NFCC National Fire Fighters PPE Project update
As advised at the Emergency Services Show on 18th September 2024, several Supplier Engagement Sessions have been planned.
These are planned to take place on
• 12th November 2024 location to be confirmed
• 12th December 2024 - West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service
• 21st January 2025 - West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service
• 25th February 2025 - West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service
• 20th March 2025 - West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service
• 30th April 2025 - West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service
From 12th December – 30th April the Supplier Engagement Sessions are due to be held at the Hub at West Midlands Fire SHQ, 99 Vauxhall Road Birmingham B7 4HW.
All meetings are intended to be hybrid and the Authority, would kindly request that attendance is limited per organisation to 1 attendee, and if another attendee from the same organisation is required that they maybe able to join via MS Teams.
Please can you send your request to join the event to NationalPPE@kent.fire-uk.org with the information set out below
Date of session(s) you wish to attend.
1 Preferred attendee name
2 Preferred attendee email address
3 Virtual attendee name
4 Virtual attendee email address
Please ensure that your responses are provided 5 working days in advance of the session.
If we are able to offer additional spaces for physical attendance of the secondary contact then we will offer out via the message service on the Kent Business Portal on a first come first served basis.
Previous PIN Notices published in relation to this procurement are
2023/S 000-033154
2024/S 000-026679
National Fire Chief’s Council would like to inform PPE suppliers of their forthcoming PPE Conference which will be held at Whitlebury Park, Towcester on 13th and 14th May. More information and booking of tickets to attend can be found on the NFCC Events webpage (NFCC PPE Conference 2024 - NFCC). There are also a limited number of sponsorship packages left and details of these are also on the webpage. For further information please contact events@nfcc.org.uk
Spaces are limited and therefore suppliers are requested to limit their attendance to a maximum of two persons per supplier.
Network Fire Service Partnership (NFSP) Joint Control WAN Project
The Network Fire Services Partnership (NFSP) provides a collaborative approach for the Fire Services of Devon and Somerset, Dorset & Wiltshire, Hampshire & IOW and Kent. The partnership covers a total area of 24,700 km2 with a population of 7.65m and works closely with the local control rooms located in Exeter, Eastleigh, Potterne and Maidstone.
The Partnership works to five strategic goals:
• Control - mobilising
• Response
• Seizing opportunities
• Our People
• Governance and leadership
These goals enable the Partnership to work collaboratively, support public safety and be at the forefront of developing, sharing and influencing best practice. Seizing opportunities enables the Partnership to be flexible and agile enough to make the most of innovative developments that offer value for money for all three partners.
Drawn from across the four services, with a range of skills and experience the Central Team are the go to people for any new opportunities.
The subject of this Prior Information Notice & Background to Engagement:
The Partnership is embarking on a number of major IT and business change projects. These include the replacement of their current shared Command and Control software solution and a new/upgraded Wide Area Network (WAN) to support this new system and each of the Partners specific needs. Both solutions are envisaged to have a life-span of between 8 and 10 years.
The Command and Control project is currently in the process of procuring a solution that will include the provision of the network hardware infrastructure – see diagram of scope attached. It is understood that the common Command and Control solution will be presented at 2 UK based Secure locations, these are yet to be determined and should be known by August.
Therefore, the replacement of the Wide Area Network project will not have a full set of detailed requirements for the supplied hardware at the stage of this PIN.
However, we have included an overview of the broader requirements for this engagement below (Annex A in section II.2.4 below).
Please also see supporting Scoping Diagram an Annex B.
Overview for this Preliminary Market Engagement
The NFSP requires a solution provider to work closely with their project team to provide the overall Design, to Build, Test and Implement the new Wide Area Network as well as providing an on-going support service over a period of between 8-10 years from start of contract. To this end, we wish to undertake some preliminary market engagement. The purpose of this is to assist the project team in:
(a) developing the requirements and approach to the procurement;
(b) designing a procedure, conditions of participation or award criteria;
(c) preparing the tender notice and associated tender documents;
(d) identifying suppliers that may be able to supply the goods, services or works required and the most appropriate route to market;
(e) identifying likely contractual terms;
It is likely that the route to market will be via further competition under the Crown Commercial Services Framework RM6116 Network Services 3 Lot 1a: Inter Site Connectivity (Wider Area Network) / Data Access Services, however, this decision will be informed by this preliminary market engagement exercise.
