Opinion Suite

Delib

FAQ

What is it?

Opinion Suite is a fully customisable set of online systems that can be used for a wide range of online consultation and public engagement activities. It's available as an open source platform, designed to move away from fixed software 'products,' and focus on developing more custom solutions that more accurately meet each organisation's different needs.


Who's it for?

Opinion Suite is for any organisation that needs to manage consultation and engagement activities using the internet and new technologies.


Can I customise it?

That's the point! Over the last five years, we've found that 'boxed software' never meets everyone's needs, and sometimes contains functionalities people don't need and shouldn't have to pay for. With Opinion Suite, we've built it to meet a baseline of requirements, on which clients can then add custom development to meet their needs. Customisation is made even easier because you only pay for the number of days or hours it takes to do, nothing more.


Is it accessible?

Yes, to W3C AA and e-gif specifications as standard. We take accessibility extremely seriously at Delib.


What about ongoing support and maintenance?

We've got all that covered with a wide range of ongoing support and advice options for you to choose from, or not, if you don't want. Opinion Suite is our baby, and we like to help people look after it well.


How is it hosted? Can I host it myself?

Generally our clients like to have us host and support software for them, as it makes their lives easier. However, if you wanted to host it yourself, that would be fine, although it might cost us more to support it on a remote server.


How many users can I have?

As many as you want, at no additional cost.


How many consultations can I run with Opinion Suite?

As many as you like, again at no additional cost.


Can I export my data?

Yes, you have complete control and can export all of the data in the system at any point from your own unique administration system. It's your data after all.


Can I integrate it into my site?

In terms of your look and feel, making Opinion Suite look like a part of your existing site is really simple and we'd expect to do that as part of a standard setup.

In terms of integrating with other software applications, Opinion Suite has been designed to allow for integration with as many systems as we can think of. Obviously, without knowing what you want it to integrate with, we can't say how long integration will take or how much it will cost, but our forward planning on this one should keep your costs to a minimum.


Can Opinion Suite support multiple languages?

No problem, we've built it to make that as quick and simple as possible, and have experience of supporting consultations in 12 different languages and counting.


What about promoting genuine conversation and deliberation?

We're called Delib because it's short for deliberation, so promoting this sort of work is what we do. Rather than just give you a discussion forum (which rarely works in this sort of context), we've developed a number of other methodologies for achieving real debate online. Get in touch to find out more.


Can you help me figure out what I need?

Absolutely. Too often people buy or deploy software without realising that's only half the battle. We don't think just giving people software does them any good in the long run, so we pride ourselves on bringing our years of experience in as part of the service, to ensure our clients get real demonstrable results, not just tick boxes for audit purposes.


What does it cost?

The only cost for any Opinion Suite module is the time it takes us to set it up and customise it, as well as host and support it on an ongoing basis if you want.

Being an open source platform, if you want to download and set it up yourself, you're welcome to.


Can I contribute to Opinion Suite?

Of course! Just fill in the contributor agreement and you'll be taken to the Opinion Suite download page. Once that's done you can submit your patchfile to our issue tracker. We'll also get in touch to say "hi" so if you're not sure how to go about submitting the patch don't worry, we'll help out.


What about ongoing license fee costs?

There aren't any. Really.


How long does it take to set up?

It depends entirely on what you want to do with it.

If you just want a standard roll out of a part of the system, that shouldn't take long at all. If you want a complex customisation, you should look at budgeting more time, not just for us but to make sure you're spending the right amount of time thinking about what you need too.


Who's using it?

In the first 6 months of its life, Opinion Suite has already been or is being used by:

  • - Various government departments (We could tell you, but we'd have to kill you. Delib takes confidentiality seriously!)
  • - BBC Trust
  • - Bristol City Council
  • - Eden District Council
  • - London Borough of Sutton

If we haven't addressed your question above, get in touch with Gez Smith at Delib: gez@delib.co.uk | 0845 638 1848