Command, control, communication systems

Description

The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme is a national Government Tri Service Home Office project which will provide the long-term, next generation, replacement for Airwave as a secure communications platform for the 3 emergency services (police, fire and ambulance), including inter-operability, plus other public safety users, in England, Scotland and Wales. The national Airwave contract is due to expire at the end of December 2019. The national programme have determined the upgrade requirements and technical solutions 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 then the current Integrated Communication Control System 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.