Replacement of MetRIC system

The current Metropolitan Police Service solution for dealing with information requests from the public and correspondence is beyond end of life and no longer meets the business need. There is a need to procure an up to date and reliable solution that has the potential to be extended to further areas of the Metropolitan Police Service to modernise their working practices.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

1. Approve the procurement of a commercial off the shelf product, GSA Ltd.’s CycFreedom, on a Software as a Service basis to replace the obsolete MetRIC system.

2. Approve the Capital and Revenue expenditure within the funding options.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. As a Data Controller and Public Authority, the Metropolitan Police Service has a legal obligation to respond to requests from individuals made under the Data Protection Act (DPA), the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Environmental Impact Regulations (EIR) in a timely and accurate fashion.

1.2. This process is currently managed using the MetRIC system, which is now beyond end of life and is supported on a “best endeavours” basis only. It is slow and unreliable, with limitations to its functionality that affect its ability to remain compliant with changing legislation and the ability of the Metropolitan Police Service to respond to requests within the required response time.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The principal risk to the Metropolitan Police Service is that the MetRIC system suffers a partial or total loss of service for an extended time period, or that there is a complete and unrecoverable service failure. Such a failure would cause the Metropolitan Police Service serious difficulty in complying with its obligations under legislation.

2.2. The suggested solution has potential for reuse in other areas of the Metropolitan Police Service who are currently heavily reliant on paper based processes.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. The Capital and Revenue expenditure and funding options are detailed 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. There are no significant legal issues arising because of the replacement of MetRIC.

5. Equality Comments

5.1. The nine Protected Characteristics specified by the Equality Act 2010 have been considered and the only one to be engaged by the replacement of MetRIC is disability. The product chosen is compatible with assistive technology and this will be tested against that used in the MPS as part of the acceptance process.

6. Background/supporting papers

6.1. Report