UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

TVFCS uses EISEC and AML data to assist with the identification of the location of emergency callers who have used the 999 system to request assistance. EISEC and AML data is captured by BT as part of the 999 system and passed to TVFCS via dedicated EISEC servers, with a dual circuit connection in the primary control at Calcot, and a single circuit connection to the secondary control site in Kidlington. Data provided by the EISEC server is then passed into the TVFCS Command and Control solution, with the geographical location of the caller consequentially being displayed to Fire Control staff on their mapping display. The existing BT servers need to be replaced in order to guarantee continuity of service provision as telephony infrastructure migrates away from the PSTN system. The contract is broken down into a single capital expenditure of £3,500, and an annual charge of £9,500 which includes the provision at both primary and secondary control. Placing an order for replacement hardware with BT also enters the service into a 5-year contract for provision of the associated data. The EISEC contract meets the requirements, set out in the TVFCS Inter Authority Steady State Legal agreements, of a 'TVFCS Contract'. As such, approval was sought and gained at the December meeting of the TVFCS Joint Committee to meet the £3,500 cost of hardware replacement from the TVFCS replacement and renewal capita fund. The annual revenue cost of £9,500 was profiled in the TVFCS revenue budget bid for the 2025/26 financial year and was agreed by all 3 authorities.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) needs to deliver important information to keep its communities safe, as well as engage with different people about the work that it does. RBFRS's website (rbfrs.co.uk) is a key channel for engaging with the public. In 2024, the website was visited by 370,000 people, with a total of 604,000 page views. Due to the end of its current contract, RBFRS is seeking a supplier to host its external website. Due to the timescales associated with the contract, all existing pages and content from the current website will need to be migrated to the new platform. The deadline for implementation of the website is 1ST November 2025. Our objectives are as follows: Create a website that provides communities and wider stakeholders with a wide range of information relating to RBFRS's activities, community safety, careers, governance and events. Provide a user friendly and intuitive system for our teams to use when uploading and editing content on the website. Provide a provision for the hosting of Fire Authority documents on the website. Improve data sharing on the website, with the ability to integrate to other systems, such as PowerBi to display key data for public transparency. Provide accessibility from a range of devices, meeting accessibility standards (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - WCAG) with testing completed to ensure compliance ahead of the changeover. Provide a resilient capability by partnering with a supplier who can host the new website and provide industry experts to help evolve the application moving forward, therefore providing a future proof solution. Provide data storage, with streamlined and improved archiving and destruction processes, supporting compliance with GDPR and ease of access to information for reporting. Provide the functionality to produce online newsletters, so that RBFRS can produce targeted email communication materials. The procurement process was conducted through a Request for Quotation (RFQ) method, following a quality and price evaluation criterion. In line with procurement procedures, three (3) eligible suppliers were identified and selected to participate. An RFQ pack, containing all relevant specifications and instructions, was sent to the three suppliers via the In-tend portal.

The Authority is seeking quotes for the provision of a solution that will provide Royal Berkshire Fire Authority (RBFA) with a framework of suitable suppliers for print services. This will be a call off contract and no commitment to purchasing items. The Authority will place an order at its discretion as on when required basis. The Authority requires print services by multiple team and departments to support their work in reducing fire risk, supporting business to understand their responsibilities through promotional material used at events. On a day-to-day basis there is the occasional need for such as different formats of printing such as display banners. The requirement is a single source contract. Other print requirements include: - • Promotional material (Posters, leaflets) • Staff Communications (Magazines and leaflets) • Presentation (Banners) • Brochures (For event ceremonies) The requirements range from planned printed based on business-as-usual work to support our work in the community through to event or urgent requirements requiring a short turnaround. The Authority invited suppliers to a quote process in order to award the contract.

The Worker Protection Act came into force in October 2024 and requires employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. As per the guidance, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) has completed a risk assessment detailing the different risk areas and how we will mitigate them. The risk assessment identified the higher risk RBFRS is due to the high volume of both lone working and shift work through the night therefore, this now forms one of our corporate risks. Training forms part of the mitigation, as well as being advised within the guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. This training would take place in person, utilising virtual environments and scenarios. As the value is less than £100,000, the Authority completed a three-quote process to acquire quotes from 3 suppliers - to award the contract on price only evaluation.

