Service Level Agreement (SLA)

of

Kiwigrid GmbH
Kleiststraße 10 a-c
01129 Dresden

- hereinafter referred to as “Kiwigrid” -

As of: October 1, 2023

 

1. General

This section describes the service levels for the software products offered by Kiwigrid, specifically Software as a Service (SaaS) products and Platform as a Service (PaaS) products, collectively “Kiwigrid Products”. SaaS products are products that are run via a frontend (or graphical user interface), while PaaS products are run via an API (application programming interface).

All service levels are measured and calculated on the basis of a calendar quarter, unless otherwise specified for a service level below. 

In order to guarantee the service level, Kiwigrid requires that installers who are commissioned to install the Energy Manager are trained by Kiwigrid or the Customer prior to initial use and regularly attend training sessions regarding innovations. Furthermore, the installer is obliged to take note of the contents of the installation instructions available at https://support.kiwigrid.com/. 

In guaranteeing the service level, Kiwigrid assumes that the Customer establishes or commissions 1st level support. This 1st level support must be trained by Kiwigrid prior to commencing duties and must attend training sessions on a regular basis.  

In principle, Kiwigrid’s service (2nd level support) is only responsible for processing fault reports in the form of qualified tickets. A ticket shall be deemed qualified only if it meets the definition of Section 2.2. 

The Parties shall discuss, evaluate, and adjust the agreed service levels once per calendar year. The aim of both Parties is to ensure that Kiwigrid can provide the services due cost-effectively, in the agreed quality and that the customer can enjoy the expected consistent and continuous experience of Kiwigrid Products.

2. Support level and qualified tickets

Kiwigrid offers 2nd level support for Kiwigrid Products.

2.1. 1st level support

1st level support is the first point of contact for end users and installers who need assistance with configuration, commissioning, or use of Kiwigrid Products. These products are usually part of a larger system. The role of 1st level support is to collect information regarding the fault that has occurred and to classify the problem based on symptoms. Classification is carried out using appropriate tools (question-answer trees, FAQs, product documentation, etc.). The collected information is documented in the form of a so-called ticket. The problem classification results in a decision as to whether the problem can be solved immediately or not. If it can, action is taken (a response, action instruction, configuration change, etc.) that solves the problem. If it cannot, either a further investigation is carried out by 1st level support or the ticket is forwarded to 2nd level support. Generally, 1st level support is not provided by Kiwigrid. However, Kiwigrid offers training and courses for installers and for 1st level support staff. 

2.2. 2nd level support

2nd level support is the second level of technical customer support. Established methods of fault detection are applied (remote maintenance tools, completion of tests, etc.). In addition to a more detailed description of the symptoms of the problem, the main focus here is on determining the causes of the fault and/or readjusting for it. If no solution can be found after this procedure or if more in-depth investigations are necessary, the Kiwigrid specialist department (Hardware and Software Development) will be involved. Often the result of a successful investigation of a software problem is that the software code must be changed (software fix). This change is made in accordance with Kiwigrid’s processes (change, quality, and release management) and delivered to the customer.

As soon as a problem with the hardware (Kiwigrid devices or Energy Managers by name) occurs, it undergoes sufficient analysis for troubleshooting to be completed within a previously agreed framework and in accordance with the warranty. 

If, after analysis by 2nd level support, the reported fault does not turn out to be a fault in the Kiwigrid Products, Kiwigrid shall inform the Customer of this immediately. In this context, a recommendation is made to contact the distributor or manufacturer of the third-party software or third-party hardware (software and hardware not manufactured by Kiwigrid, also referred to as third-party devices below). On request, Kiwigrid shall make the results of the analysis available to the Customer. If cooperation by the Customer is required, the Customer shall ensure that this is available promptly and without restriction. If this is not the case, Kiwigrid is entitled to cancel the analysis.

