DMFD85 Replacement of Audio-visual Equipment at Fire Stations

In 2016 a procurement took place to install audio-visual (AV) equipment in all London Fire Brigade (Brigade) fire stations. This included the providing the same modern equipment at each location, that could be used for a wide variety of purposes.

The equipment is now over four years old and is approaching the end of its useful life. By introducing more modern equipment, fire stations will have the ability to make the best use of new technology, including the collaboration opportunities offered by products such as Microsoft Teams, delivered as part of Microsoft 365 within the Brigade’s Modern Workplace Programme.

Fire stations currently have a range of AV equipment, normally installed in the station lecture room. The equipment usually comprises a large screen, speakers and a DVD player. Typically, the equipment has been used for internal communication messages and training and is also available for station staff to use in their off-duty time.

Costs

The exact cost for each station may vary due to several factors, including the size of the room and therefore the corresponding size of the screens, as well as the age of the station (some older stations can be more challenging to install equipment into).

Last year the Brigade carried out an AV refresh at the London Operations Centre (LOC) at Merton. Using the costs incurred for this refresh as a baseline and amending the specification to suit a “like for like” procurement as stations, it is estimated that the refresh of AV equipment could be undertaken for approximately £500,000.

A sum of £500,000 is contained within the approved capital plan for 2020/21. However, due to the impact of the current pandemic, particularly competing projects requiring access to stations and the requirement for staff and contractors to work in a safe environment, it is expected that the majority of the installation would take place in financial year 2021/22.

In the case of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) stations, after discussions with colleagues in the property department, the approach will be to include these fire stations within the proposed procurement to ensure a common level of equipment across all stations. However, the equipment will be installed and subsequently maintained by the PFI provider.

Costs are based around a three-year contract for the supply, installation and on-going and maintenance and repair of the equipment provided and include an option to extend for a further two years. Budgetary provision of £235,000 already exists within the ICT team for maintaining AV equipment at stations (for up to five years), therefore no additional funding is required for the new equipment maintenance, once the warranty period expires.

The AV equipment is expected to have a life of five years.

Collaboration opportunities

Under the Policing and Crime Act 2017, the London Fire Commissioner (LFC) has a duty to keep collaboration opportunities (with police and ambulance services) under review and, where it is in the interests of efficiency or effectiveness, to put those collaboration opportunities into practice. As referred to in the introduction to this paper, LFB colleagues in procurement are currently examining a number of collaborative frameworks right across the public sector.

Use of the TfL ICT Resellers Framework was considered but was discounted as there were a number of outstanding queries concerning it. Contact was also made with the GLA Collaborative Procurement Team to seek interest from other functional bodies who may have a similar requirement. They have confirmed that there are no collaborative agreements available for LFC to utilise and no interest in collaborating has been received from other functional bodies.

Other potential collaborative procurement routes that have been identified to date are the use of the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Technology Products & Associated Services Framework (TePAS), the NHS London Procurement Partnership (LPP) Information Management & Technology (IM&T) Framework, and the Pan London ICT Framework (Lot 4) that was tendered by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea on behalf of the London Public Sector as a collaborative framework. At least one of the above collaborative frameworks will be used as the LFB’s route to market. The LFB may use multiple frameworks as it has done in the past so that it can ensure best value for money. No decision has yet been made as to which framework or frameworks the LFB will use.

The TePAS framework offers public sector buyers a flexible and compliant way to source all their technology product needs. This is the first iteration of the Technology Products framework to have associated services in its scope. 60.98% of the suppliers on this framework are small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The UK public sector and their associated bodies and agencies, including the voluntary sector and charities, can use this framework.

LPP established the IM&T framework which consists of suitably experienced, capable, qualified and resourced suppliers available for use by NHS trusts, clinical commissioning groups, GP services and other health and social care providers within the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, as well as local authorities and third sector organisations. The purpose of the framework is to provide a compliant route to market for each of the initiatives.

The Pan London ICT Framework (Lot 4) aims to deliver best value to London’s public sector through a catalogue price structure, faster cost-effective procurement process and flexibility. The framework offers a catalogue of services by BT which is supported by several market leading IT/communications vendors. This framework has offered an alternative route to market when there has not been a collaborative opportunity available via the GLA, or a suitable CCS framework. The framework also allows for a tender exercise to be carried out. Formal benchmarking is regularly undertaken by an external company against a minimum of eight top quartile peers and an overall ‘value for money’ rating has been awarded.

Conclusion

The provision of new AV for all Brigade stations will ensure that station-based staff have to the same level of modern technology provision as office-based staff. The equipment will be deigned to be easy to operate and be reliable, with backup provided by a comprehensive support and maintenance package. In addition, the new equipment will provide a solid foundation upon which additional functionality (such as interactive training technology) could be added in future, should the Brigade decide to do so.

The London Fire Commissioner and decision takers are required to have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty (s149 of the Equality Act 2010) when taking decisions. This in broad terms involves understanding the potential impact of policy and decisions on different people, taking this into account and then evidencing how decisions were reached.

