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SA Group Ltd

Risk Management

We will deliver Risk Management with qualified, experienced professionals using tailored, best practice risk methodologies and Risk Management Tools to identify, evaluate, and prioritise risk profile. This is consolidated by the co-ordinated and economical application of resources to minimise, monitor, and control the impact of risks or to maximize opportunities.

Features

  • Highly experienced & Management of Risk (M_o_R) qualified professionals
  • Delivery of a Risk Management Strategy
  • Comprehensive risk & opportunity assessments, controls & assurance mapping
  • Direct the development of risk, issue, dependency & opportunity reviews
  • Identification, assessment, & control of risks in projects & programmes
  • Assessment of existing risk management controls & processes
  • Implementation of tools & techniques to enable effective risk management
  • Implement & monitor corrective action plans to enable recovery
  • Alignment to industry standard methodologies incl. PRINCE2, MSP, M_o_R, ITIL
  • ISO9001 & ISO27001 accredited & HMG Approved Defence Contractor status

Benefits

  • Creating a reduced-risk environment to ensure better decision-making
  • Mitigation activities to limit exposure & improve project success
  • Improving the consistency of your approach to Risk Management
  • Improved monitoring & control to ensuring successful delivery of projects
  • Improved accurate & efficient risk cost estimating
  • Reduction of your overall risk exposure
  • Effective knowledge transfer to your staff
  • Better understanding of risks enables effectives contract negotiations
  • Increases stakeholder confidence in achieving desired outcomes
  • Clear risk understanding improves the project passing gate reviews

Pricing

£400 to £1,300 a person a day

Service documents

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 commercial@sa-group.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

9 7 1 7 6 7 1 6 3 9 2 7 8 7 8

Contact

SA Group Ltd Will Machin
Telephone: +44(0)1249 280111
Email: commercial@sa-group.com

Planning

Planning service
Yes
How the planning service works
SA Group proactively support the Buyers’ team implementing cloud hosting and software services through sharing of industry best practice and our experience. In addition, our accredited Quality Management System delivers a set of Critical Project Deliverables, Risk Register and Compliance Register ensuring that all implementation issues are fully addressed and mitigated. These are agreed with the Buyers’ team to ensure the project is delivered on time and in full and identifies any opportunities for improvement in delivery or cost. SA Group have identified a number of key themes based on providing the best independent, cost effective, specialist technical support and systems assurance in cloud hosting and software. Our structured approach utilises proven methodologies and innovative ways of working underpinned by experience of managing emerging challenges in the fast changing cloud hosting and software environment.
Planning service works with specific services
Yes
Hosting or software services the planning service works with
  • PAAS
  • IAAS
  • Training IAAS
  • ITAAS
  • SAAS

Training

Training service provided
Yes
How the training service works
SA Group places significant emphasis in ensuring that the company is able to provide our Buyers with the assurance and confidence that we have robust, externally accredited systems for all services we provide. We follow the Defence Systems Approach to Training (DSAT) Methodology (quality standard). DSAT processes, performance and associated learning solutions will be specific to cloud software and hosting services and linked to human capabilities. These are fully auditable, reflecting any legal and accreditation requirements. DSAT is a tool that provides a benchmark against which performance and training can be evaluated and good practice identified and shared. When DSAT is used intelligently subsequent training will be:
Effective - All tasks and roles will be analysed to understand the operating conditions and standard that must be achieved.
Efficient - DSAT ensures optimum efficiency in terms of time, cost and other resources.
Consistent - DSAT ensures the performance and learning required is delivered to a consistently high standard across organisations. Instructors / Educators will be clear on exactly what and how to teach and assess.
Auditable - DSAT provides a clear auditable trail for a learning solution that addresses all requirements, risks, assumptions, constraints, issues and dependencies.
Training is tied to specific services
Yes
Services the training service works with
  • IAAS
  • ITAAS
  • Training AAS
  • PAAS
  • SAAS

Setup and migration

Setup or migration service available
Yes
How the setup or migration service works
Our consultants are experienced in the adoption of cloud technologies. Using this experience we are able to
analyse your current business systems & provide recommendations for improvement prior to embarking on your
cloud journey. With the adoption of modern Agile iterative approaches, we will help you with your preparation,
migration, and post migration activities to deliver a service that is fit for purpose and provides a platform for
further growth. We will provide you with an approach that will ensure you are confident that your decision to
migrate to the cloud is right for your organisation & fully meets business need.
Setup or migration service is for specific cloud services
Yes
List of supported services
  • IAAS
  • ITAAS
  • Training AAS
  • SAAS
  • PAAS

Quality assurance and performance testing

Quality assurance and performance testing service
Yes
How the quality assurance and performance testing works
We will help prepare your organisation to adopt cloud services through comprehensive quality assurance
steps. We will help you to plan and prepare phases of testing to ensure the system and services being
delivered by your cloud journey deliver the required level of business benefit. Our experienced testing teams
will plan & implement testing strategies to ensure your cloud journey is fit for purpose & performs as user
need dictates. We produce detailed test plans & serials, co-ordinate user acceptance & map testing results
to user requirements.

