DMFD283 Procurement of a safety event reporting and investigation management software solution

1.1.    Report LFC-25-095 to the London Fire Commissioner (LFC) provides a detailed overview of the proposal. This is a summary of that report.

1.2.    London Fire Brigade (LFB) must comply with health and safety legislation, including the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; and the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2012. To do this, LFB uses an IT system that supports effective reporting and recording of the safety events it attends and the investigations it undertakes. The system also helps LFB to meet the requirements of its Community Risk Management Plan; mitigate corporate risks; and report on its performance.

1.3.    LFB has used an electronic safety-event reporting system for almost 20 years. Every year, it reports over 1,000 safety events (such as injuries, road traffic collisions and near misses). In October 2020, the Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience (the Deputy Mayor) approved LFB’s procurement for the current system, at a cost of up to £460,000 over five years (see DMFD83). 

1.4.    LFB reports that the contract with the current provider introduced benefits including: 

•    greater flexibility around reporting different types of safety events 
•    being able to report near misses more quickly, and to report anonymously 
•    being able to use the solution remotely, including on portable devices 
•    provision via a hosted environment, in line with LFB’s ICT strategy. 

1.5.    LFB proposes to begin procurement for a replacement solution prior to the current contract ending in July 2026. 
 

2.1.    LFB proposes to carry out procurement, in line with LFC procurement policies, to identify and purchase a safety-event reporting and investigation system that meets or exceeds the current requirement (see LFC-25-095). The requirement and specification are unchanged from the current contract. LFB reports that a successful procurement will:

•    provide continuity of service for safety-event reporting and recording of investigations
•    ensure compliance with the latest standards on cybersecurity and data privacy
•    help LFB in continuing to meet its legal health and safety obligations. 

2.2.    LFB’s preferred procurement route is via an existing public sector framework agreement that allows for both direct award and mini competition. LFB considers both options within the framework agreement to be competitive and compliant with LFC procurement policies. 

2.3.    The proposed contract term will be three years, with an option to extend for up to two more years.
 

3.1.    The LFC and the Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service are required to have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010) when taking decisions. The public sector equality duty requires the identification and evaluation of the likely potential impacts, both positive and negative, of the decision on those with protected characteristics (see paragraph 3.4). 

3.2.    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.

3.3.    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, and sexual orientation.

3.4.    The Public Sector Equality Duty requires decision-takers in the exercise of all their functions, to have due regard to the need to:

•    eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other prohibited conduct
•    advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it
•    foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

3.5.    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:

•    remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by persons who share a relevant protected characteristic where those disadvantages are connected to that characteristic
•    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
•    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.

3.6.    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.

3.7.    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:

•    tackle prejudice 
•    promote understanding.

3.8.    LFB has completed an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) for this procurement. The EIA found only minor impacts against the characteristics of age and disability. LFB proposes to mitigate these through system specification; system design; considering LFB policies with respect to language in supporting materials; the availability of the Learning Support and Resilience team; and staff training.
 

4.1.    LFB will agree a detailed procurement strategy and timeline, to ensure completion of the process and contract award before July 2026 (the current contract renewal date). The Procurement and Commercial team will ensure the selected solution supports the LFC’s technical, security and resilience objectives. The contract will include provisions covering service levels, data protection, scalability, exit management, and a break clause after three years.

4.2.    LFB will consult with trade unions on the specification for the safety event reporting and investigation solution through the LFB Joint Committee for Health, Safety and Welfare. If, following the procurement, LFB staff need to be notified of any changes to what is required of them, LFB will agree and implement a communications plan.

4.3.    LFB has advised that this system is separate from, and will not interact with, the combined digital system (One Risk), to support improved reporting of building safety data, that the Deputy Mayor approved in November 2025. 

Conflicts of interest

4.4.    There are no conflicts of interest to declare from those involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision.
 

5.1.    This report seeks approval to reprocure a management software solution for the reporting and recording of safety events, based on a contract lasting up to five years. 

5.2.    Annual running costs (covering licensing, maintenance and support, as set out in part 2) are expected to be in line with what is currently budgeted for this system. 

5.3.    If LFB stays with the same supplier there will be no additional budget pressure. However, moving to a new supplier will require an additional, front-loaded cost to cover functional system development, ICT security testing and systems integration. A funding source will be required to cover these costs (detailed in part 2), as they are not currently included as part of the 2025-26 budget or the 2026-27 budgeting process.
 

6.1.    The LFC’s General Counsel’s Department has confirmed the following.

6.2.    This report seeks authority to commit expenditure, as set out in part 2, to procure and award a contract (lasting up to five years) for a management software solution to report and record safety events and investigations.

6.3.    Section 1 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 states that the LFC is the fire and rescue authority for Greater London. 

6.4.    Under section 327D of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, as amended by the Policing and Crime Act 2017, the Mayor may issue to the LFC specific or general directions as to the manner in which the holder of that office is to exercise his or her functions.

6.5.    By direction dated 1 April 2018, the Mayor set out those matters, for which the LFC would require the prior approval of either the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor. In particular, paragraph (b) of Part 2 of the said direction requires the LFC 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 value of the proposed contract award, as set out in part 2 of this report, exceeds this threshold. Therefore the prior approval of the Deputy Mayor is required, in accordance with the aforementioned direction. 

6.6.    The report confirms that an open and transparent tender process shall be undertaken, in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. The contract award decision will also be delegated to the Assistant Director of Procurement and Commercial Services.

6.7.    Continuing to provide a safety event reporting software solution will ensure LFB remains operationally efficient and effective.