Platform comparison
Verto vs Ninth Wave / SmartCore
Ninth Wave is one of the UK's longest-standing PPM specialists, founded in 1995 with a Queen's Award for Enterprise and an employee-owned structure that resonates with public sector values. For organisations evaluating SmartCore today, the heritage is real and so are the questions about where the product is heading.
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Worth knowing
In short
The basics
What each platform is built to do
Both Ninth Wave and Verto are UK PPM vendors with G-Cloud listings and long track records. The comparison is less about basic procurement eligibility and more about what each platform is built for and how actively it is developing.
A UK configurable PPM platform founded in 1995, positioned as a system that can be moulded around any organisational process. Employee-owned since 2021. Queen's Award for Enterprise 2020. Strong private sector heritage with selective public sector presence.
A dedicated P3M platform built for UK public sector over 17 years. Purpose-built for portfolio, programme and project governance with native alignment to UK government frameworks — not configured to them.
The heritage question
Thirty years in PPM: what Ninth Wave's track record means and what it does not
Three decades in any software market is a genuine achievement, and Ninth Wave's longevity deserves to be acknowledged rather than dismissed. Long-tenured customers — including a deployment at Lloyds CMT that scaled to over 8,000 users — indicate that SmartCore can deliver at scale and sustain long relationships. The Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2020 is a recognised UK business accolade, and the employee-owned structure introduced in 2021 reflects an organisation that takes its values seriously.
The harder question for any procurement team is not what Ninth Wave has achieved, but what the platform is doing now and where it is going. A 30-year track record built primarily in the private sector, a last press release dated 2010, no published product roadmap, no AI features, and a LinkedIn presence of approximately 231 followers suggests a business that is sustaining existing relationships well but is not actively investing in growth or product evolution. For a multi-year public sector contract, that trajectory matters as much as the history.
On the Queen's Award and EOT status: Both are genuine credentials worth noting in a procurement context. Neither, however, is a substitute for framework alignment, product velocity or public sector reference depth, which are the more material differences in this comparison.
Product velocity
What active development looks like and what dormancy looks like
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Ninth Wave SmartCore — Recent activity
2010
Last publicly visible press release
2020
Queen's Award for Enterprise
2021
Employee Ownership Trust transition
2026
No published product roadmap. No AI features announced. LinkedIn ~231 followers.
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Verto — Development cadence
Active
Quarterly product releases with published release notes
Active
AI functionality built into platform — not on a roadmap slide
Active
Integration marketplace covering Power BI, Teams and M365
Active
Continuous alignment updates to IPA, MoP and GovS 002 as frameworks evolve
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A useful test: ask both vendors for their last three product release notes and their published roadmap for the next 12 months. The difference in what you receive will tell you more than any marketing material.
Choosing the right tool
When SmartCore could work and when Verto is the stronger fit
SmartCore may suit your needs if…
- Your P3M process is highly bespoke and you need a configurable platform that wraps around it rather than a framework-aligned one
- You are in the private sector or a commercial arm's-length body without hard requirements for MoP or IPA alignment
- A long-tenured, employee-owned UK vendor scores well in your social value and supplier diversity assessment
- Your procurement is based primarily on G-Cloud listing and UK company status
- The requirement for AI features and modern integration is not part of your near-term platform brief
Verto is the stronger choice when…
- Native MoP, IPA, GovS 002 or HMT Green Book alignment is required — not configured
- You need a vendor actively investing in product development with a visible roadmap
- AI functionality is a near-term requirement rather than a future aspiration
- You need a deeper UK public sector reference base — NHS, central government, councils
- Power BI, Teams or other M365 integration is part of your data and reporting estate
- Vendor scale for a long-term, high-value contract matters to your risk assessment
- You want a platform you can self-configure without a consultancy dependency for core changes
Side-by-side comparison
SmartCore vs Verto: how they compare for UK public sector P3M
This comparison reflects both platforms as they stand in 2026. Where SmartCore leads, it is acknowledged.
