Understanding the layout of the SPIRE screens

• Down the left hand side of the screen, you will see various options (white text in the dark blue bar) which can be selected and are actions that will take you to a different screen to perform a certain function. For example, create a new application or update your details. These options will be different depending on the screen that you are on. There are also standard links in the bottom of this bar ('Help', 'Contact Us', 'Security Policy' and 'Feedback') which will always appear.
• Along the top and bottom of every screen, you will see a pale blue banner. These contains navigation links. You will usually see a link to your workbasket in the top banner. Under the top banner, there is often another banner containing the heading of the screen you are currently working on.

Workbasket

Everybody with a SPIRE logon will have a workbasket, this is essentially your intray. When you start to create an application, a draft will be saved in this workbasket which you can come back to should you need to. You will also be able to see any submitted applications from the workbasket and the progress (at a high level) of your applications as they are being processed. If you want to search for previous applications that you have made, you can do this through the 'Search Licence Applications' link on the left hand side.

Managing your workbasket

You can apply filters to your workbasket using the fields at the top of the screen. Using these, you can manage your workbasket to show whatever combinations of work you want (for example, only draft applications, or only submitted SIEL applications). There is also an 'advanced mode' which allows you to set comments and filters of your choice and will allow you to personalise your workbasket.

Saving your work

Whenever you move from screen to screen, the information you have entered is automatically saved. Therefore, if your computer crashes, or your internet connection is lost, the only information you will have lost is that which you have entered into the screen you are currently working on. Any other screens that you have previously entered information into will have been saved and the info will already be with us. If you wish to save a screen at any time without having to move to another screen, you will often see a 'Save Now' in the top, pale blue banner, which can be pressed to save your current work.

Help and Guidance

In addition to the hints embedded in the screens, there is also more comprehensive guidance about the application forms. This can be found through the 'Guidance' link in the top pale blue banner when you are in an application form. If you click on this at any point in an application, you will be taken to the relevant section in a document which will open in a separate screen. You can also print the entire help document to assist you when completing applications, if you want to.

Using SPIRE

ELA templates (Available from 3rd September 2007)

We have set up system templates for applications that contain certain set information (for example dealer to dealer OIELs), but have also given you the facility to set up templates specific to your company. If you have a customer that you regularly export goods to, you can set up your details, their details and any other details that are common to all the applications that you make for that customer, for any licence type. Once an order is received by that customer, you can go into your saved template, select 'Create Application From This Template' and add in the details which are not included in that template. You can add as much or as little detail as you want to your templates so you could create one with just your company, parent and contact information to give you a head start when completing new applications. You can also have as many as you think would be useful to your company and can edit or delete them at any time.

Manage Registrations

This offers the facility for a company to manage the SPIRE users within your organisation. Ideally you should have a Companies House registration number to use this facility, but you can register to use SPIRE without one (for example if you are a charity, etc.).

New Application

Once you click into this option in the left hand side banner, you can select which new application you wish to make. Rating enquiry, Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs), Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs), Standard Individual Trade Control Licences (SITCLs), Open Individual Trade Control Licences (OITCLs), Global Project Licences (GPLs) or Open General Licences (OGLs), including the Retained General Export Authorisation (GEA) and European Union General Export Authorisation (EU GEA) are all included on SPIRE. After you have made your selection and clicked on 'Start Application', the options in the left hand bar will change to reflect the different screens of the application you are preparing. You can use these to navigate around the application or the next/previous buttons at the bottom of each screen. The lower of the 2 pale blue banners at the top of the screen will show you the title of the screen you are on. Also see essential information above that banner – the type of application, your reference, etc. throughout all the application pages.

The validation error summary option in the left hand banner will allow you to see any errors in the application (and these are hyperlinked back to the relevant section in the application). To validate the screen you have just completed, there is another screen-specific link in the top banner. You could even use this before you complete a screen to see which fields you have to complete. To indicate why a validation error has occurred, hover your mouse cursor over the , and help text will be shown explaining what information is required.

The questions in the applications should be familiar to you if you have completed ECO applications in the past. The layout is different on SPIRE, some questions have been amended to be consistent across different application types, the questions may be asked in a different order and there may be additional questions so that we can obtain the data we need to process your application. You should therefore ensure that you read each question carefully and provide the relevant information as requested.

Further information requests

If we need additional information from you relating to a specific application, it will be returned to your workbasket. You will also receive an e-mail notifying you that there is a case in the workbasket awaiting action from you or needs your attention. Information relating to the request will not be in the e-mail, it is just a pointer to ask you to logon to SPIRE to see what the latest status of the case is and what action is required. To help you identify which case is affected, there will be a icon in the 'Actions' column of the workbasket against the relevant case. There will still be timeframes in which you need to respond to these requests.

If you want to provide additional information whilst we are processing an application or need to withdraw an application, you can do this by selecting 'Update Application' in the action column of the relevant application. You will then be able to add information, tell us that you want to withdraw the application or upload a document and then submit this to us.

Issued licences

When we issue a response to you, it will appear in your workbasket. Again, an e-mail will be sent to you notifying you that there is something in your workbasket that needs your attention. It will be in the form of a pdf document which you will be able to view. To complete the process, you will need to acknowledge receipt of the document.