Accessing TCSI services (PRODA)

You will need access to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations HITS (HELP Information Technology System) to confirm your Australian Business Number in TCSI.

This ABN will be used for your PRODA organisation registration. If you use a different ABN, you will not be able to connect to TCSI.

To identify Associates or Authorised Contacts for your organisation, you may need access to the Australian Business Register (ABR). More information about accessing your ABR records can be found at the Australian Business Register website.

The Associate or Authorised Contact will then need to create an individual PRODA account. They can complete this online.

Individuals who register in PRODA will need to prove their identity. This can easily be done online, see Identity documents you need before you start.

Your Associate or Authorised Contact will be required to register your organisation in PRODA. In PRODA, they are referred to as a 'Director'.

Using their individual account the Associate or Authorised Contact can register their organisation within PRODA. PRODA checks against the ABR when registering an organisation for verification purposes and only the Associates or Authorised Contacts (using their individual account) can register their organisation in PRODA.

To assist, follow these steps:

1. Log into PRODA
2. Select “Organisations” located in the top right of the screen
3. In the “Organisations” page, click “Register New Organisation”
4. Enter your Organisation Details – you need your ABN from HITS
5. Verify Organisation Relationship – answer the questions which must match your ABR records
6. Verify Organisation Email – you need to enter the Verification Code sent to your organisation’s email address

IMPORTANT: Go to Help with Verifying Organisation Relationship to identify which parts in the ABR are the answers to the questions.

For more information, see How to register an organisation.

To assist, follow these steps:

1. Log into PRODA
2. Select “Organisations” located in the top right of the screen
3. Select the organisation from the list
4. Expand the “Service Provider” dropdown, and click “Add Service Provider”
5. Select “Tertiary Collection of Student Information” and click the “Add Service Provider” button.

If your organisation is already registered in PRODA, then you may wish to add another Associate or Authorised Contact. If they are on the ABR records, then they can request to join it.

Repeat the following from above:

1. Get your Associate or Authorised Contact to register
2. Get your Associate or Authorised Contact to register your organisation

Exception: Instead of selecting ‘Register New Organisation’, click on “Join an Organisation”.

The user will then need to:

1. Enter the “Organisation RA number” and the “Organisation Name”
2. Verify Organisation Relationship – answer the questions which must match your ABR records

The Director will now be able to remove the other Director by:

1. Click “Members”
2. Click on the Director you want to remove
3. Click “Remove Member”

IMPORTANT: go to Help with Verifying Organisation Relationship to identify which parts in the ABR are the answers to the questions.

What is PRODA and why do I have to use it?

PRODA is the authentication method selected for the TCSI service. It provides both government and your organisation assurance that the correct people have access to view and report data using TCSI services. See Provider Digital Access for more information.

My organisation will only be using the TCSI portal to submit data. Will we still need to use PRODA?

Yes, the TCSI portal will use PRODA as its authentication method. Anyone in your organisation that will be using the TCSI portal will need to have created their own individual PRODA account.

What is a “Director” in PRODA?

This is the term used within PRODA that represents the person with authority to commit the organisation to business dealings and should be the same person as the Associate or Authorised Contact.

What happens if my Associate or Authorised Contact leaves the workplace?

If possible, it is best practice to have more than one Director for your PRODA organisation. Only another Director within PRODA can remove another Director within PRODA.

Can I have more than one Director for my PRODA organisation?

Yes, you can. However, the Director will need to request to join your PRODA organisation and not be added as a Member. If they are added as a Member, they will identified in PRODA as a Member and will not have the same authority. See "How to register" for more information.

What happens if a Director leaves the workplace?

A Director can only be removed from your PRODA Organisation by another Director. See "How to register".

How many email addresses do I need?

Individuals will need their own unique email address. The Associates or Authorised Contacts will also need access to a second email address. This is referred to as the “Organisation’s Email Address” and cannot be the same as their unique email address. This may be a shared email address where many users may have access to it.

