Dudley M.B.C are inviting TEC providers to a market engagement session to discuss what their organisation can offer, against Dudley’s provisional requirements for their replacement ARC.

Dudley M.B.C are inviting TEC providers to a market engagement session to discuss what their organisation can offer, against Dudley’s provisional requirements for their replacement ARC.BT Openreach will be switching off the PSTN and ISDN (analogue network) in 2025 and moving to a Digital IP calling solution. Due to technical differences between Digital and Analogue communications any analogue connected devices will need to be replaced. This includes those used for critical communication as a part of the Telecare service delivery.The Telecare system currently used by the Council and provided by Tunstall will need to be replaced with one that can receive and process both analogue and digital calls, supporting IPACS, SCAIP and NOW-IP digital protocols. The ARC operates 24 hours, 365 day per year and is also used as the Council’s out of hours call centre and is a critical Council service.The Telecare Service can receive calls into the ARC from social care alarm devices in approximately• 400 flats in 12 Sheltered Housing Schemes • 3893 Council tenanted properties (Dispersed Properties)• 2676 Privately owned homes (Dispersed Properties)The aim of this event is to provide an outline of the commissioning intentions, for commissioners to understand the interest and the market's capabilities and for potential service providers to gain a wider understanding of the scope, provide feedback and ask questions.The information gathered from this exercise will help shape future proposals including any potential tendering process and associated service specification. For the avoidance of doubt, this stage of the project is not part of a formal procurement process and the Council is not committing, at this stage, to carrying out such a process.Participation or non-participation in the pre-procurement market engagement process shall not prevent any supplier participating in a potential future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of the pre-procurement process shall place any supplier at an advantage in a potential procurement process. Participation in the pre-procurement market engagement procurement process will be at each supplier's own cost. No expense in responding to this process will be reimbursed by the Council. This is not a call for competition.The virtual provider engagement sessions will be held via MS Teams via individual timed slots on 5th September 2023 to provide further information about this tender opportunity.To ensure you receive a breakdown of the timed sessions available and a link to this event, please confirm attendance by 31st August 2023, by emailing sanj.chanda@dudley.gov.uk by quoting in the subject header 'Telecare Replacement ARC engagement Event'. Please confirm the name of your organisation and the individual's contact details for each person attending; note a maximum of three representatives from each organisation is permitted.