Quartz: AO and EPAO System

Overview

for a quick overview of why the Quartz solution is BEST  for your customers, BEST  for your colleagues, and BEST  for your management team.

 

Introduction

The Quartz system for AOs and EPAOs builds on Portico’s unrivalled experience of developing and supporting operational and management systems for awarding organisations.  Our systems manage the achievement and assessment records and certification of millions of registered learners and relationships with many thousands of centres.

 

The Quartz system supports business management and the entire operational process through a single integrated information system.

Quartz has been developed as a scalable solution to provide a practical and comprehensive system at an affordable level for both large and small organisations.

CASS

CASS Overview for web-site

The Quartz solution provides support for CASS through three pillars of functionality:

  1. Operational support (moderated and non-moderated assessment handling)
  2. Development and Maintenance of CASS Strategies
  3. Planning and Conducting CASS Monitoring Events ('annual activities')

We will be adding more detail here very shortly, but in the meantime, contact us at cass@porticoconsulting.co.uk for more information or call 01483 226910 for a chat now.

Comprehensive and in-depth

Quartz offers an unrivalled depth of innovative functionality and interoperability - built-in not bolted on.

 

Quartz offers functionality to support core and additional operational areas of the work of awarding bodies.  Its range of functionality is comprehensive, but also in-depth: that is, functions are not just superficially present but have extra features and capabilities which have evolved from our work with over 35 awarding body organisations.

 

Quartz supports the vast majority of functions required to run a modern awarding body’s operations.  These include built-in document management; built-in Microsoft Office integration; built-in CRM capability; and built-in support for key business processes including event management and centre approvals.

 

There are no add-on modules required - all the functionality described is included in the Quartz product. (Customer support and regular system upgrades are also included in the Quartz licence).

 

National initiatives and standards

Quartz supports multiple ways of working by implementing a totally flexible unit & module model for programmes/courses and qualifications.  Quartz is framework 'agnostic' - it can support the RQF, NQF, QCF-style, CQWF - or provision outside of any formal framework. 

 

It is compliant with key national initiatives including compliance with MIAP data definitions (the CDD), use of the Unique Learner Number (ULN) and credit transfer requirements, and has a fully managed interface with the PLR, becoming in November 2011 the first system to be accredited for web-services operation with the PLR.

 

A2C

Portico Consulting has been engaged with the A2C initiative since the early days of the development of this important standard.  Quartz's architecture is fully aligned with A2C, with its qualification and unit structures fully supporting all the requirements of A2C's "Qualification Elements" (QE's), "QE Availability", "QEA Preferences", "QEA Key Events", etc.

 

Key A2C processes will be fully supported within Quartz. Quartz already responds to Centre Setup Notifications (CSN) and Requests for Catalogue (RPC) A2C messages, and other downstream messages processing is under continuing development. Portico is joining the technical testing phase starting in September 2019 with Pearson and CCEA, with a view to piloting from September 2020.

 

Further Information

Use the links above for more information on each of the main functional areas.  Additional information can also be found in the Quartz factsheets.


Please contact us if there are specific facilities that you need which are not listed. We are happy to visit you to show you what Quartz can do for your awarding body or if you just want a quick flavour, we can demonstrate Quartz at very short notice using our web conferencing facilities. Call 01483 226910 and ask for either Robert, David or Kerry or email us on mail@porticoconsulting.co.uk.

Quartz for AOs

Portico Consulting has been working with awarding bodies since 2000 and has developed and supported bespoke IT solutions for them since 2001. We are committed to ongoing development of IT solutions and consultancy services for awarding organisations - the Quartz system being our main offering in this market.

 

Portico is an associate member of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) and we are actively involved in contributing to national debates and developments which affect information and business processes for awarding organisations.  We have implemented systems and provided services to over 35 awarding organisations giving us unparalleled experience of the IT issues and requirements in this sector.

Quartz - key functionality

Quartz provides functionality in breadth and depth for awarding organisations.  This is a list of the key areas supported by Quartz:

  • Learner registration & enrolment
  • Qualification development and management
  • RQF and non-RQF style unit/component and programme development
  • Recording and tracking of achievement
  • Fully automated Qualification Awarding Rules
  • Administration of courses & examinations
  • Certification – traditional and e-Certificates
  • Certificate verification: on-line & AuthentiQual
  • Membership management and communication
  • Governance, compliance & quality
  • EPA Resource Planning (ERP)
  • Business Intelligence and operational reporting
  • Quartz Learner/Candidate Portal
  • QuartzWeb portal for centres with on-line:
    • Registration and claims/results
    • Self-service administration
  • Information and document exchange
  • Sales and marketing, and lead management
  • Centre approval and centre management
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Document management
  • Workflow design and management
  • Electronic data interchange
  • Fully automated ULN LRS validation
  • Fully integrated PLR submission management
  • A2C Integration

Quartz for EPAOs

Quartz has recently been enhanced to encompass all key aspects of managing the EPA process for EPAOs.

 

Quartz includes EPA support for:

  • Registration (with employer references)
  • Fully on-line Gateway recording (for providers and employers)
  • IA contract and CoI management
  • Allocation and scheduling of EPAs/IAs with on-line availability calendars
  • EPA outcome recording, analysis and reporting

Click here for more details on Quartz's support for the "EPA Value Chain"