Command and Control OBC

This paper seeks approval for the OBC for the replacement Command and Control system. Command and Control (C&C) is a critical service enabling delivery of operational policing activity. The current MPS C&C IT systems are old and increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain.

Engagement activity both within and outside the MPS has evidenced the need to transform the C&C operating model and to ensure the MPS can continue to collaborate operationally with partners to keep London safe. The provision of a new C&C technology will enable this and provides the opportunity to transform the way C&C is delivered in terms of approach, risk assessment, managing demand and responsiveness, whilst simultaneously driving down costs.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

• Approve this project to proceed to Full Business Case Gate 3 (Investment Decision) and commence procurement through the Solution Provider Framework agreement.

• Agree funding of £2.9m to be drawn from the allocated £36.8m in the Capital Plan for Command & Control, of which £0.95m is 2018-19 and £1.95m is 2019-20. This will fund the Project team to further explore all aspects of the recommended option, including dialogue with potential suppliers, enable completion of the Command & Control Project FBC by October 2019 and proceed with further commercial procurement activity to award of contract.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The current C&C operating model is disparate and results in a situation where there is often no single view, or accountability, from a command perspective, and time and effort is wasted on duplicated activities.

1.2. C&C systems are old, expensive and suffer from a lack of integration. In addition, there is little or no technical integration between key MPS systems (or other relevant external systems), resulting in manual intervention, often multiple times. They are also inflexible and not conducive to mobile working, which means officers cannot always get the information they need, when they need it.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. Replacing this mission critical technology is expensive. Full costs are contained in the restricted section of this report. The current Command and Control operating model is inefficient and limits operational effectiveness and Continuing with the current solution is not commercially, technologically or financially viable.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. Detailed financial comments are provided in Part 2.

4. Legal Comments

4.1. The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) is a contracting authority as defined in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (the Regulations). All awards of public contracts for goods and/or services valued at £181,302 or above must be procured in accordance with the Regulations.

5. Commercial Issues

5.1. The preferred option for procuring these goods and services is the Solution Provider Framework (SPF). The SPF is considered a swifter route to market that eliminates some aspects of the procurement process, while providing access to firms that can perform the integration work, who will then contract with the COTS product suppliers.

5.2. The SPF offers the most appropriate balance between minimising time to contract award, minimising integration risk (post award) and minimising risk of challenge and reputational risk to the chosen procurement route.

5.3. If the SPF results in a competition that is deemed to be insufficient in the early stages of the procurement the project will defer to the OJEU CPN process.

6. GDPR/Data Privacy

6.1. At Outline Business Case stage, whilst it recognises the need for a new Command and Control System, the detail behind how this will delivered has yet to be fully identified. However the Statements of Requirements recognise the need to protect data and a requirement is a feature supporting management of data in order to comply with MoPI, RRD, DPA, GDPR and FOIA. As the project moves through to detailed design a Data Protection Impact Assessment will be completed and managed through the life of the project to ensure compliance with legislation and to manage any privacy issues.

7. Equality Comments

7.1. An Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) was completed as part of the production of this business case to identify potential positive and negative equality impacts towards people who fall within the protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010. Access considerations were documented and taken into account. The Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Unit were consulted as part of this EIA and OBC.

8. Background/supporting papers

8.1. Report