MetCC Voice Platform Replacement

This decision seeks funding to replace the existing legacy MetCC voice platform hosted in Lambeth, Hendon and Bow with a new data centre hosted network delivered voice platform. This is driven by the existing platforms going end of life and support and the move from Call Routing Agreement to Network Tower Agreement contracts, and the Pegasus Project.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve £11,789,000 of Capital to fund completion of MetCC replacement voice platform from the MOPAC Approved Digital Policing Capital Budget (£3,131,000 in 2020/21 and £8,658,000 in 2021/22). This will be procured through the Network Tower Agreement (NTA) with British Telecommunications Plc. The technical and financial scope of this service is within the scope of the original NTA as approved by MOPAC.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. Current MetCC Voice platforms are nearing end of life and support under the Call Routing Agreement (CRA).

1.2. The scope of this project is to replace the three on premise MetCC voice platforms (“Legacy Avaya”) with a highly resilient platform (“New Avaya”) hosted logically in MPS data centres.

1.3. The New Avaya voice platform will replace the Legacy Avaya on a “like for like” basis in relation to functionality.

1.4. This delivery is aligned with the current MPS strategy, providing

• Flexible, scalable and agile, right-sized and fit-for-purpose

• Allows future adoption of systems to meet public communication needs with 999 and 101 services.

• Off-the-shelf (not bespoke in nature).

1.5. MPS Enterprise Architects have approved the architecture MetCC architecture.

1.6. The expected life of the replacement solution is five years to ten years (based upon the life span of Legacy Avaya.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. An IT Health check is not required, as all components of the proposed solution already hold Authority to Operate (AtO) approval.

2.2. The selection of the New Avaya product was based on the following principals and risk mitigations:

• Limited time remaining within the existing platform before end of life. The Legacy Avaya platform is end of life March 2021. This means that under the CRA BT will only provide support on a reasonable endeavours basis (i.e. BT will fix and maintain what they are able to, given the compatible parts and equipment which are still available). Support on a reasonable endeavours is unsustainable in the long-run (because compatible parts and equipment will no longer be manufactured and existing stocks are depleted). To mitigate this risk of Legacy Avaya failing post March 2021, MPS need to expedite the transition to New Avaya. Using the incumbent supplier ensures that delays are not incurred due to knowledge and information transfer to a new supplier.

• Existing residual value within the existing platform in licenses. The Legacy Avaya software licenses are transferable to the New Avaya platform.

• The migration to a non-Avaya product would generate a skills gap. The New Avaya front end administration and management information systems are similar to Legacy Avaya front ends, requiring minimal transition. MPS will not incur additional costs of extracting staff and officers for training.

• Enabled migration of existing data and configuration from legacy platform to new as compatible. Legacy management information and call recordings can be migrated. The replacement of Legacy Avaya for the New Avaya platform will enable a straightforward (and therefore lower risk) migration of existing data as the two platforms are compatible

• This is critical infrastructure, which demands an extremely high level of performance. Other solutions have been considered, but found to lack the reliability, security and resilience of a New Avaya platform.

• Proceeding with the incumbent supplier ensures that they will be responsible for both Legacy Avaya and New Avaya during the transition. This sole responsibility mitigates the risks of having two supplier’s responsible for the different platforms and reduces the risk and costs (both financial and reputational) of services being impacted when transitioning from the Legacy Avaya to New Avaya platforms.

2.3. The proposed platform was selected without a tendering process of alternative suppliers, due to the above points and in addition due to the aggressive delivery. The existing incumbent has a detailed working knowledge of the existing estate and customer, and these attributes were of a significant value in delivering successfully and on time. The introduction of a new incumbent would increase transition risks and endanger the delivery.

2.4. The New Avaya platform also shares the architecture, which forms the new ESN service, continuing to use New Avaya would in effect future proof working methods and processes when adopting this new service in the future saving possible future costs of integration with ESN for the MPS.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. The project aims to deliver completion of the Legacy Avaya MetCC Voice Platform replacement at a capital expenditure cost of £11,789k (being £3,131k in 2020/21 and £8,658k in 2021) which will be met from the DP Capital Budget. There is no increase revenue cost per annum from mid-21/22 onwards, which will be funded from existing support and maintenance charges.