2.3. Qualified tickets

Tickets are only considered qualified and are accepted and processed by 2nd level support if they were initiated by a Kiwigrid-trained 1st level support representative. After training is completed, the user account will be activated for a new 1st level support representative within twenty-four (24) hours during service hours. 

ServiceDesk (an add-on) from JIRA (Atlassian) is currently used as the ticket system. Kiwigrid offers the service to assist with the integration of the customer ticketing solution. This service shall be handled contractually and commercially outside of this agreement.

Qualified tickets must be set up as the ticket type “Error” and contain the following information (the input screen for the ticket system reflects this):

“Priority”: The urgency of the ticket is indicated and the number of affected users specified. 

“Channel”: The client (customer channel) is defined here.

“Serial number”: The serial number of the Energy Manager used in the system is indicated (if applicable). 

“User Name”: The full name or account name (login) of the end user is specified. 

“Environment”: The environment is specified (staging or production). 

“URL”: A unique URL is provided if the fault occurs when using a web-based component. 

“Browser & Browser Version”: A description of the browser and browser version used is given if the fault occurs when using a web-based component.

“Issue”: A short description of the fault is provided. The following questions must be answered here, as applicable: 

• What system behavior was expected? 
• What did the user do to produce the desired system behavior? 
• What unexpected system behavior was observed? 
• Is the error reproducible? 
• If so, how? Please provide a description! 
• Are there any error messages or can the error be illustrated by screenshots or videos? If so, please attach!

“Components or features affected”: Details of the specification/requirement affected by the fault is specified, or the component during the use of which the fault occurred is indicated.

“Attachments” (optional): Files relevant to the description of the problem are included.

3. Service level

Service levels represent quantitative metrics for qualitative assessment of the technical services included with Kiwigrid Products (Services). The service levels and associated time definitions specified in this section are defined for the following main products and their services:

(1) Services that are run via APIs (application programming interfaces) (PaaS products) and which are covered by a service level in the context of this document:

1.1. Services to provide an application programming interface (API);

1.2. Services for authentication and authorization (e.g. user login and management, registration of new users, registration and management of Energy Manager and connected devices);

1.3. Services for energy monitoring: Retrieval of current and historical data, calculation of synthetic data points, and

1.4. Services for controlling third-party devices, such as direct or automatic execution of optimization algorithms.

(2) Services that are run via independent frontend applications (SaaS products) and are covered by a service level in the context of this document:

2.1. Services for energy management: Provision of a graphical user interface to define the control parameters;

2.2. Energy monitoring services for historical data: Analysis of historical data, import/export of data from the Kiwigrid platform via graphical user interface

2.3. Services for managing device setups (Energy Manager and connected third-party devices) via graphical user interface.

3.1 Hours of operation and service and accepted downtime

The Service Level Objectives specified below apply during the following service and operating hours:

Operating time	Monday to Sunday, 00:00 to 24:00
Service time	Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00

“Operating time” means the time during which the Kiwigrid Products are generally available to the Customer.

“Service time” is the time during which Kiwigrid’s hotline is available for service requests by phone, email, or ticket system and troubleshooting occurs. The service times are offered in Germany (except on all national public holidays and on public holidays in the Free State of Saxony) and refer to Central European Time (or Central European Summer Time).

“Accepted Downtime” is scheduled downtime during which Kiwigrid Products are unavailable due to regular or urgent maintenance. Kiwigrid shall notify the Customer of any planned downtime at least one (1) week in advance in text form. If the expected downtime is shorter than 15 minutes, notification with a lead time of 2 hours is sufficient.
If information about planned downtime has been provided accordingly, this downtime shall be counted as accepted downtime.

3.2 Service level: Availability

Service level description: This service level is satisfied in accordance with the Service Level Objectives described below if the essential Kiwigrid Products are available during the hours of operation specified below in such a manner that the Customer can use them as agreed for that period. 

Minor components of the Kiwigrid Products the functionality of which depends on the availability of third-party systems may deviate in their availability from the Service Level Objectives set out under this clause.

