Rico is a web-based application used by planners to audit applications and draft decision reports.

Rico goes narrow and deep on the planning workflow and it can be implemented with little to no impact on existing systems.

Work systematised by Rico is that previously done manually and in MS Word, therefore Rico has minimal functional overlap with other systems.

Rico outputs all information to MS Word which is the format most customers previously store their reports in. This enables customers to continue using Word documents for their reports and store these files in existing storage locations / content management systems.

Overall, there are minimal changes to existing systems and processes which reduces the need for wider IT / Digital changes and creates a faster implementation process that focuses on getting planners up and running successfully with Rico.

Yes. Rico supports SAML authentication and role based access control (RBAC) is available to allow permissions to be configured across your organisation. Set-up is straightforward and is typically completed with your IT / Digital team over email.

As standard, we set Rico up to pull information from your local planning instruments and GIS.

Local Planning Instruments

We load relevant rules and provisions from relevant plans into Rico. These can be in any format and are kept up to date with plan changes.

GIS

Rico integrates with GIS to retrieve geospatial information relating to planning applications. We typically look to meet with an appropriate person from the geospatial team to let them know what we’re doing and keep track of any future updates that may be made to your GIS.

Integrations are handled in different ways according to whether they are public or private facing:

• Public-facing - we are able to retrieve the relevant layers and data points specified in the step above via public API.

• Private (authentication required) - we are developing the capabilities to perform an authentication step when accessing private GIS systems to enable information to be retrieved from these into Rico.

Rico API

Further integration can be investigated upon request. We initially look to implement Rico without this in the first instance so we can get planners up and running and confirm they are happy using the tool before seeking further integrations.

We are in the process of documenting our API so that you can integrate Rico with your core systems. This will allow functionality to create projects and populate project fields in Rico. This functionality depends on unique requirements of each customer and further information is available on request.

Our Security and Privacy Policy are available on our website. Additionally, we have the following internal policies available upon request:

• Security Incident Response Policy

• IT Disaster Recovery Plan

• Third-parties we partner with to provide our service

In addition to the above, Rico is working towards ISO 27001 certification. This is a large undertaking and considered the international gold standard for information security management. We anticipate gaining accreditation in late 2024 / early 2025 given the length of the process. We are able to provide progress reports on this upon request.

Rico is configured, maintained and supported directly with planning teams through a no code interface. This enables responsive changes and support from the Rico team and facilitates continuous improvement.

Beyond a technical understanding of Rico, our support desk is also knowledgeable in planning itself, enabling us to understand the context our customers are working within so we can better solve their problems.

This means Rico does not require internal support provided by IT / Digital teams.

Outside of general support requests, if there is an outage or issues that impact variables on our service level agreement, we will provide the required reports to IT / Digital teams so they can enforce compliance with this.

We understand for many local authorities, Rico fits into a larger technology strategy. Typically we see the following priorities:

• Ongoing support and keeping systems up to date: Rico is designed to be configured and maintained directly with the planners using it via a no code user interface. This is an innovative approach which greatly reduces feedback loop and speed to get updates made. Updates can be made in the matter of minutes right in front of planners, with various easier settings able to directly configured by planners.

• Continual innovation: We consider our product to be early in it's journey and are investing significantly in R&D to improve and expand our product. We have a technology roadmap for planned software developments requested by customers and keep a portion of our development resource free to respond to feature requests as they arise. Investing in Rico you are signing up to a product that has proven results with a lot of runway to add additional efficiencies and support wider parts of the planning application workflow.

• Work alongside and integrate existing systems: Rico has a unique position as a solution that replaces work typically done in word documents and on pen and paper. That means there's minimal overlap with existing systems creating the opportunity to add additional value through technology with minimal disruption to existing systems. Rico can integrate with existing core systems or function as a standalone, giving you the flexibility to add integrations as internal resources come available and run Rico amidst changes to other parts of your technology landscape.

Rico is focused narrow and deep on the planning workflow. This offers several key benefits when compared to software developed in-house or more broad technology solutions:

• Industry-specific features and functionality: Vertical SaaS solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of a particular industry or niche. This means they often include industry-specific features and functionality and are able to deliver a greater amount of value than more generalised solutions.

• Cost savings: Vertical SaaS solutions are often less expensive than developing custom software in-house to achieve similar results. They also typically offer subscription-based pricing models, which can make it easier for businesses to manage their software costs over time, vs. having to go all-in on an expensive in-house solution upfront.

• Minimal configuration required by in-house IT / Digital teams: Vertical SaaS solutions typically cater to a specific use case, providing a better out of the box experience as the software is designed and pre-configured for your specific needs.