Security testing

Security services
Yes
Security services type
  • Security strategy
  • Security risk management
  • Security design
  • Cyber security consultancy
  • Security testing
  • Security incident management
  • Security audit services
Certified security testers
No

Ongoing support

Ongoing support service
Yes
Types of service supported
  • Buyer hosting or software
  • Hosting or software provided by your organisation
  • Hosting or software provided by a third-party organisation
How the support service works
Our specialists have >1,000 years of experience of supporting Government Departments as well as the majority having been users of the systems we support. Our knowledge and capabilities enable Buyers to identify business value, manage risk and realise higher levels of success from the programmes and projects that they undertake transferring onto a cloud based environment.
We offer specialist services in support of cloud hosting that enable Buyers to transition to cloud hosting seamlessly. We have an established reputation for specialising in the provision of objective and independent technical and commercial support and advice in challenging and technologically complex environments. This includes supporting Buyers with their needs such as transitioning to cloud hosting and managing solutions to the risks and threats to customer’s systems and work practices as they transition. We frequently work as the ‘customer friend or Owners Engineer/Representative’ roles ensuring that suppliers are meeting the customer requirements and delivering value for money with their solutions. Typically, we save between 10 and 50% of expected costs for customers as well as ensuring projects are delivered on time and in full.

Service scope

Service constraints
Standard SAG mobilisation constraints apply.

Support response times: within 1 x business day.

Business day being Mon - Fri. Excluding Bank Holidays

User support

Email or online ticketing support
No
Phone support
Yes
Phone support availability
9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
Web chat support
No
Support levels
Standard support comprises of Mon - Fri, 9 - 5.
Different levels of support available on request at extra cost.

Resellers

Supplier type
Not a reseller

Staff security

Staff security clearance
Conforms to BS7858:2019
Government security clearance
Up to Developed Vetting (DV)

Standards and certifications

ISO/IEC 27001 certification
Yes
Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001
BSI
ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date
24/09/2019
What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover
There are no excluded clauses in our 27001 certification
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

Fighting climate change

Fighting climate change

Delivering environmental benefits in our work
We are committed to being environmentally friendly and our Carbon Reduction Plan commits us to being Net Zero by 2030. Our approach to environmental stewardship is covered within our Environmental and Sustainability Policy. We predominantly provide Digital Specialist staff, where a principal opportunity for the removal of environmental impact of our operations is the careful consideration of personal transportation. Staff travel together and use public transport wherever possible, reducing the use of unnecessary travel and private cars. We are in the process of working with a car leasing company to enable employees to benefit from favourable terms to switch to electric powered vehicles.
Our new modern office complex affords better public transportation usage, limited desk availability and parking to support a hybrid working model between office and home based, which is more environmentally sustainable and reduces our carbon footprint.
We have migrated our IT services to the Cloud to reduce the need for in-house server farms with mirrored backup facilities, thus reducing our energy requirements.
Supporting environmental protection and improvement
Our Remote Working policy ensures our employees have suitable IT equipment to provide the service expected by our customers remotely, whether that's via email, messaging, audio and video conferencing or customer provided IT equipment. Our policy on remote working is to follow the guidelines and requirements of the customer. We are aware that some roles require a permanent on-site presence to support Live Service activities and a need to attend various sites to access classified systems. We review our suppliers’ environmental policies and procedures before engaging their services and we look to work within the environmental initiatives of the local community, actively encourage our employees to do this within the communities that they individually reside.
Covid-19 recovery

Covid-19 recovery

Creating employment, re-training and return to work opportunities
Since the Covid-19 pandemic commenced, SA Group has evaluated market trends, our working practices, employees existing skills and training gaps. We continuously recruit new personnel, particularly those impacted by Covid-19 and apply a rigorous analysis of their skills to provide the appropriate level of training so existing and new staff can deliver our product.
Recovering from the impacts of Covid-19
We have communicated effectively and regularly with our more vulnerable staff who were either shielding or needed support with their mental health during the pandemic.
We actively work alongside our clients to provide the best service possible, immersing our teams into their way of operating by adapting ways of working to support their needs. Some of our staff are fully remote, supporting the client via conferencing facilities. Some employees are fully on-site due to the classification of the tasks and others are adopting a hybrid of these two methods.
Supporting physical and mental health
We are a member of The Mental Health at Work Commitment, sponsored by the mental health charity MIND, and Mental Health First Aid England. These memberships give us access to the latest resources to support our employees and their wellbeing. Our Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) look out for the wellbeing of our staff. An external Occupational Health Practitioner assesses individuals who are suffering from mental health issues and provide full support.
To encourage good physical health, we share tips about the benefits of getting outside, exercising and eating healthily.
Effective social distancing, remote working, and sustainable travel solutions
Our offices maintain social distancing practices as recommended by Government guidelines. We have also facilitated remote working and encouraged individuals to travel sustainably by considering the route and only travelling when necessary whilst maintaining a Covid-19 compliant approach.
Tackling economic inequality