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 in excess of £189,330 shall be procured in accordance with the Regulations.

4.2. Paragraph 4.8 of the Scheme provides the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) reserves the right to approve business cases for revenue or capital expenditure of £500,000 and above.

4.3. The proposed works orders with the incumbent supplier are to be placed through the NTA contract. The technical and financial scope of the proposed order are within the scope and value of the NTA contract and therefore compliant with the Regulations.

5. Commercial Issues

5.1. The services required to deliver completion of the MetCC voice platform replacement will be procured via the incumbent Network Tower supplier under the NTA between them and the MPS.

Commercial Principles:

5.2. In order to ensure value for money MPS Commercial Services conducted a delivery model assessment of the Legacy Avaya platform which is delivered under the outsourced BT NTA Contract, against alternative provision and concluded the outsourcing model was more strategically aligned to the MPS policing plan and presented less risk than in-house or provision through a market competition. In particular the assessment found:

• there is insufficient in-house capability to deliver the service,

• introducing a potential new provider, or award to the incumbent supplier under a new contract would transfer more risk to the Authority, for example TUPE transfer, undermining the benefits of the current NTA Contact,

• the incumbent supplier has the expertise and capacity to deliver large, critical, complex network service projects.

5.3. The alternatives to New Avaya were reviewed against the current market place and Gartner were engaged to carry out this review. According to Gartner there are few suppliers capable of providing on-premises platforms as the majority of customers, except the majority of the 999 community, have transferred fully to the Cloud.

5.4. Transferring a mission critical service to the Cloud would require a time intensive security accreditation process, a new provider and platform procurement and expensive parallel running whilst ensuring availability of a policing service to London. The New Avaya platform is stable, proven, reliable and capable of managing demand.



5.5. In terms of best value, the MPS has reduced licence and infrastructure costs by approximately £400k. The majority of the costs are in project resources. Gartner have confirmed the current BT rate is competitive against comparable suppliers and rates in the market place.

5.6. The completion of MetCC voice platform replacement will be ordered under the Network Tower Agreement with BT. MPS confirm that the proposed works order to BT is within the technical and financial scope of Network Tower Agreement.

5.7. The NTA terms & conditions include all the key contractual clauses & payment mechanisms and allows for changes/projects to the contract through a prescribed change process.

5.8. The MOPAC has approved a total contract value of £200m for the Network Tower (PCD 151 dated 02/03/17). This paper does not have an impact on the total contract value.

5.9. The technical and financial scope of this BJP is within the scope of the original NTA contract as approved by MOPAC. The initial proposal was reviewed by the Core Infrastructure team and architecture who are recommending that this paper progresses.

5.10. There is no impact on the workforce as this request is about an existing service i.e. there are no TUPE implications or staff changes.

6. GDPR and Data Privacy

6.1. The MPS is subject to the requirements and conditions placed on it as a 'State' body to comply with the European Convention of Human Rights and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018. Both legislative requirements place an obligation on the MPS to process personal data fairly and lawfully in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals.

6.2. Under Article 35 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Section 57 of the DPA 2018, Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) become mandatory for organisations with technologies and processes that are likely to result in a high risk to the rights of the data subjects.

6.3. The Information Assurance and Information Rights units within MPS will be consulted at all stages to ensure the project meets its compliance requirements.

6.4. The project does not use personally identifiable data of members of the public, so there are no GDPR issues to be considered.

7. Equality Comments

7.1. This project will not impact Equality and Diversity. All work will be let through an existing MOPAC contract the Network Tower Agreement. This existing MOPAC contract is fully compliant with legal requirements, including Equality Law, and MPS legal advisors confirmed this during the contract review prior to contract award.

8. Background/supporting papers

8.1. Report