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Ninth Wave SmartCore | |
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UK company
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Yes — founded 2009
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Yes — founded 1995
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G-Cloud listing
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G-Cloud approved
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G-Cloud 13
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Employee ownership / EOT
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Employee ownership / EOT |
EOT since 2021
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MoP / IPA / GovS 002 alignment
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Native alignment by design
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Generalist — must be configured in
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HMT Green Book alignment
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Built in
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Not built in
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Benefits realisation
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Built in — Green Book aligned
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Configurable — not pre-built for UK gov
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UK public sector references
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100+ UK gov clients
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RSSB and London Borough of Richmond
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NHS references
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Multiple NHS organisations
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None publicly named
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AI features
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Built into platform
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None announced
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Product roadmap (published)
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Quarterly releases
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Not available
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Power BI / Teams integration
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Available
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Not available
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Vendor scale
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UK-scale, appropriate for long-term contracts
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~14 staff, micro-entity, <£1M revenue
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Self-service configuration
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Designed for self-service by client teams
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Most changes require their consultants
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Sales and account management
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Founder-led — single contact on Digital Marketplace
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Configured via Power Platform and templates
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Honest assessment
SmartCore: genuine strengths and the gaps that matter for public sector buyers
What SmartCore genuinely offers
- 30 years of PPM market experience a long track record in the UK
- Employee owned structure scores positively on social value in UK public sector procurement
- Queen's Award for Enterprise 2020 a recognised UK business accolade
- G Cloud 13 listed directly procurable through standard UK frameworks
- Highly configurable can be adapted to almost any organisational process
- Long customer tenure in private sector suggests a stable, supportable product
- UK based team native timezone support and direct relationship
Where SmartCore falls short for modern public sector P3M
- Generalist data model not designed around UK government frameworks
- MoP, IPA, GovS 002 and Green Book alignment requires configuration, not native design
- Only RSSB and London Borough of Richmond are publicly named public sector references
- No NHS, central government department or large local authority deployments in public marketing
- No published product roadmap and no AI features announced
- Last press release was in 2010 limited evidence of active market engagement
- Most configuration requires Ninth Wave consultants self service is limited
- ~14 staff, micro entity balance sheet under £1M vendor concentration risk for long term contracts
- Single contact on Digital Marketplace no scaled account management or AE bench
- No Power BI, Teams or modern integration story
Before you commit
Questions to ask Ninth Wave in your evaluation
Heritage and values are important, but procurement teams have a responsibility to look beyond them. These are the questions that should be answered before a long-term contract is placed.
Due diligence questions for Ninth Wave
- Can you share your last three NHS, central government or council deployments with assurance evidence? Tests the depth of the UK public sector reference base beyond the two named references in public marketing.
- When were your last three product release notes published, and where can we read your 2026 roadmap? Exposes the dormant product cadence — ask to see it in writing, not in conversation.
- Does SmartCore natively align to Government Functional Standard 002, the IPA Project Routemap and HMT Green Book benefits assessment — or would that require configuration by your consultants? Forces a clear answer on whether UK gov framework alignment is built-in or consultant-dependent.
- What is your vendor scale, balance sheet and business continuity plan for a three to five year mission-critical contract? Surfaces the micro-entity risk — £1M revenue and 14 staff is a concentration risk for a long-term public sector commitment.
- Which framework certifications have you published in the last 24 months — Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 27017, NCSC Cloud Principles? Tests whether the assurance pipeline is current or resting on older credentials.
- What is your AI product roadmap and when will AI features be available in SmartCore? No AI has been announced, this question forces a timeline conversation or an acknowledgement that it is not on the roadmap.
Verto across the public sector
Active, growing, and built for where UK public sector is heading
Verto has 17 years of UK public sector focus, and unlike a platform coasting on heritage, Verto is shipping quarterly, integrating AI, and building the framework alignment that the next generation of public sector assurance requires.
17 years serving UK public sector
100+ government clients
G-Cloud approved & procurement-ready
MoP MSP & IPA aligned by design
Common questions
Questions buyers ask when comparing Verto and Ninth Wave SmartCore
These are the questions most commonly raised by procurement teams and PMO leads when SmartCore appears in an evaluation.
Is Ninth Wave SmartCore available on G-Cloud?
Yes. Ninth Wave SmartCore is listed on G-Cloud 13, which means it is on the procurement route for UK public sector organisations without requiring alternative framework justification. This is a genuine strength. Verto is also G-Cloud approved and listed. On basic procurement eligibility, both platforms are comparable, the differences lie elsewhere.
Does Ninth Wave SmartCore align to MoP, IPA or GovS 002?
What is Ninth Wave's Queen's Award for Enterprise, and does it matter for procurement?
Ninth Wave is employee owned. Is that relevant for a public sector procurement?
What UK public sector references does Ninth Wave SmartCore have?
When was SmartCore last updated and what is the product roadmap?
What is the vendor risk of procuring from Ninth Wave for a long term public sector contract?
Does SmartCore require consultants to configure and adapt the platform?
Next steps
Evaluating platforms and Ninth Wave is on your list?
If SmartCore is in your shortlist, we are happy to run a direct comparison focused on the questions that matter most: framework alignment, product cadence, reference depth and what a Verto implementation actually looks like for an organisation like yours.