My Student and Staff information are in two separate systems. Do I need two separate PRODA accounts?

You only need to register your organisation once in PRODA, and all reporting should be done through this organisation. You should consult with your SMS developer on how they will manage your PRODA details across multiple systems, as there is some flexibility in how this can be achieved.

Who can I contact if I have issues with my PRODA registration?

If you have any questions or issues with PRODA, you can contact PRODA Support at 1800 700 199 (option 1) 8am to 5pm local time.

If you have any TCSI specific questions, please email TCSIsupport@education.gov.au.

This is a decision for each organisation to make. In PRODA, staff members are referred to as a 'Member'.

The types of people you may want to register in PRODA would be users who need to:

• access TCSI Data Entry, TCSI Analytics or myHELPbalance services;
• manage the connection between your Student Management Software and TCSI (e.g. Device Management)
• manage staff member access within PRODA on behalf of your organisation.

The first step is for each staff member to create their own individual PRODA account. See How to register for an Individual account.

They will need to register as an individual and provide their Last Name and their Individual RA number to the 'Director'. Alternatively, provide these details to a 'Member' within your PRODA organisation who has been delegated the 'Owner- Access' or 'Employee-Management' attribute.

Individuals who register in PRODA will need to prove their identity. This can easily be done online and there is no need to come into a Services Australia office. See Identity documents you need before you start.

You must prove your identity within 60 days of beginning to create an individual account or your attempt will be deleted. If this occurs, create a new account or contact PRODA Support at 1800 700 199 (option 1) 8am to 5pm local time for further support.

To add a staff member you will need their Last Name and their RA Individual Number before you begin.

To assist, follow these steps:

1. Log into PRODA
2. Click “Organisations” located in the top right of the screen.
3. Select the organisation from the list
4. Click “Members”
5. Click “Add Member”
6. Enter the Last Name and RA Individual Number of the Member you want to add
7. Confirm that you have obtained consent
8. Click “search” and add them to your organisation

Please note that members cannot request to join your organisation within PRODA. They must be added within PRODA. 

You will need to delegate attributes to a Member if you want them to perform a certain role or function within PRODA. If you do not delegate a TCSI attribute, the Member will not be able to access any of the TCSI services. This provides your organisation the ability to determine which staff member can access which part of the TCSI service.

These are the PRODA Attributes you may want to add to a Member:

• Owner-Access - Provides extensive control, including the ability to manage devices, personnel, services and subsidiary organisations for your organisation in PRODA
• Employee-Management - Add, remove and update the end dates of members of the organisation in PRODA
• Device-Management - Manage devices on behalf of the organisation in PRODA. Consider assigning this to a technical staff member co-ordinating with your SMS developer
• Service Link – Provides the ability to add or remove services available within PRODA

These are the TCSI attributes you may want to add to a Member or Director:

• TCSI Analytics – Read: Provides read only access to TCSI Analytics
• TCSI Analytics – Signoff: Provides the ability to sign-off a verified data set in TCSI Analytics
• TCSI Analytics – Verify: Provides the ability to verify a data set in TCSI Analytics
• TCSI myHELPbalance Portal: Provides access to the myHELPbalance portal
• TCSI Data Entry Portal: Provides access to TCSI Data Entry

To access HEIMS Legacy Data in HEIMS online:

• HEIMS Data Read - View data reported in HEIMS prior to 2021.
  
  
  
  (When using HEIMS Online to view reports that contain legacy data reported to HEIMS, this data was accurate up to 10 December 2020, prior to the release of TCSI).

