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    • How It Works

      Primero is a digital public good designed for social impact. Primero's application code is open source and is freely available to use. However, as with any software, there are costs associated with hosting, development, deployment, operations and maintenance. We are committed to managing Primero sustainably and securely. This is our obligation to our stakeholders and data subjects. We also want to make this transformative tool available to as many organizations and partners as possible. To do this, we've designed a sustainable business model that allows us to be cost effective, predictable, and scalable.

       

      Primero's business model is based on cost recovery. Primero is free to use, but if you require services that cost the initiative money, these costs will need to be recovered. In this section you can learn more about Primero's Service Tiers, additional services available, and the costs for these services. Review the information below and select the services that best suit your needs. Fees for these packages of services are billed annually. Additional services may be one-time costs unless otherwise indicated.

       

      Some key concepts in our business model:

      • There are no fees per user or per organization in this business model. We believe that the more users and organizations we have using the same implementation of Primero, the better the outcomes will be for children. We don't want to create obstacles to adoption.
      • There are no additional fees for new users or new organizations wishing to join an existing Primero implementation. Primero works best when many partners are working together. Our first step will be to try to connect you with an active implementation, whenever possible.
      • There are no additional fees for increased system usage, transactions, or storage. We believe that the more work that is done using Primero, the better the outcomes will be for vulnerable children and survivors of violence.
      • Primero is committed to reducing the fees for services as we achieve greater scale. From 2022 to 2023, the fees for a Tier 3 package of services dropped by $500/year. From 2023 to 2024, the fees dropped again by $250/year.
      • Primero cannot generate profit. Any surplus in our budgets will automatically be invested in improving the product and in reducing fees for services.
      • Portability is a core principle. We have desinged this business model and our technical processes to prevent vendor lock-in. At any time, an implementing partner can decide to change from one tier of service to another.

      It is recommended that a total cost of ownership assessment be conducted for each implementation. As with any technology solution, organizations should not underestimate the ongoing costs of support and maintenance. This is the responsiblity of the organization(s) implementing Primero and must be carefully considered as unsupported implementations can have negative consequences for data subjects.

      1

      Tiers Selection

      Select which tier best suits the needs of your programme

      2

      Additional Services

      Select any additional services that may be needed for your implementation

      3

      Payment

      Contact the Primero team to get started

    • Primero Service Tiers

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      Tier 1: DIY

      Open Source

      Digital public good

      $0.00

      per year

      Access the open-source repo to set up your own Primero instance. Unlimited access to the Primero Community and all documentation.

      Recommended

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      Tier 3: Full Service SaaS

      UNICEF-supported

      Microsoft Azure hosted

      $8,850

      per year

      Fully supported demo and production sites hosted on UNICEF's Microsoft Azure cloud. This includes support to deploy, configure, operate, remote training, regular upgrades and on-going technical support.

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      Tier 4: Hybrid deployment

      Locally-hosted production

      UNICEF hosted demo

      $25,000*

      for set-up and year one

      Support to install production server locally and link to UNICEF's Microsoft Azure hosted demo server. This includes support to deploy, secure, operate, remote training, regular upgrades and on-going technical support.

    • Tier 1: DIY/DPG

      • Tier 1 is the "do-it-yourself" option. (DPG = Digital Public Good)
      • To implement Primero successfully, partners have the required technical capabilities.
      • Teams must be capable of setting up servers, security, DNS, configuration, receiving updates and providing support.
      • Partners can access the open-source documentation on the Primero GitHub Repository, and can freely access the Primero Support Hub and Primero Community.
      • Partners must be able to run Ansible scripts available on GitHub to receive new releases and updates.
      • Partners have the capacity to monitor and manage updates and keep their stack and infrastructure updated.
      • Partners are able to utilize the baseline configurations of Primero but must manage their own configuration and localization.
      • Partners will cover the costs for their own human resources and IT costs such as fees for hosting, SSL/TLS, and DNS (costs vary by service).
      • Additional services listed below are not available for this service tier.

      Tier 2: Single organization (available soon)

      • Currently under development

      Tier 3: Full service SaaS

      • Tier 3 is hosted on UNICEF's Microsoft Azure subscription. Using a Kubernetes-based Gitops pipeline, the Primero team deploys fully secured demo and production servers with a Primero URL in the desired languages.
      • This Tier is often used for implementations led by UNICEF Country Offices that are directly supporting multi-stakeholder rollouts with inter-agency partners who have endorsed the Primero Data Protection and Privacy Framework.
      • The Primero Team is responsible for setting up servers, security, DNS, monitoring, and maintaining the instance to ensure it is up-to-date and receives the latest releases.
      • System admininstrators are trained on configuration to manage their Primero implementation and to align it with their programming and procedures.
      • Partners are provided with case worker, manager and system administration training to learn key features and functionality of Primero.
      • Partners receive up to 6 hours per week of support for 3 months; and up to 4 hours per month thereafter to support the implementation.
      • Partners can access the open-source documentation on the Primero GitHub Repository, and are able to seek support as needed on the Primero Support Hub and Primero Community.
      • Partners receive support for data protection policy compliance, audit functionality and comprehensive monitoring.
      • For partners who have federated identity, Primero will implement identity management and single-sign on for enhanced security.
      • Partners access the inter-agency CMTF standard Forms and Guidance (for CPIMS+), all available CPIMS+ features and functionality, and are not limited to the caseload (no additional fees with increased caseload volume or number of transactions) or number of users or participating agencies.
      • $8,850 USD per year (which is subject to decrease per year) includes costs for infrastructure, hosting, deploying, operating, remote training, maintaining and on-going support.
      • Please see additional services below if you require in-person training, global or country-level coordination, in-country missions, data migration, translations or interoperability.

