G-Cloud 13 Framework

G-Cloud 13 is the latest government framework agreement (managed by Crown Commercial Services) through which  supplier cloud-based solutions such as Apex and Carbon Hub are made available through a front-end catalogue called the Digital Marketplace. For the buyer, procuring services through a framework is a much more efficient process without having to manage multiple stages and contracts.

The Apex Cloud-9 hosted asset management business solution is now available for organisations to procure through the Digital Marketplace under the G-Cloud13 framework. Rowanwood provides the Apex solution to a range of Local Authorities and Housing Associations and the solution is totally scalable to support small organisations managing less than 1,000 units to the larger organisations managing 80,000 plus assets.

The Apex solution is a highly integrated product split into a series of logical business modules.  Acting as a management decision support tool, Apex enhances individual business process using unique modular functionality. It has high degrees of flexibility, rich levels of functionality and user defined controls coupled with our logical business modules meaning Apex can be fully integrated with any existing housing information system.

The Rowanwood Cloud-9 solution is now available on the Digital Marketplace, visit to see our listing, packages, prices and terms and conditions. For further information or clarification, please use the Contact Us form at the bottom of this webpage and one of our colleagues will get in touch.

Apex Business Modules & Packages

The Apex solution is a product split into a series of logical business modules, these are grouped together into 6 business packages. The ‘Apex Core’ package is the fundamental building block of the solution and is mandatory, the other business packages are optional to extend the functionality of the business solution.

The schematic below illustrates the 6 busines packages and the associated business modules:

Apex Core

Assets – provides core management & maintenance functions though a centralised repository of data; a mechanism of combining disparate information systems held within the organisation into one centralised view through which all business decisions can be made. It provides users with simple, modern and effective views of key and pertinent asset information to be able to quickly respond to property queries

Security – provides a mechanism by which administrators can control and manage users and levels of security functionality as well as business access to the modules. Also allowing users to define and apply layers of property security to restrict access for groups of users by any asset type and business hierarchies.

Interfaces– a sophisticated interface solution that provides users with the ability to quickly and easily interface / load asset management data into the Apex system from simple interface / csv files using 80+ published interface formats. Interfaces operate as ‘system to system’ as well as for end business users to simply load data into the system using simple excel like data formats.

Reporting –enable users to output reporting data across the entire business solution using a series of pre-defined reports, extracts and formats. Business users can extract data directly into Microsoft Excel to present the data in a flexible business format that end users can then ‘slice and dice’. 

Programme – Supports the investigation and evaluation of different maintenance strategies that can be viewed across user definable categories, supporting de-centralised management of areas such as estates. This flexible module allows the underlying stock condition and costing data to be easily investigated and manipulated utilising ‘what if’ scenarios to smooth, model and generate a programme of work for deployment through the Apex Works Order & Programme Management module.

Quality Standard – Uses the centralised Asset Register data to assess and identify properties that pass, fail or become potentially non-decent against the Decent Homes definition, drawing attention to the work required to bring those properties up to standard.  Also identifies where insufficient data is available. Flexible business rules enable users to build their own aspirational standard, which can be run against all stock or any defined grouping to allow the comparing and contrasting of different maintenance strategies.

Apex Compliance

Asbestos – fully compliant and integrated asbestos manage solution with shared risk awareness, it provides capabilities for the storing and assessment of Asbestos information. Data can be captured through the survey module, the specific Asbestos maintenance panels or loaded via interfaces. Support HSG264 data capture for management and refurbishment surveys, pre-demolition and conforms to HSG227 (priority and risk assessment). The flexibility, analysis, control and reporting capabilities of Asbestos Manager provide the mechanism for compliance against CAWR and for the production of a management action plan. Users can also take into account the presence of different risks of Asbestos when compiling a programme of work.

Health & Safety – supports generic health & safety risk assessments such as Fire Risk, Legionella, gas safety and electrical testing etc. Incorporates user-controlled assessment definition, integrated surveys, management actions and dashboard as well as an escalation process. Users can create their own risk assessment structures to match their business process requirements, schedule regular assessments alongside other survey types using the smartphone / tablet solution. The user has the ability to download existing assessments to form a re-inspection process for their risks and implement risk based scoring based on the combinations of probability and severity.

