Multi-Commissioner Series 1 — Article 4 of 4

VCSE Commissioning Analytics Series — Article 18 of 18 | Multi-Commissioner Series 1 — Article 4 of 4

The Quematics Managed Analytics Layer: What It Is and How It Works | Multi-Commissioner Series 1 — Article 4 of 4

VCSE reporting automation connecting Charitylog, Mosaic, Lamplight, and other case management systems to every commissioner portal is the end-to-end managed service that Quematics delivers for VCSE organisations holding publicly funded contracts across multiple commissioning frameworks. It is not a product. It is a bespoke VCSE commissioning analytics infrastructure — designed around the specific systems a VCSE already uses, the specific contracts it holds, and the specific reporting requirements of each commissioner — that handles data connection, transformation, quality monitoring, report generation, and submission preparation automatically.

The principle is straightforward: VCSEs should spend their time and resource on delivering services and improving outcomes, not on the administrative infrastructure required to evidence them. The data that commissioners need already exists within VCSE operational systems. The problem is that it is not in the format commissioners require, it is not transformed according to each commissioner’s specific metric definitions, and it is not produced automatically at the frequency and format each submission requires. Quematics builds the layer that solves all three problems simultaneously — for every commissioner a VCSE works with, from a single managed infrastructure.

The Systems Quematics Connects and How Each Integration Works

Quematics builds data connections to the full range of systems used by VCSEs delivering publicly funded services in England. Each connection is built using the most appropriate technical method for the system, without requiring the VCSE to change its operational technology or add data entry burden for frontline staff.

Charitylog integration uses Charitylog API and scheduled data export to pull client records, referral data, activity logs, outcome scores, and demographic data into the canonical data model. Charitylog is one of the most widely used case management systems in the UK VCSE sector, and Quematics has built multiple production integrations across different Charitylog configurations — including organisations using custom fields, bespoke outcome frameworks, and multi-service Charitylog deployments.

Lamplight integration uses Lamplight data export functionality, mapping Lamplight flexible field structure to the canonical data schema. Lamplight’s highly configurable nature means each integration requires a bespoke mapping exercise — but this is handled entirely by Quematics as part of the data audit process, requiring no technical input from the VCSE team.

Mosaic integration — where local authorities supply Mosaic access to commissioned VCSE providers — uses direct data extract or API connection to pull the local authority-held records that relate to the VCSE service users, enabling cross-referencing between local authority and VCSE records for pathway completeness checking and CLD accuracy verification.

SystmOne, ChARM, Salesforce NPSP, and bespoke CRM integrations are built using API or database connection assessed at project outset. Excel-based trackers — still widely used by smaller VCSEs — connect directly to Power BI as a data source, with structured data validation applied to ensure tracker data meets the quality standards required for commissioner reporting.

From Data Source to Commissioner Portal: The End-to-End Flow

The Quematics managed analytics flow for a VCSE with three commissioners — an NHS ICB, a local authority, and a combined authority — operates as follows. Every night, automated data pipelines pull fresh data from all connected source systems into the canonical data model hosted in Microsoft Azure. The data quality monitoring layer checks every new record against the canonical schema, flags completeness gaps and inconsistencies, and sends the VCSE data manager a daily quality report with any issues requiring operational attention.

The Power BI reporting layer reads the updated canonical dataset and recalculates all commissioner metrics — NHS ICB PROMs and equity analysis, local authority ASCOF metrics and CLD-compatible record counts, combined authority social value KPI performance — using the latest data. The live monitoring dashboards update automatically. Any KPI or metric that crosses an alert threshold generates an automated notification to the relevant contract manager.

At each commissioner reporting deadline, the contract manager opens the Power BI report, navigates to the relevant commissioner section, selects the reporting period, and generates the formatted output — a PDF outcomes report for the NHS ICB, a structured CLD-compatible extract for the local authority, and a formatted social value KPI submission for the combined authority. Where commissioner portals support automated file upload, Quematics builds the submission step into the pipeline, reducing the submission process to a single confirmation action.

What This Means for VCSE Organisations in Practice

For a VCSE currently managing multi-commissioner reporting manually — with different staff members responsible for different commissioner returns, different spreadsheets for different metric calculations, and a recurring quarterly cycle of extraction, reformatting, cross-checking, and submission — the Quematics managed analytics layer represents a fundamental change in how reporting resource is used.

The administrative time currently spent on reporting cycles is reduced to near-zero. The inconsistency risk between commissioner reports is eliminated. The early warning system for KPI underperformance means delivery issues are identified and addressed before they become reporting problems. And the board and senior leadership team have, for the first time, a single real-time view of performance across all commissioned activity — regardless of which commissioner funded it or which system recorded it.

This is the data infrastructure that allows a VCSE to grow its commissioned portfolio without growing its reporting overhead proportionally. Each new commissioner contract adds a new reporting requirement — but from the same managed infrastructure, the marginal cost of that additional reporting is a fraction of what it would be without the layer in place.

Frequently Asked Questions

What systems does Quematics connect for VCSE multi-commissioner reporting?

Quematics connects to Charitylog, Lamplight, Mosaic, SystmOne, ChARM, Salesforce NPSP, bespoke CRMs, Excel-based trackers, HR systems, and finance platforms — using API integration, scheduled data export, or direct database connection without requiring changes to VCSE operational systems.

What is the Quematics managed analytics service for VCSEs?

The Quematics managed analytics service is a fully managed data and intelligence layer sitting on top of VCSE existing systems — handling data connection, transformation, quality monitoring, report generation, and submission preparation end-to-end. The VCSE team focuses on service delivery; Quematics handles the data infrastructure automatically.

Can Quematics automate submission to NHS Digital, local authority portals and combined authority platforms?

Quematics builds reporting outputs in the exact format required for each submission portal — including CLD-compatible extracts for local authority returns and formatted KPI reports for combined authority and Procurement Act submission. Where portal APIs support automated submission, Quematics builds end-to-end automation from data source to submitted return.

How does Quematics handle data quality across multiple source systems?

Quematics builds a data quality monitoring layer checking completeness, consistency, and validity across all connected source systems on every scheduled refresh. The VCSE data manager receives a daily quality report flagging records with missing mandatory fields, inconsistent categories, or duplicate entries before those records affect commissioner reports.

What does the Quematics onboarding process look like for a VCSE with multiple commissioners?

Six stages: data audit across all source systems and contract schedules; canonical data model design; pipeline build and system connections; commissioner-specific report development; user acceptance testing; and deployment with training. For a VCSE with three commissioners and three source systems, this typically takes eight to twelve weeks.

To discuss how Quematics can build a managed multi-commissioner analytics layer for your VCSE, visit our data analytics for charities page or our Power BI consultancy page, or contact us for a free 30-minute data review.