To access funding program applications in HEIMS Online:

• Institution Payment Information Reports - View institution payment information.
• Program Funding CGS HECS-HELP Approval - Approve CGS HECS-HELP funding estimates.
• Program Funding CGS HECS-HELP Read - View CGS HECS-HELP funding estimates.
• Program Funding CGS HECS-HELP Update - Update CGS HECS-HELP funding estimates.
• Program Funding FEE-HELP Approval - Approve FEE-HELP funding estimates.
• Program Funding FEE-HELP Read - View FEE-HELP funding estimates.
• Program Funding FEE-HELP Update - Update FEE-HELP funding estimates.
• Program Funding OS-HELP Approval - Approve OS-HELP funding estimates.
• Program Funding OS-HELP Read - View OS-HELP funding estimates.
• Program Funding OS-HELP Update - Update OS-HELP funding estimates.

Directors in PRODA can delegate any role. Other staff members will be able to delegate roles if they have received a 'delegable' role from another staff member.

If you want to delegate any management functions in PRODA to this Member, navigate to the Organisation Details screen and:

1. Click “Members”
2. Select the relevant staff member
3. Scroll down and click “Attribute Delegations”
4. Click “Delegate To This Member”
5. Select the appropriate attribute
6. Select whether you want your delegate to be able to delegate further (Delegable)
7. Set an effective-to date (maximum 12 months duration)
8. Click “Delegate”

Staff access can be set for a maximum of 12 months from the date it is delegated. This applies to their connection to the organisation, as well as individual attributes. A notice will be sent to the staff members email address when their access is close to expiring. 

It is recommended that providers have a more than one staff member with delegable roles. This will allow access to be extended without requiring the organisation's director.

If all staff members lose their access, it can be recovered by the director registered against PRODA and the Australian Business Register.

To extend access to your organisation, navigate to the Organisation Details screen in PRODA and:

1. Click “Members”
2. Select the relevant staff member
3. Set a new "End Date" (maximum 12 months duration)
4. Click “Save”
5. Confirm by clicking "Update end date".

To extend access to an individual attribute, navigate to the Organisation Details screen in PRODA and:

1. Click “Members”
2. Select the relevant staff member
3. Scroll down and click “Attribute Delegations”
4. Click the relevant attribute
5. Set a new effective-to date (maximum 12 months duration)
6. Click “Save”.

Removing access to your organisation for a staff member will automatically disable their access to all attributes. To do this, navigate to the Organisation Details screen in PRODA and:

1. Click “Members”
2. Select the relevant staff member
3. Click "Remove this member"
4. Confirm by clicking "Yes".

Please review the steps under "Register your organisation" and "Add staff members" and confirm they are have been completed.

If you are still experiencing difficulties please check the following:

Issue	What to check	What it looks like
Can't access any organisations Can't access my organisation	Log in to your personal PRODA account, click "Organisations" at the top of the screen. If you see the page to the right you have not been linked to an organisation. If your organisation is not sure if it has completed the "Register your organisation" steps, reattempt those steps first. If your organisation is registered, follow the "Add staff members" step to be linked to your organisation.
Can't see any TCSI attributes PRODA device keys won't authenticate with TCSI APIs	Log in to your personal PRODA account, click "Organisations" at the top of the screen. Click the relevant organisation from the table. Open the Service provider menu. Check that Tertiary Collection of Student Information is on the list. If it's missing follow step 4 under "Register your organisation".
Access has been lost by a staff member	Log in to your personal PRODA account, click "Organisations" at the top of the screen. Click the relevant organisation from the table. Click on the "Members" section and click the relevant staff member's name. Check that the End Date is in the future. If the End Date is in the future, check the attributes. Click on the "Attributes" section and click on the relevant attribute. Check that the attribute End Date is in the future. To resolve, follow step 6 under "Add staff members".
Staff member can't delegate attributes to other staff members	Log in to your personal PRODA account, click "Organisations" at the top of the screen. Click the relevant organisation from the table. Click on the "Members" section and click the relevant staff member's name. Check that the delegating staff member's access has not expired for the organisation or attribute (see issue above). Check that the relevant attribute is listed and marked "Yes" in the "Can Be Delegated" column. To resolve, follow step 5 under "Add staff members".
What does the "Your user account does not have permission to access TCSI..." message mean?	This message means that the staff member who received this message has not been assigned the relevant attribute to access that part of the TCSI service. See ‘Identify which delegations you want to apply to a Member’
I am unable to add the TCSI service for my organisation in PRODA. Why is this?	Please check if you have completed all steps in Accessing TCSI services (PRODA). When attempting to add the TCSI service, you may find the 'add service provider' button is not available. This means you do not have the right delegation within PRODA to add the TCSI service. You can check your delegations by performing the following steps: 1. Log in to your individual PRODA account 2. Navigate to 'Organisations' and select your organisation from the list of organisations 3. Expand the 'members' section and select your account from the list of members. 4. Expand the 'Attribute Delegations' section You need to have either the Service-Link-Management or Owner Access attribute delegated to your individual account. To obtain these delegations, please ask the Director of your PRODA organisation or a member of the PRODA organisation with the appropriate access to delegate these to you. You will then be able to see the 'add service provider' button. Alternatively, you can ask the Director or another Member of the PRODA organisation to add the TCSI service on your behalf.