The NFSP will be hosting a supplier day at Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue headquarters in Salisbury on Thursday 20th June 2024. We would be keen to hear from suppliers who are interested in taking part in this preliminary market engagement and would like to come and visit the project team on the 20th June and discuss the requirements in more detail. In the first instance, please express interest in this opportunity via the Kent Business Portal and contact amanda.avron-cotton@kent.fire-uk.org to confirm your details and obtain further information and instructions.
NFCC PPE and Clothing Committee Conference – SAVE THE DATE – 18th May 2023
NFCC PPE and Clothing Committee Conference – SAVE THE DATE – 18th May 2023
The world of firefighters PPE is facing many modern challenges; not least from the concerns arising from the recently published FBU/UCLAN research reports on fire contaminants, led by Dr Anna A Stec, a leading Fire toxicologist.
The NFCC PPE and Clothing Committee would like to invite you to their inaugural Conference where many of these challenges will be discussed, including an update on the findings of the first phase of the Future Firefighter PPE project from DSTL and the Home Office.
The conference will take place on 17th and 18th May 2023;
· Day one: is limited to fire service personnel only.
· Day two: Suppliers (18th May): is an opportunity to discuss these issues and challenges with the supply network and hear first-hand the issues facing those in the supply chain.
Registration will be available shortly. It is hoped that we will also be able to facilitate a hybrid conference facility, again registration details will follow in due course.
Expression of interest for the event can be accessed via www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk
We look forward to seeing you at this event and should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact Brett Egan-Briers via email at Brett.Egan-Briers@nationalfirechiefs.org.uk.
Following recommendations from the Grenfell Inquiry, the Fire Sector are seeking a supplier to provide connections to a Multi Agency Incident Transfer (MAIT) hub, with a messaging solution to allow the sharing of critical incident information between blue light control rooms.
The resultant contract shall provide for both installations of the connections to the MAIT hub and spoke solution for all 33 English Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) Control Rooms.
Please note, this is not for hardware, but for the MAIT service itself.
Potential suppliers shall be expected to have knowledge and experience of the MAIT protocols and have either developed or be developing potential MAIT solutions for the emergency services. Please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-standards-for-government/multi-agency-incident-transfer for further information on this.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service are leading on this activity via the NFCC Procurement hub on behalf of the Fire Sector.
The commercial model is expected to be a single supplier framework for all FRS's to call off upon.
NFCC - Command and Control (CAD) and Integrated Communication and Control Systems (ICCS) Supplier and Fire sector engagement day.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Procurement hub are holding a virtual supplier and sector engagement day on Thursday 15th December.
The Procurement hub are therefore requesting all suppliers of CAD and ICCS systems to get in touch in order to participate in this day.
Multiple Fire Services are looking to undertake competition in the coming months/years to replace their existing CAD/ICCS Solutions.
Therefore, it would be useful to understand the roadmap and developments of suppliers solutions, cloud vs on premise, share two way feedback on previous procurement experiences, complexity of systems integration and open up a panel discussion consisting of CAD/ICCS suppliers.
We welcome all such suppliers who engage, or wish to engage with the sector on these systems. This is not an opportunity to demonstrate solutions.
Please register at www.kentbusinessportal.org to express an interest in this opportunity.
NOTE - this event is for Supplier Engagement only, and will not result in a competition - but will aid future competitions in this area
NFCC - Command and Control (CAD) and Integrated Communication and Control Systems (ICCS) Supplier and Fire sector engagement day.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Procurement hub are holding a virtual supplier and sector engagement day on Thursday 15th December.