Service Level Objectives (SLO): The following products and their services are available as follows:

Product and its services	SLO
1, 2	≥ 99.5 %

Accepted downtimes are excluded. Kiwigrid shall only be liable for the availability and compliance with the Service Level Objective if the service is provided via Kiwigrid’s own systems and services. Kiwigrid is not liable for limitations caused by an upstream or downstream system or which are the responsibility of the Customer or a third party (such as operating errors, disruption to the internet connection, or failures/malfunctions of third-party devices).

3.3 Service level: Response time

Service level description: This service level is satisfied in accordance with the Service Level Objectives described below if the essential Kiwigrid Products respond during the hours of operation specified below in such a manner that Customer can use them as agreed for that period. 

Service Level Objectives (SLO): The following products and their services shall respond as follows:

Product/Services	SLO
1	95%: 400 milliseconds
1	98%: 600 milliseconds
1	99.5%: 1,000 milliseconds
1	All others: >99.5%

Accepted downtimes are excluded. Kiwigrid shall only be liable for the response times and compliance with the Service Level Objectives if the service is provided via Kiwigrid’s infrastructure. Once a request leaves this infrastructure, Kiwigrid is not liable for any limitations caused in the structure (such as disruptions in the local network or the internet).

4. Priorities and ticket system

The four fault classes listed below are used to prioritize any faults and/or other relevant deviations from the defined target state of the service quality (“incident”) that may occur in the course of service provision:

Fault class	Description
Class 1: Very serious fault (critical)	Malfunction preventing operation: Faults that make the use of Kiwigrid Products impossible or unreasonable (e.g. login is not possible or no current system values are available).
Class 2: Serious fault (high)	Malfunction seriously hindering operation: Faults that significantly disrupt the use of Kiwigrid products, as entire process chains in the system cannot be used (e.g. current system values available but no historical values).
Class 3: Faults of moderate severity (medium)	Simple malfunction hindering operation: Faults that make it difficult to use the Kiwigrid Products, as individual functions can only be used to a limited extent (e.g. export does not work temporarily or only to a limited extent or the forecast is not available).
Class 4: Non-critical fault (low)	Minor malfunction: Faults that affect the use of Kiwigrid Products only in minor or marginal areas of the functions provided and do not mean an impairment of availability. These include faults in texts or the user interface (spelling errors, alignment errors, etc.).

Kiwigrid shall remedy any malfunction promptly according to the prioritization; however, binding resolution times are expressly not agreed. Elimination of a fault or a partial solution in view of the urgency can also be completed by showing the Customer how to avoid the fault in the future or how to temporarily restore the usability of the Kiwigrid Product (workaround).

While Kiwigrid does not guarantee resolution times for posted tickets, it does report actual resolution times on a monthly basis. Resolution time is measured on the basis of ticket runtime in the ticket system and begins when a ticket is entered in the ticket system and ends when qualified feedback is received from Kiwigrid, which can be in any form (e.g. email or phone call or feedback directly in the ticket system).

5. Response times

Kiwigrid guarantees the following response times depending on the fault class of the reported malfunction:

Fault class	Response time in minutes
Class 1: Very serious fault (critical)	30
Class 2: Serious fault (high)	60
Class 3: Fault of moderate severity (medium)	120
Class 4: Non-critical fault (low)	180

The “response time” defines the time between receipt of a malfunction report by 2nd level support as a qualified ticket and acceptance of the ticket by a 2nd level support employee. Documentation of acceptance takes place in the Kiwigrid ticket system and describes the measures carried out or initiated. Progress in resolving the incident is reported regularly and without delay. The service time is definitive for compliance with the response time.

Kiwigrid reserves the right to adjust the initial classification of a ticket in a fault class in consultation with 1st level support, if this appears to be necessary according to the criteria described in Section 5. 

Kiwigrid further reserves the right to change a ticket from “Error” to “Support” type in consultation with 1st level support.