As part of our response to the pandemic we invested in and introduced several initiatives and workplace adaptations to protect employee health and safety, including:; • Introducing wider use of remote and flexible working, including making additional allowances for those caring for young children.; • Enhancing office safety, including installing sanitising stations, hygiene screens and digital thermometers.; • Increasing the frequency of colleague communications, with a focus on provision of mental health support and reducing the risks of isolation/loneliness.; • Providing all employees with free access to additional specialist resources, including 24x7 counselling and mental health services.

  Tackling economic inequality

  We recognise the expertise, innovation and value that can be gained from having a diverse supply chain and providing all suppliers with a fair and equal opportunity to become suppliers to us and our customers. We operate openly and transparently to enable this collaborating with third-party suppliers including large enterprises, sub-contractors, SMEs, VCSEs, mutuals and social enterprise organisations. ; Additionally, we are committed to nurturing talent and creating a sustainable learning and development culture that equips our workforce with the appropriate skills, knowledge and processes so that the company continues to deliver innovative, industry leading solutions.; Processes and practices we have adopted to tackle economic inequality include:; • Using outcome-based specifications and co-design methods to encourage suppliers, communities, users and third sector organisations to collaborate and propose solutions based upon end user requirements, rather than being prescriptive.; • Advertising supply chain opportunities openly and always operating transparently. ; • Including modules covering anti-bribery and corruption, whistleblowing, equality and diversity in our all-colleague compulsory Annual Compliance Training.; • Having policies and operating practices that support effective supply chain relationships through fair selection and responsible management. For example, only flowing down appropriate contract terms. ; • Paying at least 95% of all invoices within agreed terms and agreeing to reduced payment terms for SMEs and subcontractors.; • Never deducting sums from payments as a charge for remaining on our supplier list. ; • Investing in new jobs and training opportunities through an active Apprenticeship scheme. We recruited 18 apprentices in 2023.; • Creating opportunities for career progression and investing in reward and recognition initiatives that support employee retention. ; • Following the foundational principles of the Good Work Plan in respect of employee satisfaction, fair pay, well-being and safety, career progression, voice, and autonomy.; • Having appropriate controls in place to mitigate cyber security risks.

  Equal opportunity

  We want to be an employer of choice for people of all backgrounds and we are committed to ensuring workers either directly employed or employed within our supply chains are treated fairly, humanely, and equitably. We will not discriminate on grounds of gender, marital status, race, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or any other characteristic. ; To encourage a diverse and varied workforce our approach to equal opportunity includes:; -Inclusive and accessible recruitment practices, including supporting candidates and employees with disabilities through provision of supportive technology and/or changes to working practices.; -Collecting, analysing and senior reporting of equality and diversity data obtained during recruitment activities.; -Making appointments on the grounds of selecting the most suitable candidate for the post.; -Ensuring job adverts reach a diverse audience, including utilising job sites which encourage interest from disadvantaged and Minority Ethnic groups.; -Having diverse interview panels and anonymising applications.; -Using gender-neutral role definitions.; -Ensuring policies and employee communications promote respect and equality for all.; Other activities to support equal opportunity within the workforce include:; -Tackling the gender pay gap, through annual audits. Women now comprise 50% of our leadership team, including our Chief Executive. ; -Compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the nine core principles of the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code.; -Ensuring effective supply chain controls are in place to mitigate and manage the risks of exploitation.; -Provision of appropriate channels for colleagues to have an effective voice, such as our Employee Steering Group.; -Investment in workforce development and training, including an active Apprenticeship programme.; -No use of zero hours contracts or fire and rehire practices.; -Being a Real Living Wage Employer.; -Flexible working practices.; -Transparent and structured promotion, pay and reward processes.; -Senior level sponsorship at board level to support and promote equal opportunity.

  Wellbeing

  Our approach to supporting good health and wellbeing includes providing our workforce with:; • Access to helpful health and wellbeing resources through our dedicated intranet Wellness Hub. ; • A LinkedIn Learning Platform that includes a section dedicated to health and wellbeing, including advice for managers on opening up dialogue about mental health and emotional safety. ; • Free and confidential access to specialist resources 24x7, including counselling and mental health services through our Employee Assistance Programme. ; • Private healthcare cover including a Doctor at Hand service for fast and convenient access to advice, assistance and medical treatment, anytime and anywhere.; • Maintaining compliance with the six standards of the Mental Health at Work commitment.; • Accommodating workplace adjustments, such as supportive technology for those with a disability or health condition.; • Encouraging good physical health by providing discounted corporate gym membership at over 3,300 participating gyms through our employee GymFlex scheme.; • Access to a cycle to work scheme through salary sacrifice.; Employee Communications; We incorporate national health and wellbeing campaigns within our yearly communications calendar to raise employee awareness and signpost to useful support pathways. Our 2024 calendar will include the following nationally recognised campaigns:; • Mental Health Awareness week.; • World Menopause Day.; • National Eye Health week.; • World Diabetes Day.; • Stress Awareness Month.; • Suicide Prevention Day.; • Men's Health week.; We have Mental Health First Aiders who are trained to spot the signs of mental ill health and can provide early support for colleagues who may be developing a mental health issue. ; Policies; Support for employee health and wellbeing is underpinned by a policy framework including:; • Health and Safety Policy; • Alcohol, Drugs & Solvent Abuse Policy; • Menopause Policy; • Absence Policy ; • Flexible Working Policy; • Gender Reassignment Policy.

Pricing

• Price: £1.08 a unit a month
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• 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 frameworks@necsws.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.