Command, control, communication systems

Description

The Home Office Emergency Services Mobile Communication Programme (ESMCP) has been set up to replace the Airwave secure communications system. The Programme is set to deliver an Emergency Services Network (ESN) which will provide a long-term, next generation communications interoperability platform for the three emergency services (police, fire and ambulance) and other public safety users, in England, Scotland and Wales. The Home Office Programme have outlined the technical upgrades required to enable these organisations to access the Emergency Services Network (ESN) and are providing funding for these upgrades via a Grant 31 arrangement. This requirement was unforeseen when the current Emergency Mobilising and Communications Systems contract was awarded. It is considered that this contract can be placed using the negotiated procedure without Prior Publication of a Contract Notice pursuant to Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 on the basis that the contract may be awarded only to the Company for technical reasons. 1) This direct award is due to the ESN upgrade specification requirements (and extension of existing supplies or installations), as determined by the Programme, to the original system developer because only this Company has access to the specific technical knowhow and technical design required, which are intended either as a partial replacement of installation, where a change of systems supplier, integrator and maintainer would oblige the Contracting Authority to acquire suppliers having different technical characteristics which would result in incompatibility or disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance; 2) The current supplier is contracted to provide support and maintenance for the fully integrated emergency mobilising and communications systems including mobilising, integrated communications and control systems together with station end equipment and secure network management. This technical expertise means that it is not feasible for any company other than the current supplier to carry out the activities in the timescales required; 3) To place with another supplier would add disproportionate complexity to the support and maintenance of the fully integrated systems and disproportionate and significant additional costs to the Contracting Authority, which would not be supported by the Programme. It would also mean unacceptable delay to both the contracting authority and thus the national programme in key areas of public safety, including emergency incidents potentially endangering the public; 4) This VEAT Notice is not a request for Expression of Interest (EOI). This notice advises that County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority has decided to negotiate a contract with the named supplier on a single source basis and is published for reasons of transparency. 5) The contract would be awarded for the upgrade of the fully integrated systems and 5 years support.