The Procurement hub are therefore requesting all suppliers of CAD and ICCS systems to get in touch in order to participate in this day.
Multiple Fire Services are looking to undertake competition in the coming months/years to replace their existing CAD/ICCS Solutions.
Therefore, it would be useful to understand the roadmap and developments of suppliers solutions, cloud vs on premise, share two way feedback on procurement experiences, complexity of systems integration and open up a panel discussion consisting of CAD/ICCS suppliers.
We welcome all such suppliers who engage, or wish to engage with the sector on these systems.
NOTE - this event is for Supplier Engagement only, and will not result in a competition - but will aid future competitions in this area
Kent and Medway Towns Fire Authority ("the Authority") is considering the appointment of a contractor for the supply and provision of tree planting during the 2022/2023 winter period, and subsequent maintenance for a period of up to nine (9) months, across an area of circa 0.35ha at the Authority's Service Headquarters (SHQ) in Maidstone.
In order to access a high-level requirement statement, you will be asked to submit an Expression of Interest through the Kent Business Portal.
To help inform your continued interest, there will be an opportunity to visit and review the proposed planting location on our Service Headquarters site on the dates below. This is a site awareness session for interested bidders. Should questions be asked and answers provided, these will be recorded and resulting information will be shared through the Portal's Messaging function.
Interested bidders should register interest in attending site by indicating the time you wish to attend and the details of attendees (company name, name of individual(s) and number attending) in an email to both Kirstie.Loft@kent.fire-uk.org and Procurement@kent.fire-uk.org with the subject "C22033 Site Visit Request". Please note these will not be exclusive sessions and you may be visiting the site at the same time as other interested bidders.
Mon 24/10 - 08:00-09:00, 10:00-11:00, 14:00-15:00, 16:00-17:00
Wed 26/10 - 12:00-13:00, 15:00-16:00
We anticipate an Invitation to Tender will be issued early November 2022, within which bidders must be able to demonstrate that they can complete all planting works prior to 31st March 2023.
Please kindly be advised that this publication in no way commits the Authority to commence any procurement exercise or to award any contract.
Over the coming months, Kent Fire and Rescue Service would like to share with Industry our pipeline of potential contract opportunities across each of our category areas. The Authority spends on average £18m per annum on third party goods and services across the categories.
Our Commercial and Procurement Team focus on Professional Services, Fleet, Facilities Management and Construction, Operational Equipment, Information Communications Technology (ICT) and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Clothing and is fully focussed on delivering its Procurement Strategy that is committed to open, transparent and fair procurement and contracting processes. The Authority appreciates the dynamic nature of today’s global markets, and the impacts and pressure that this has had and will continue to have on all supply chains. It is therefore more important than ever that we work together with Industry to enable forward planning, through open engagement.
The Authority would like to invite all interested suppliers to join the first two sessions that share further information regarding Professional Services and Operational Equipment. The sessions are scheduled as follows;
Professional Services (focussing on the requirements of the People Team (formally Human Resources): Monday 17th October starting at 10:00 hrs.
Operational Equipment: Thursday 20th October starting at 13:00 hrs.
Please allow 2.5 hours per event. Each event will be held via Microsoft Teams.
Suppliers are encouraged to take every opportunity to engage with the Authority; all professional views, opinions and feedback will be very welcome throughout each event, so please do get involved.
Please register your interest via the Kent Business Portal no later than 24 hours prior to the start time of each event.
Further events will be published via the Kent Business Portal, so please do look out for further announcements from the Authority.
www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk
National Fire Chief's Council would like to inform PPE suppliers of their forthcoming PPE Conference which will be held on 12th - 13th May, Crowne Plaza, Nottingham.
More information and booking of tickets to attend can be found on the NFCC Events webpage (NFCC PPE Conference 2024 - NFCC).
There are also a limited number of sponsorship packages left and details of these are also on the webpage.
Further Information and link to book spaces can be found.
https://nfcc.org.uk/event/nfcc-ppe-conference/