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Contact: |
David Howells, Director of Corporate Services Tel: 023 8064 4000 Ext 203 |
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1 |
Introduction |
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1.1 |
Early in 2001, the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Committee (CFBAC) endorsed a strategy based on replacing the fire service's wide-area radio systems through a series of regionally-based competitive procurement arrangements which would be financially supported by the Government. |
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1.2 |
The tragic events of September 11th prompted a rethink on whether this strategy was still appropriate. In the circumstances, the Government emphasised that it wanted to be assured that radio communications within and between the emergency services would be equal to the possible demands placed upon them. The professional associations, representing the Chief Officers of the emergency services, were asked to review their requirements for interoperability and resilience for voice communications. |
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1.3 |
In reaching an agreement, the professional associations took into account the current planning and consequent provision that is planned or is already being made to enable the fire service to deal with major incidents under the New Dimension programme. |
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2 |
National procurement |
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2.1 |
In response to this agreement, the DTLR - now the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) - reviewed the regional procurement strategy and concluded that it could not guarantee to meet the new requirement for enhanced interoperability. As a result, the ODPM issued (on 28 June 2002) Fire Service Circular 7/2002 setting out the arrangements for the procurement of a national radio communications system for the fire service in England and Wales. |
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2.2 |
In reaching this decision, the Government was mindful of the considerable amount of work and investment that fire authorities had already committed under the former regional procurement arrangements. Members will recall that Hampshire was part of the South-East Region Communications Collaboration Group and had contributed to the cost of engaging consultancy support for a regional procurement process. The ODPM will give consideration to reasonable and independently audited claims from fire authorities for the cost of nugatory and unavoidable work undertaken in pursuance of the regional strategy. We have given preliminary notice that Hampshire intends to make such a claim and are awaiting further guidance on what will be admissible. |
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2.3 |
Not all the previous work will have been wasted, however, because the new national strategy will be based on, and led by, the ODPM's current `Firelink' team - strengthened and supplemented with additional resources to ensure that the procurement is progressed in partnership with fire authorities. |
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2.4 |
In order to satisfy UK law, EC law and international treaty obligations, the procurement competition will be based on the use of a functional rather than a technical specification. It will include the requirements identified in the professional associations' agreement on interoperability. |
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2.5 |
The specification is expected to include the range of functions previously identified under the regional arrangements and will include the ability to handle voice, data, text and status messaging. The successful supplier will be responsible for providing 'end-to-end' functionality and fire authorities will be expected to complete their own detailed specifications for the scope/scale of supply; and, assessing the impact on and arrangements for integration with legacy applications. |
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2.6 |
The outline timetable for the `Firelink' project is expected to be as follows: |
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· December 2002 - · April 2004 - · Early 2005 - · December 2007 -
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Notice in OJEC Contract award Implementation commences Implementation complete |
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The timing of the roll-out to individual fire authorities may be heavily dependent on the chosen solution. Assurances have been given that the timing preferences of individual authorities will be taken into account wherever possible. |
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3 |
Funding |
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3.1 |
The Government has said that it will meet the cost of the new system. However the scope of what is to be included has yet to be determined. As a minimum, it is expected that this will include: |
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· The capital cost of procuring and installing a national end-to-end radio communications solution for the fire service capable of meeting the voice elements of the national requirement.
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· The capital costs of a system cable of providing the bearer elements of the data specification of that requirement.
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· The capital costs of integrating the national voice solution with existing or planned brigade control room systems.
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3.2 |
It is possible that fire authorities will have the opportunity of using the national procurement to secure functions and services outside the core scope of what will be funded directly by central government. For these `additional' elements the cost is likely to fall to fire authorities. |
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3.3 |
The revenue costs of supporting radio systems procured through this revised strategy will be considered by the Government in the context of future local government grant settlements. |
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4 |
Existing systems |
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4.1 |
The majority of existing fire service wide-area radio systems are becoming obsolete. The national strategy will inevitably mean that existing systems will need to remain operational for longer than originally planned. Fire authorities are therefore being urged to carry out a detailed risk assessment of their existing systems to determine whether it is likely that they are capable of continued operation until they can be replaced under the national strategy. |
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4.2 |
Hampshire's own Command, Control and Communications system was commissioned in June 1997 and has a life expectancy of ten years. It will be noted that implementation of the national strategy is expected to be completed in 2007. Although this would seem to be a potentially useful coincidence, it has to borne in mind that work on producing a specification for the a new system will ideally need to begin at least three years in advance of planned the replacement date. Further, experience suggests that schemes of this scale rarely run to schedule, and it would therefore be prudent to assume that the existing system will need to remain operational at least three years beyond its original replacement date. |
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5 |
European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 |
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5.1 |
The proposals within this report are compatible with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 and considered in the light of the Race Relations (amendments) Act 2000. |
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Recommendations |
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That the Authority formally confirms its commitment to the new national procurement strategy for the replacement of fire service radio communications. |
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Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers |
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The following documents disclose the facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of the report. |
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· Office of Deputy Prime Minister, Fire Service Circular 7/2002 (28 June 2002): Fire Service Radio Communications and National Radio Strategy.
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NB The list excludes: |
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1 Published works |
2 Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act |
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Dir.fin HFRA 25 9 2002 Radio Strategy DCH/JMW/5/9/02 |
