SEPA, already a user of Hornbill’s Supportworks, has extended it use of the system to handle external information enquiries, to help ensure that all queries are dealt with within the 20 working day limit. A pre-configured template built on the Supportworks platform has been designed to meet the specific requirements for the FOI legislation. It streamlines the recording, allocating, tracking and fulfilling of requests, and includes a robust audit trail and tailored reports to monitor usage of the service. The new system has enabled SEPA to segregate internal and external enquiries which has led to greater data security.

SEPA undertook an initial review of FOI applications available on the open market. Hornbill was selected because, as a trusted existing supplier, it was able to deliver a solution to a very tight deadline. The FOI system is used by the Access to Information team to record and track enquiries which may be sent to any one of the 1200 SEPA staff in 22 locations throughout Scotland to locate and retrieve the requested information. At end of March 2005, over 230 information requests have been logged and tracked using Supportworks.

Alison Mackinnon, Records Manager and FOI Project Manager at SEPA commented, "We were keen to work with Hornbill to develop an FOI solution because SEPA uses Supportworks in several different areas of the organisation, so we knew that the solution would be robust and suitable for our purposes. The new solution enhances and augments our existing Supportworks systems, and has allowed us to split the internal helpdesk system from the handling of external enquiries, giving us greater data security."

Gerry Sweeney, Managing Director at Hornbill Systems commented, "Supportworks ESP is a flexible application platform and development environment that enables us to deliver a comprehensive support platform for Freedom of Information applications. The workflow engine within Supportworks means that we are able to build tailor-made applications to meet specific requirements extremely quickly. The FOI legislation means that public bodies could potentially find themselves with a huge extra work load with no business benefit. Supportworks is able to help manage that overhead, streamlining processes and helping to ensure that statutory deadlines are met, enabling the organisation to concentrate on its day to day operations."

For more information about how Hornbill and Supportworks helped other customers, please visit www.hornbill.com.

NOTES TO EDITORS
About Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
SEPA is the body responsible for the protection of the environment in Scotland. Its task is to protect the land, air and water – the core elements that form fabric of the environment. SEPA will do this in partnership with others, and in a way that enables Scotland to sustain a strong and diverse economy.

The environment represents one of Scotland’s greatest resources and it must be continually protected and improved if we are to ensure economic prosperity and a vibrant and inclusive society.

For more information please visit: www.sepa.org.uk