Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (OFRS) and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) in partnership on behalf of the Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS) jointly procured a joint mobilising system and related services. This was for the operational system dealing with 999 calls. The TVFCS now wish to issue a VEAT notice relating to this Contract.

The TVFCS was contracted in 2013 and accepted after Implementation was concluded in April 2015 giving an effective Contract Start Date of 10th April 2015. The Contracting Authorities now wish to update the original award notice 2013/S 246-429370 to correct ambiguity in the value advised at the time, which only related to the Initial Service Contract Period but did not take account of the value of the extension options that had been advertised ie 96months The original tender notice 2012/S 185-304339 stated an estimated value excluding VAT of between 600 000 and 1 000 000 GBP but this range failed to take account of the value of the potential extension options. The subsequent award notice 2013/S 246-429370 stated a total contract value of 870,000 GBP whereas having taken account of all the available options it should have been 1,395,024 GBP. The Contracting authorities wish to highlight the Change of Ownership that has occurred and the Novation Process that was undertaken as a consequence of this event. The Original Contracting Party was CAPITA SECURE INFORMATION SOLUTIONS LIMITED and following a business sale and a Novation of the Contract, on the 19th of August 2022 the Service Provider became SSS Public Safety Limited. The Novation is compliant with Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015). Opportunity is also taken to re-affirm the technology refresh options that were envisaged in the advertised opportunity 2012/S 185-304339 and the contractual mechanisms for executing such options as and when they became required. This notice sets out the contractual modification related to a technology refresh and upgrade to the initially provided hardware and software as provided for in the Contract. Modifications are permitted: a) Pursuant to review clauses referred to above and Regulation 72(1)(a) of PCR 2015; b) Pursuant to Regulation 72(1)(b) of PCR 2015 and Preamble (108) of Directive 2014/24/EU, as a change of contract cannot be made for technical reasons, in particular inter-changeability and inter-operability with existing equipment earlier procured, and duplication would be caused of both maintenance and support costs; and c) Pursuant to Regulation 72(1)(e) and (8) of PCR 2015, as the proposed modifications are not substantial within the meaning thereof.