HHSRS – Supports the capture of (hazards, deficiencies, locations) and calculation of information required to assess properties against the Housing Health & Safety Risk System (HHSRS). The calculated hazard scores and bands are stored in the Asset Register and are available for inclusion within the Quality Standard module for ‘fitness standard’ assessment or general analysis.

Servicing & Inspection – Provides dashboard, operational and management performance information from contractor, contract, service types with drilldown to asset level. This generic module supports Gas Servicing (including MOT style) , Electrical PIR’s, Lift Servicing, and Fire Inspection etc. The module contains user-defined servicing reference data which it uses to deliver and support the planning, management, reporting and execution of the servicing process. Provides operational and management performance information from contractor, contract, service types with drilldown to asset level.

Tasks – a unique solution for the workflow and management of key business processes.  The solution allows users to identify, plan, prioritise, escalate and manage key system processes that are required to be actioned across the business areas / modules of Apex to achieve compliance.  Tasks is used to ensure that all key processes such as asbestos inspection, servicing, risk assessments are all scheduled and managed against defined targets.

Apex Surveying

Mobile Working –supports the definition, surveying data capture and management of surveys, inspections and general questionnaires. Multiple survey types such as Internal, External, energy, Health & Safety or Decent Homes are supported and can be user defined. The module is flexible in the definition of the survey questions supporting intelligent business rules to turn questions on/off based on previous survey answers, matching and validating answers to either selected property attributes or characteristics within Apex. The surveying software for use in the field is structured, easy to use and intuitive with a menu driven approach.

Survey Portal – a surveying module of Apex that allows users to control and manage key aspects of the survey process (for external surveyors / contractors) and provides a mechanism to allow authorised users to review survey programmes and produce Survey Validation reports for specific survey projects.

Apex Contract

Works – a highly flexible module to allow business users to create & manage contracts, schedules of rates, work packages and assign work to contractors. The work packages provide a method by which the business can create user defined instructions that reflect the attribute / characteristic / lifecycle updates being implemented through the delivery of planned programmes. This module is the building block for the investment programme and integrates planned maintenance programmes into the Works Order & Programme Management module for management and delivery of the contracts.

Works Order & Programme Management –used to release and issue different work programme packages to a contractor and to provide overall contractor management. It provides the users (and the contractor) with the ability to track and monitor progress through the use of system defined programme work stages. The user can manage and report on work commitments, budgets, variations and produce a payment schedule based on cashflow and contractor delivery predictions. It also provides the contractor with visibility of asbestos risk information and other key property information. The module provides automatic updating of the Asset Register following authorised completion of the work.

Apex Energy

Energy – Simplifies the process of producing energy ratings by integrating with the industry standard Auto Assessor Pro and Intelligent Energy software, the calculations are performed, the results are passed back and automatically update the relevant parts of Apex. The module supports both system and user defined scenarios to perform ‘what if’ investment / improvements modelling and the production of a planned programme of work.

EPC Production – provides a comprehensive and integrated business solution for the management and production of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). The Apex solution executes dynamic Internet business transactions with Elmhurst for data exchange, validation of the required energy fields, production and download of the EPC within Apex. The Apex functionality provides all of the capabilities to collect and manage the RDSAP data for the production of EPC’s.

EPC Synchronisation – integrate and synchronise energy data from Elmhurst & Sava into core energy repository for future energy rating, analysis and building investment programmes. Enables other housing users (not necessarily asset management users) with access to the underlying EPC Register and other key energy information. Through this application users can view or download an existing EPC, view the details of the EPC (including history) or request a new EPC to be collected and produced.

Apex Financials

Financial Data Warehouse – is a business solution that performs sophisticated mathematic and financial calculations on future investment needs, rental income and Net Present Value to represent short, medium and long term stock viability and option appraisals. The majority of the data will be fed in from the various Apex business modules, this can be complimented by data from the housing management system such as rent, responsive costs, void loss, occupancy rates etc. The solution also provides user defined income and expenditure variables to store information such as management costs, valuations etc.

The calculated results are delivered in a simple and effective view providing the user with multiple Red, Amber and Green (RAG) status values representing different financial or sustainability indicators. The financial calculations can be applied to the entire stock or selected business areas supporting ‘what if’ profiling. The resulting values are stored and accessible for each property through the Asset Register and can be shared with other datasets to produce a holistic view and allow users to filter on a combination of decision point data. Produces a ‘quick view’ 30-year cost plan based on underlying stock data and costing schedules.