Command Vehicles Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Command Vehicles currently use a cellular connection, this has proved to have mixed coverage limiting bandwidth and productivity. Accordingly, now with wide availability of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Broadband, the command vehicles will be upgraded with a satellite connection using the Starlink network. This will increase connection choice and availability, future proof command communications, allowing better cross communications with partners, including TVP drone teams, while creating a more seamless 365 application connection. A project will be run in two phases. First, deploying full mobility Starlink dish and connection to both command vehicles, to compare the Starlink connection with the cellular already on board. This being followed by a decision whether to either remove cellular, as Starlink may be found to be sufficient for the service alone. Otherwise, keep cellular as a failover in event of Starlink connection outage, or to bind the connections together to create a wider bandwidth, with further depth of resiliency, in turn installing a suitable binding router for this. HQ Static Resilience Installation (TVLRF Deployed Newsham Court) The HQ Resilience Starlink will be handed over from TVP/TVLRF to RBFRS in March, with a budget transfer from TVLRF that will cover 100% of the first year of operation under RBFRS (Budget Year 25/26). A contract will be raised with Brdy to facilitate this transfer at no cost to RBFRS. Further funding is under discussion with TVLRF for budget years 26/27. IT & Duty Communications - Backpack pack (Available 24/7 deployment) IT have a backpack Starlink the is deployed to stations where external fibre network has failed, to allow the station to continue operating at near full availability, until a fix by the supplier is implemented. This backpack is also available 24/7 through the Duty Communications Officers, for creating a Wi-Fi dome for command points as needed in areas of poor cellular network signal, or lack of Wi-Fi resources.

The requires a single supplier following Management Committee meeting regarding 4X4 Water/Animal Rescue vehicle Replacement. The requirements of the vehicle meant that this is a special build and very hard to come by with a long lead time. The fleet team searched out a preferred vehicle then got to work sourcing quotations. 3 quotes was provided, and CoTrim was selected to supply the required vehicle with a short lead time to the organisation against other suppliers. This is why they have been selected as the chosen supplier.

The Authority requires a single supplier to purchase an electric van, the fleet department to purchase an all electric van for the Facilities department. The requirements of the vehicle meant that this could be purchased off the shelf as no additional features were needed. The fleet team searched out a preferred vehicle then got to work sourcing quotations. 3 quotes was provided and Group 1 Ford, Wokingham was selected to supply the required vehicle at a saving of over £7000 to the organisation against other suppliers. This is why they have been selected as the chosen supplier.

Suppliers will be required to provide the following services in a cost-effective structure: General Requirements • The Contractor shall supply, install, and maintain all specified equipment at RBFRS locations. • Provision for leasing options, enabling RBFRS to forecast costs, maintain budget compliance, and upgrade or alter equipment in line with operational requirements. • All equipment shall operate from a standard 13-amp power supply, with electrical connections located within 1 metre, and water/drainage connections within 15 metres of installation points. • The Contractor shall provide a fixed monthly price for all services and assets supplied under this contract Equipment Specifications and Requirements • Supply and install free-standing, mains-fed machines at designated locations. • Appearance and functionality must be suitable for high-traffic areas (station/office). • Provision of PAT test certificates and installation records for all machines. • State the energy efficiency rating of the proposed units. • Total care package to include descaling and filter replacement at intervals suitable for hardwater areas. Service intervals to be specified in the Service Level Agreement (SLA). Bottled Water Chillers • Supply bottled water chillers at up to 34 designated sites, as per inventory. • Deliver the required number of bottles during servicing visits; remove and dispose of used bottles in an environmentally responsible manner. • Provide an order process for individual Fire Stations and HQ to reorder directly via telephone or portal, with a capped maximum number per week. • Provide an SLA for servicing, including internal and external cleaning. Mains Water Chillers / Coolers • Supply and install free-standing, mains-fed water chillers as specified in the inventory. • Chillers must dispense both chilled and ambient temperature water. • The body of the chiller shall not be stainless steel; the Contractor must specify available colour/finish options. • Appearance and functionality to be suitable for high-traffic (station/office) environments. • State energy efficiency rating of each proposed unit. • Total care package to include cleaning reports/certificates, PAT testing records, and operative training for cleaning, descaling, and filter replacement at intervals appropriate for hard water areas. Service intervals must be detailed in the SLA. Instant Hot Water Boilers • Supply and install free-standing or wall-mounted hot water boilers as required. • Boilers must be capable of dispensing water at 100°C and accommodate various vessel sizes up to 2 litres. • Contractor to specify the material and available colour/finish options for the boiler body. • Appearance and functionality to be suitable for high-traffic (station/office) environments. • State energy efficiency rating of each proposed unit. • Total care package to include cleaning of exterior, descaling, and filter replacement, with service intervals confirmed in the SLA, appropriate for hard water areas. Maintenance and Compliance • Contractor to perform scheduled and reactive maintenance, ensuring all equipment remains fully operational and compliant with statutory requirements. • Provide all necessary PAT testing records and maintenance certificates. • Include training for RBFRS staff responsible for equipment cleaning and routine maintenance. Environmental Considerations • Contractor must demonstrate environmentally responsible practices for supply, disposal, and recycling of consumables and equipment. Service Level Agreement (SLA) • The Contractor shall provide a detailed SLA outlining all service intervals, response times, and performance standards for all equipment and services supplied under this contract Mobilisation • Prior to the commencement of the contract, the appointed contractor shall develop and execute a comprehensive mobilisation plan. This will include conducting site visits to perform assessment surveys of existing equipment. The assessment must verify the correct placement of units, evaluate the feasibility of transitioning from bottled water to a mains-fed cooling system, and incorporate any additional hot and cold-water points as directed by the relevant authority

