GOFCoE Innovation Platform

Tender description

Customer on boarding, engagement and reporting platform software In the months leading up to this procurement process, GOFCoE executed an exercise to determine what tools/technology would be required to support the facilitation of the customer onboarding and engagement process. This included; (1) the development of a detailed onboarding and engagement process which was evaluated by key resources from all GOFCoE propositions, (2) a detailed requirements gathering activity to evaluate proposition needs as it related to tools / technology required to facilitate this process, (3) a Market Research and Vendor Analysis exercise to understand players in the market that may be able to meet GOFCoE’s needs. While many technologies exist to support various stages / activities in the onboarding and engagement process required by GOFCoE, Xpand was the most comprehensive solution; an integrated experience to simplify implementation and support in the creation of a seamless user experience. In addition, Xpand is a rapidly growing SME based in Northern Ireland and Scotland with a specific focus on developing networks within the financial services and open banking sector. Through further discussions, requirements gathering, and evaluation of Xpand’s offering, a document was developed defining, in more detail, how Xpand’s services are well aligned with GOFCoE’s needs and also specifying why Xpand’s offering is unique in the market. Xpand offers a flexible solution that will be catered to support the end-to-end user experience for GOFCoE customers. The solution will be integrated with GOFCoE’s website and other existing software as needed and has the capability to scale up to meet our needs over time. While the existing features / functionality of the application meet GOFCoE’s basic customer onboarding and engagement needs, further functionality development is currently underway. Xpand has a robust roadmap of feature developments taking place over the next several quarters. The team has offered to prioritize the development of specific functionality on the roadmap to meet the needs of GOFCoE along the timelines we require based on our own proposition development plans. This flexibility and customizability ensure that the user experience is mature in advance of significant customer demand. Two additional elements were determined to be particularly unique were: - Database of available resources: The application has an updated database of available funding, support, programmes and events which is maintained by the Xpand team which can be added to any programme delivered by the team. The application will provide notifications to businesses and relevant sources of funding on an ongoing basis. This is sourced automatically and requested sources can be added / maintained using scripts which have been developed by the Xpand team. This feature may be used by GOFCoE customers to help propel the development of their service offerings and businesses overall. - Open Banking Integration (December 2021): From the end of 2021, the application will incorporate Open Finance data for analysis. Helping to support the automation of decision making, applications and analysis for businesses. This will also enable new and flexible funding mechanisms to be developed. This is a feature that GOFCoE will explore using in an effort to provide additional value and business development opportunities to customers using GOFCoE services.