      Tier 4: Hybrid deployment

      • Do you want to manage your own infrastructure and deal with outages, maintenance downtime, and upgrades? Then this option is right for you.
      • Partners who want to benefit from regular updates, patches and features with proven technical capacity and data residency requirements (such as governments who must have Primero production data stored in a national data center) would benefit from this service tier.
      • In Tier 4 UNICEF and Primero team deploys a secure kubernetes-based UNICEF-hosted demo instance on Microsoft Azure with a Primero URL in any language.
      • The demo instance is maintained by the Primero team and receives all new releases and updates; equipped with tooling to promote configuration from the hosted-demo instance to the preferred cloud/in-country data center.
      • Partners are responsible for setting up the production server including security, DNS, monitoring, configuration, and maintaining the instance.
      • Partners are trained on configuration to customize their Primero instance to be aligned to their programming.
      • Partners are provided with case worker, manager and system administration training to learn key features and functionality of Primero.
      • Partners receive 4 hour per week of support for 3 months; 2 hour per month thereafter to support the implementation.
      • Partners can access the open-source documentation on the Primero Github Repository, and are able to seek support as needed on the Primero Support Hub and Primero Community.
      • Partners access the inter-agency CMTF standard Forms and Guidance (for CPIMS+), all available CPIMS+ features and functionality, and are not limited to the caseload (no additional fees with increased volume or number of transactions) or number of users or participating agencies.
      • $25,000 USD for the 1st year (which decreases to the cost listed in Tier 3 in the 2nd year and thereafter) which includes costs for demo-hosted infrastructure, deploying, operating, remote training, maintenance and support.
      • Partners will incur human resources and IT costs that they are responsible for which include:
        • Human resources and technical capacity for hosting the production instance, deploying, operating and maintaining Primero
        • Technology costs for production infrastructure including server set up, hosting, SSL/TLS, and DNS (costs vary by service)
      • Please see additional services below if you require in-person training, global or country-level coordination, in-country missions, data migration, translations or interoperability.

      Tier 5: Custom package

      • Some implementations have requirements that can't be met by any other service tier and require a custom implementation. This can include software development, specific integrations with partner systems, bundling Primero with third party solutions (MDM, reporting tools, biometrics), API development, product extensions, business analysis work, compliance evaluations, or data migrations.
      • Based on the context-specific requirements, Tier 5 will be scoped, costed and prioritized on a case-by-case basis.
      • All custom development requests will need to be assessed for their alignment with their Primero product roadmap and reviewed by the Primero Board​​​​​​​.
      • Cost is TBD based on the requirements.

    • Additional Services

      The below additional services are offered and can be included with your package of services

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      Data migration

      • To ensure data is safely and securely transferred from alternative systems, the Primero team works with partners to design and implement safe and secure transfer of records by assessing the volume, type and format of the cases and designing appropriate methods of transferring data.
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      Translations for a new language

      • Primero has been set up in 40+ languages. For implementations who are interested in a new language that is currently not available in Primero.
      • Costing depends on the availability of translators.
      • Procedures can be found on the Primero Support Hub.
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      Interoperability with another system

      • For partners who are interested in interoperability between Primero and another partner system.
      • Set Up: one time cost​​​ based on complexity to implement the technical solution for any new implementation. Note this does not include UNICEF/Primero staff time for requirements gathering, coordination, testing or training.
      • Operating costs: Different solutions may imply fess for transactions or "job". Transaction costs may vary based on volume and frequency of data transfers.
      • For example, if 10,000 children receive 3 services between Primero and the partner system case workers per year, then costs would be 10,000 x 3 services x 0.03 per referral = $900 USD per year.
      • Support: 16 hours of support.
      • These examples are indicative only to help inform decision making and planning. All integrations require a case-by-case review and planning process.

       

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      Interoperability with UNHCR's ProGres v4

      • For partners who are interested in interoperability between Primero and UNHCR's ProGres v4 refugee registration system.
      • Set Up: one time cost​​​​​​​ to implement the technical solution for any new implementation. Note this does not include UNICEF/Primero staff time for requirements gathering, coordination, testing or training.
      • Cost of Operating: transactional cost to be determined for example, if 10,000 children receive 3 services between Primero and ProGres v4 case workers per year, then costs would be 10,000 x 3 services x 0.03 per referral = $900 USD per year.
      • Support: 16 hours of support.
      • Note: there has been significant software development invested in interoperability between Primero and ProGres v4 in it's initial pilot in Gambella, Ethiopia. The adapters have been built to be set up in new implementations and require set up, operating and support for each new implementation.
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