Public procurement notice: Modification Of A Contract/Concession During Its Term
Published: 2016-01-16
Buyer: The Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex
Country: UK
Region: UNITED KINGDOM
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Competitive dialogue
CPV classification: 48000000 | 48100000 | 48600000 | 48800000 | 72230000: Custom software development services

Technical requirements: The supply, installation and maintenance of an investigation (crime) management, intelligence and defendant management (case and custody) system.
Essex, Kent, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Warwickshire and West Mercia.
On 22.12.2011 the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex (‘the Authority’) entered into a single supplier framework agreement for the supply, installation and maintenance of an investigation management, intelligence and defendant management system with Northgate Information Solutions UK Limited (‘the Contractor’). The Authority subsequently entered into a call off contract with the Contractor, as did the following Police and Crime Commissioners: Kent, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Warwickshire and West Mercia.
The supply, installation and maintenance of an investigation (crime) management, intelligence and defendant management (case and custody) system.
For the avoidance of doubt, at the time of contract award of the framework agreement and the subsequent call off contracts the name of the Contractor was Northgate Information Solutions UK Limited. The Contractor changed its company name to Northgate Public Services (UK) Limited on 16.6.2015.
The contract modification addressed by this Notice is for the introduction of an additional, complementary software module by the Contractor, together with ongoing support and maintenance services related to that software. The new functionality adds a public engagement tool to the existing Contractor solution. For a number of significant technical and economic reasons, it was acknowledged that a change of contractor would cause significant inconvenience and substantial duplication of costs for the Authority. Any new supplier would need extensive support from the Contractor in order to deliver an equivalent public engagement tool which could integrate with the current system and maintain the integrity of the live environment and service levels. In the circumstances the only feasible option was to procure the public engagement tool modifications from the Contractor.
The Contractor's solution has been modified to include a new public engagement tool, to be provided by the Contractor in accordance with the existing support processes for the Contractor's solution. System integration services to ensure the effective implementation of the public engagement tool will also by provided by the Contractor.
Introducing a separate third party supplier to provide the new public engagement tool carries a significant technical integration and interoperability risk. The Authority's existing Athena solution is based on the current Contractor's Connect software and is delivered as a managed service by the Contractor from a secure data centre. It is a tightly integrated system. The additional public engagement tool needs to be seamlessly integrated into the Athena solution to ensure that there is no disruption to or adverse impact on the live system. Reuse of the existing platform components and data services also makes best economic sense and will avoid duplication of cost as the new public engagement tool will enhance the existing user modules as well as drive further enhancements in terms of management reporting and operation data available to both analysts and all users. Additionally, it will maximise the speed of adoption and reduce costs.