INNOVATION PLATFORM
An on demand SME showcase platform for public sector change makers.
We are launching an Innovation Platform – an online platform that brings together public sector agencies seeking new ways to address complex service challenges - with credible SMEs that have practical products and proven solutions.
This Platform will take the friction out of selling your products to the right people in Local Government. Our on-demand, searchable, YouTube Video Showcase reaches the right people - service designers - and is free to use for Local Government.
The content will be kept up to date - refreshed and reviewed annually - funded by annual subscriptions. The future direction of the platform will be determined by the stakeholders and annual hack and UnConference events.
We know that GDPR has it made it harder for you to connect with the right people when they are looking for innovative, proven solutions to deliver better services at reduced costs. We’ve engaged with key decision makers in our extensive Local Government network who want to connect with SMEs with innovative products. They want to keep pace with the best that is happening nationally in their service area across Local Government.
We are starting with 3 key areas, focusing on productivity and vulnerable people services:
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Adults Social Care and Health Integration
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Technologies that break down personal data silos - to ethically and securely join up services for vulnerable
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people
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Machine Learning technologies that save people time by getting value out of public sector data, automating processes
This platform is a comprehensive, searchable database of SMEs, each of which will have a dedicated page containing a 5 minute plain English video accompanied by testimonial videos, reusable business cases, case studies and location mapping. With your consent, it will be free to Local Government Officers people to search for a potential SME business partner.
GCloud targets the bottom end of the Buyers Funnel, in Shop and Buy. Our Innovation platform will engage customers higher up the Buyers Funnel - in Awareness, Interest or Learn - before specifications have been finalised.
Awareness
What’s helping new service designs in my sectors across the country?
Interest
What ground breaking new technologies have been used to enable this?
Learn
There are SMEs in our area - we need to decide on our procurement route to make sure that we are open to innovative bids (GCLOUD)
Shop
What ground breaking new technologies have been used to enable this?
Buy
Selection process is open.
SME customers will benefit from a low cost opportunity to market their services and reach the right people at the right time - when they are open to new ways of providing services.
The innovation platform is an open portal delivered by the Sleuth Co-operative. It is not about a hard sell but providing objective information. Local Authority Change Agents, service redesigners and leads will have a free to use platform:
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User-intuitive search function that allows anyone to search for videos, case studies, reusable business cases, process designs (templates & documents) etc. using keywords and Local Government standard service descriptors.
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Individual SME profile pages containing a 5 minute video interview explaining their product in ‘Plain English’ with demonstrations and diagrams where neccessary. The videos critically address areas that LAs are interested in; usability and implementation, evidence of real life savings, short/medium/long-term implications and impact on citizen outcomes of the SME product etc.
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Testimonials & interviews with Local Authorities that have used/implemented the SME product, and can speak from direct experience.
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SMEs mapped by location to help address the Public Services (Social value) Act
There is strong demand for the innovation platform to offer additional functionality/services in the future that would include:
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A Local Authority ‘problem page’- initially an online space to propose a ‘live’ issue to the SME subscription base for diagnostic solutions. Following from this - face to face hack and unconference events can be run to deliver design solutions using design thinking methodologies.
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A ‘previously solved’ database of solutions to common LA problems that have not been shared more widely. Based on work that Sleuth, and a number of partner organisations have delivered or been involved in, this database would detail savings made, timescales, which SME delivered the project and open and honest feedback from the recipient LA.
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From the SME perspective we will also showcase the approaches of successful SMEs that have grown through engagement with the public sector - their lessons learned.