Tackling economic inequality

Creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment
Through our Equal Opportunities Policy, we strive to employ the right people from any demographic or location. We provide the required training to bring newly employed individuals, irrespective of their starting point, up to the required standard to support our clients.
Creating employment and training opportunities
We enhance our business portfolio by breaking into new markets that are fully established or emerging technologies. We employ new individuals with unique skills from high growth areas or train existing staff in new technologies.
Supporting education attainment
We train our people annually to ensure that they are up-to-date with the latest training developments and provide our clients with the best skills. All training that our employees undertake is professionally recognised and attracts the appropriate level of certification.
Influencing staff, suppliers, customers and communities to support employment and skills opportunities
We demonstrate the benefits of training people in skills and technologies to our staff, suppliers, customers and communities, ensuring that people are current in their knowledge, thought process and capability to deliver in a professional and timely manner.
Creating a diverse supply chain
We have collaborated with all types of supply chain partners from multinational, multi £Billion turnover Tier 1 companies to small SME’s. We have primed contracts with companies as well as supporting other primes. We work closely with supply chain partners to provide clients with the best team possible to deliver the contract.
Identifying and managing cyber security risks
Our team not only manage the security aspects of our client’s team but also assure the security deliverables of any supply chain partners.
Our staff are fully compliant in producing security documentation on behalf of our clients, influencing and maintaining the documents to ensure it is up-to-date and accredited to the relevant security standards.
Equal opportunity

Equal opportunity

We do not discriminate against any potential employees. Our Equality and Diversity policy is fully compliant with the Equality Act 2010. We have a number of HM Forces veterans within the company who have varying degrees of physical and mental disabilities and have employed wheelchair bound subcontractors.
Supporting disabled people with new skills
Irrespective of our employees’ individual capabilities or disabilities, we offer professional certifications and training to develop their skills.
Influencing staff, suppliers, customers and communities
If any of our people have a known disability, we liaise with our customers to ensure that they are aware of the situation and that any specialist equipment or access can be provided. We champion the support of disabled staff alongside our able-bodied staff to ensure equality throughout the workplace be it in our own offices or those of our clients.
Identifying and tackling inequality in employment, skills and pay
Our staff are treated fairly and equally within their peer groups and the wider workforce. All employees are allocated training to improve their skills to benefit them as individuals and the company. We review salaries on an annual basis and reward without prejudice based on performance against objectives. If inequality occurs, we have policies in place to allow for formal complaints to be raised or whistleblowing actions to be carried out.
Supporting in-work progression
We treat all our staff equally and encourage career progression and promotion through developing new and enhanced skills irrespective of the individual’s background.
Identifying and managing modern slavery risks
We have adopted a zero tolerance approach to modern slavery. To mitigate against any non-compliance relating to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 by our suppliers, we undertake due diligence checks and may request their own slavery and human trafficking statements, in accordance with our Supplier Policy.
Wellbeing

Wellbeing

Supporting health and wellbeing
SA Group has publicly declared that mental health at work is a priority by signing up to The Mental Health at Work Commitment, sponsored by the mental health charity MIND, and Mental Health First Aid England. These memberships give us access to the latest resources to help support our employees’ wellbeing.
Our in-house certified Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) are qualified to offer the practical skills to spot triggers and early signs of mental health issues, reassure and support employees and signpost them towards help. Our MHFA’s can spot the early signs of poor mental wellbeing and act quickly to support that member of staff. We follow a 5-point Mental Health First Aid action plan to detect and help poor mental health.
We share physical and mental wellness tips and ideas via our company magazine, newsletters and emails from our HR Director. Tips include preventing poor mental health by encouraging staff to get outside and connect with areas like nature and sport.
Influencing staff, suppliers, customers and communities
At the start of a contract, we discuss with all parties their approach to health and wellbeing. We use our knowledge to integrate with their approach and ensure that our employees fit into their process. We have regular meetings with all parties throughout the contract ensuring that the subject of health and wellbeing is monitored.
Collaboration with users and communities
At the commencement of a contract, we work closely with stakeholders to codesign the outline of the delivery and through Stakeholder and Communications plans ensure that all parties collaborate and integrate with each other.
Influencing staff, suppliers, customers and communities
We believe in a strong working ethos of one team working between all parties to successfully deliver the contract and our staff fully participate in this approach.

Pricing

Price
£400 to £1,300 a person a day
Discount for educational organisations
No

Service documents

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 commercial@sa-group.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.