Service level agreement
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND This specification sets out the project’s minimum commitment levels to users for version 2 of ERS-SAFER. The ERS SLS for V2 is split into ‘Emergency Response (ER)’ and ‘Emergency Support (ES)’ mapping since each category has its own characteristic affecting timeliness and quality. The 'level of service' specified in the SLS is the 'minimum' that the project commits to offer users and allows users to be informed as to what to expect whilst providing a measurable target value. For each service delivery, the project records the level of performance achieved against each of the set criteria. The results of which are freely accessible allowing the overall performance of the project to be judged. As part of the construction of the ERS SLS, users were consulted and asked to confirm that the criteria proposed, sufficiently covered what users considered important and that the service levels were in line with their expectations. It should be noted that the performance level set for the ‘Response time after triggering’ relating to delivery of the first products is indicative because it is subject to variation according to the capacity of the Data Access Mechanism, which remains out of the control of ERS-SAFER. It is for this reason, that the service levels relating to these response times are split into two, one taking into account the delivery of the product after triggering and one relating to when the service provider actually receives the EO data. The ERS service to users is split into 12 activities which have service levels set for the project to record its performance against, as follows: • Pro-active activation/test activation • Ordering/request • Acknowledgment • Confirmation • Service Support/ Information on the Activation • Product Support/Information on Product Delivery • Timeliness/Response Times • Service Window • Product delivery mechanism • Product Reliability/quality assessment • User requirement for modification of output • Helpdesk These service levels are now included in the SAFER Specification and Portfolio official documentation and the performance of the operational services will be captured in the service operations reports (SOR) that are generated after each service deployment and the results synthesised in the project’s annual report and the respective Quality Reports. The SOR will be finished within one month after closing of the activation. Each User can access a copy through the Gateway V1 or by direct contact with the SAFER Focal Point. Should any anomalies be observed, such as a failure of a commitment level not being adequately reported, a ‘trouble ticket’ can be raised by a User and sent to the Focal Point. This trouble-ticket is normally available from the Gateway V1. As a live and operational document, the SLS commitment levels have been used, both as performance bench markers by service providers, evaluation criteria by Users, and have proven to provide sound indicators for evaluating the project’s service performance. It is on these grounds that the SLS is recommended to be taken into the superseding GMES Initial Operations- Emergency Management Services (GIO-EMS) phase.