Boilerhouse provides a complete service for clients looking to develop external websites, web portals for use by multiple organisations, intranets, and social media facilities. We can build sites on simple, customised content management systems or popular open source CM systems. We can incorporate popular social media tools or build private, password protected facilities for internal use. Having worked extensively in the public sector, we are highly sensitive to issues of usability and accessibility. Boilerhouse was one of the first web design agencies to receive accreditation in web design and development from Accedit UK.

Case study: Connected Urban Development website

CUD is a partnership between Cisco and cities around the world to create urban communications infrastructures that demonstrate how network connectivity can reduce carbon emissions in urban environments. The CUD program initially involves three pilot cities: San Francisco, Amsterdam, and Seoul.

Boilerhouse developed the CUD website as a means of engaging interested professionals and citizens with the programme. The website provides a publishing platform for CUD's events and publications, but as important, it enables those not directly involved to learn more and participate through wikis, forums and other user-generated content.

The website supports rich content like video and podcasts, as well as a wealth of links, feeds and free-to download resources that encourage visitors to keep returning to the website.

Case study: NHS e-win performance management portal

The e-WIN portal has been developed with NHS North West as a shared service for hospitals, PCTs and other NHS organisations in the region. It provides a repository of North West workforce indicators and enables benchmark comparisons to support improvements in workforce efficiency and productivity.

Organisations can log in to access the portal through any web browser, and can 'self-service' the uploading and amending of their own workforce cost and performance data on the portal.

The e-Win Benchmarking Service links to the NHS QIPP agenda and has three parts:

• _ A dashboard demonstrating individual organisations' current workforce position against a range of key productivity metrics.
• _ The benchmarking database allowing organisations to analyse their data and assess performance against set benchmarks, making strategic comparisons against similar organisations.
• _ The calculator which enables organisations to model the financial impact of workforce changes against a range of key productivity metrics.

The portal is cutting the cost of performance reporting and, being accessible from anywhere, attractively presented and easy to use, it is encouraging greater use and sharing of performance data in decision-making.