It is important to note that consideration of the Public Sector Equality Duty is not a one-off task. The duty must be fulfilled before taking a decision, at the time of taking a decision, and after the decision has been taken.

The protected characteristics are: Age, Disability, Gender reassignment, Pregnancy and maternity, Marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of the requirements to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination), Race (ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality), Religion or belief (including lack of belief), Sex, Sexual orientation.

The Public Sector Equality Duty requires us, in the exercise of all our functions (i.e. everything we do), to have due regard to the need to:

(a) eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other prohibited conduct.

(b) advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

(c) foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

Having due regard to the need to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it involves having due regard, in particular, to the need to:

(a) remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by persons who share a relevant protected characteristic where those disadvantages are connected to that characteristic;

(b) take steps to meet the needs of persons who share a relevant protected characteristic that are different from the needs of persons who do not share it;

(c) encourage persons who share a relevant protected characteristic to participate in public life or in any other activity in which participation by such persons is disproportionately low.

The steps involved in meeting the needs of disabled persons that are different from the needs of persons who are not disabled include, in particular, steps to take account of disabled persons' disabilities.

Having due regard to the need to foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it involves having due regard, in particular, to the need to—

(a) tackle prejudice, and

(b) promote understanding.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) was undertaken on 13 April 2020. The EIA found outline positive impacts identified for those with disabilities, as the provision of enhanced visual and audio capability was thought to be of particular benefit to this group.

Sustainability

Any new procurement activity will need to be undertaken in line with the GLA Group Responsible Procurement policy. As part of delivery of this policy, the Greater London Authority Group is currently in the process of affiliating with Electronics Watch, which requires the inclusion of additional terms and conditions for contracts with significant hardware purchases. The terms aim to improve the transparency of the supply chain and management of any non-compliance with labour standards identified with the support of Electronics Watch. Where hardware replacement of considerable value forms part of the requirement for any of the options proposed, additional terms covering ethical sourcing will need to be included in the tender or re-negotiation.

Local Digital Declaration

In May 2019, the London Fire Commissioner signed the Local Digital Declaration (LDD) on behalf of the LFC. The LDD which is signed by national and local government bodies, is seeking to co-create the conditions for the next generation of local public services, where technology is an enabler rather than a barrier to service improvements, and services are “a delight for citizens and officials to use”. It is acknowledged that one size doesn’t fit all, but by developing common building blocks local authorities, and other public services, it will be possible to build services more quickly, flexibly and effectively. Only in this more open and flexible market, it is believed, will we unlock the full potential for innovation.

The LDD ambition requires both a culture shift and a technology shift and sets out five principles to help do this (available via the link above). In particular, and relevant to any new or replacement computer systems, including the mobilising solution, is principle 1 which is “We will go even further to redesign our services around the needs of the people using them. This means continuing to prioritise citizen and user needs above professional, organisational and technological silos.”

A key issue, following LDD principles, will be to ensure that the needs of service users are fully met. Some engagement with such users may be appropriate as part of the project to replace the mobilising solution. For example, given the new ways (including via social media) that people now want to communicate it will be important, in deploying a new mobilising solution, that it has the capacity to embrace new communication channels.

This proposal replaces the existing AV equipment at fire stations with a modern AV solution. The report notes that this is at an estimated cost of £500,000 which will be incurred over the 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years. The capital programme includes funding of £500,000 for this work in 2020/21 and as a result the capital programme will need to be reprofiled to reflect the revised timelines. The £500,000 cost is funded through borrowing this will result in capital financing costs of £115,000 annually, including £100,000 minimum revenue provision for the repayment of principal and £15,000 in interest payments per annum based on an interest rate of 3%. The costs of borrowing are included in the current approved revenue budgets for debt charges.

The report also notes that there will be an ongoing supplier contract for a period of five years at an estimated cost of £235,000 (for a five-year period), which will be contained within the existing ICT revenue budget for maintaining AV equipment at stations.

There are no additional financial implications for the GLA.

Under section 9 of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, the London Fire Commissioner (the "Commissioner") is established as a corporation sole with the Mayor appointing the occupant of that office. Under section 327D of the GLA Act 1999, as amended by the Policing and Crime Act 2017, the Mayor may issue to the Commissioner specific or general directions as to the manner in which the holder of that office is to exercise his or her functions.

By direction dated 1 April 2018, the Mayor set out those matters, for which the Commissioner would require the prior approval of either the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience (the "Deputy Mayor").

Paragraph (b) of Part 2 of the said direction requires the Commissioner to seek the prior approval of the Deputy Mayor before “[a] commitment to expenditure (capital or revenue) of £150,000 or above as identified in accordance with normal accounting practices…”.

The Deputy Mayor's approval will be required for the Commissioner when it comes to any new procurement of AV equipment.

Furthermore, the proposed procurement of the AV equipment must be in compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

The statutory basis for the actions proposed in this report is provided by section 7(2)(a) of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, under which the Commissioner must secure the provision of personnel, services and equipment necessary to efficiently meet all normal requirements for firefighting. Furthermore under section 7(2)(b) of the aforementioned act the Commissioner must secure the provision of training for personnel.