A 4x4 van is needed for water rescue operations. The requirements were for it to be a used van and to have low mileage. The vans will be delivered to Royal Berkshire Fire Rescue Service HQ (RBFRS HQ). Within two months of order confirmation, at least one van will be purchased and deployed for operational use. Minimal modification work is required and will be completed locally.

The Authority has a requirement for support and maintenance of its current finance system, Sage 1000, for an additional two years to allow enough time to procure and implement a new accounting system. While Sage 1000 will come to its end of life in 2029, Sage will cease to provide updates to the system after December 2024. After this date, system maintenance will only be provided by our support and maintenance provider, Datel.

The Authority has a requirement for scheduled testing and maintenance on some alarms in Newsham Court. The smoke alarm system in HQ is a closed protocol system. As this is the case, it was decided that a waiver would be put in place because the service is unique to the supplier and allows for continued maintenance of the HQ Fire Systems.

The Authority takes its commitment to health and safety very seriously. Training is a crucial element in ensuring our staff are equipped to manage the health and safety risks encountered in their roles. This is a nationally recognised qualification that has been provided to staff for many years. The course continues to meet our needs for health and safety training. IOSH Managing Safely is a standard syllabus that is delivered by IOSH's network of approved training providers. As the value was below £100k, a 3-quote process was conducted.

The Authority HQ requires Chillers for Air Conditioning in order to allow functionality of the service especially the service rooms. There are four circuits and one needs a repair otherwise there is no possible functionality for the chillers to cool the building. It affects the server rooms and if these go down, it will affect HQ and the network to the whole service which is critical to the turnout of emergency communications when emergencies are called through. The contract was awarded through 3 quote price only evaluation.

The Fire Safety Advisors are required to complete Level 3 and Level 4 qualifications in Fire Safety Training. It is expected that there will be 2 cohorts of 2-10 delegates. It is expected that the training will take place face to face at a venue of the supplier's choice. The contract award was based on 3 quotes price only evaluation.

Due to the retirement of the current Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive (CFO / CEX) of Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service in March 2026, the Authority is initiating a process to recruit the next CFO / CEX). The Authority used three quotes process to award the contract.

The Authority, as part of its Strategic Asset Investment Framework (SAIF), identified Windsor Fire Station as a donor site for development to improve equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) for creating dignified facilities that support, encourage and promote a more diverse workforce now and into the future. The Authority utilised a three quotes process under Royal Berkshire Fire Authority's Contract Standing Order (CSO) 2.6 Thresholds - Three quotes, price only evaluation.

Due to the retirement of the current Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive (CFO / CEX) of Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service in March 2026, the Authority is initiating a process to recruit the next CFO / CEX). The successful agency will help in candidate identification and selection, sift through CV application and cover letters, manage the search activity for suitable candidates through specialists' networks, sifting and long listing candidates, organising assessments, conducting due diligence, cross checking references and managing risks and organising final panel for candidate selection. The Authority used three quotes process to award the contract.

The Authority is seeking Tender for the provision of a support and maintenance contract for the Integrated Communications Control systems (known as the DC3000 ICCS) used by the Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS). The two installations of the DC3000 ICCS are located at: • RBFRS Headquarters, Calcot Reading - Primary installation • OFRS Headquarters , Kidlington, Oxford- Secondary installation TVFCS is a joint collaboration of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire Fire Services. TVFCS use the two installations of the DC3000 ICCS as an essential part of the wider integrated solution to manage all fire related emergency calls for the Thames Valley. TVFCS provide this essential service to a high standard 24/7, 365 days a year.

Grounds maintenance and related services for all RBFRA locations.