Creating a Software Instance/B2B Device for your organisation is similar to adding the TCSI service. To assist, follow these steps:

1. Log into PRODA
2. Click “Organisations” located in the top right of the screen.
3. Select the organisation from the list
4. Expand the “B2B Device” dropdown, and click “Register new B2B Device
   
   

To create your device, you need to:

1. Enter a unique name for your device,
2. Enter a description (optional); and
3. Click “Register Device”

The unique Device Activation Code on your screen is a key to connect your SMS with TCSI. Safely record this code as it is not stored and will need to be entered into your SMS to activate it. This code is only valid for 60 minutes.

Provide your device activation information to your Software Developer, or enter it into the appropriate screen in your software (you may need to ask your developer how to do this).

If you have provided details of your B2B device to your developer, wait for them to confirm they have finished setting up your SMS to authenticate through PRODA.

Please note: Once your software is activated it will remain active for a period of 6 months.  You will need to generate a Device Activation Code for your B2B device and enter it into your SMS every 6 months (refer to FAQs).

Your SMS can now be connected to TCSI.

How do I renew the activation period of the B2B device?

When you renew the activation period of the B2B device (before the device expires) you will not need to generate a new Device Activation Code:

1. Navigating to your Organisation in PRODA.

2. Expanding the “B2B Devices” section, and clicking on the device name.

3. Clicking “Extend expiry date” under “Device Management”, and clicking “Yes” in the confirmation prompt that appears.

4. When extending the expiry of an active B2B device, a new “Device Activation Code” will not be displayed, as this will automatically configure in the background

Please note: If the device expires, see “How do I reactivate an expired B2B device”.

Why does my B2B Device expire every 6 months?

Your B2B device is designed to expire every 6 months as a security measure to help ensure that your Student Management Software has continued authorisation from you to authenticate through your PRODA Organisation.

You can extend the device activation period for another 6 months at any time before the 6 months expires.

How do I reactivate an expired B2B device?

You can generate a new Device Access Code (for an expired device) by:

1. Navigating to your Organisation in PRODA.
2. Expanding the "B2B Devices" section and clicking on the device name.
3. Clicking "Generate New Code" under "Device Management" and clicking "Yes" in the prompt that appears.

Please note: the unique "Device Activation Code" (DAC) will display on screen and is valid for 60 minutes. If it expires you will need to repeat this process.

How do I remove a B2B Device?

You can remove a B2B device by:

1. Navigating to your Organisation in PRODA.
2. Expanding the "B2B Devices" section and clicking on the device name.
3. Clicking "Remove B2B Device" under "Device Management" and clicking "Yes" in the prompt that appears.

Can I delegate the authority to someone else in my organisation to manage my organisation's B2B devices?

Yes. You can assign the "Device Management" attribute to a Member of your PRODA organisation, which will allow them to manage your B2B devices, including generating Device Access Codes.

Is adding the TCSI service within PRODA going to expire?

No. Once you have added the TCSI service you will not need to re-add the service.