Extension of Service Agreement relating to the provision of a passenger Wi-Fi system and associated services

The contract relates to the design, installation, operation, maintenance and ongoing support of the passenger Wi-Fi system installed across the Authority's rolling stock fleet.

Icomera is the incumbent provider and has designed, supplied and installed the existing onboard Wi-Fi infrastructure, including the onboard routers, gateways, antennas, software platform, remote monitoring tools, management portals and associated back-office systems. The current solution forms an integrated operational system that supports passenger connectivity and associated operational services across the fleet.

A change of supplier would require the replacement, modification or reconfiguration of significant elements of the existing onboard hardware, software and communications architecture. This would create substantial technical and operational challenges, including:

Integration risks between new and existing onboard communications equipment.

Potential incompatibility with fleet-specific hardware, vehicle wiring, antenna systems and installed network architecture.

The need for extensive testing, validation and certification activities to ensure continued safe and reliable operation on operational rolling stock.

Increased risk of service disruption to passenger Wi-Fi services during transition and implementation.

Additional maintenance and support complexity arising from the coexistence of multiple technology platforms and support arrangements.

Significant operational resource requirements to manage migration, commissioning and acceptance activities across the fleet.

The Authority has assessed whether reasonable alternatives exist and concluded that, within the required timeframe, there is no alternative supplier capable of providing the required extension and ongoing services without introducing disproportionate technical difficulties and operational risk.

The requirement is therefore limited to the existing supplier because:

The services are intrinsically linked to the proprietary solution currently deployed across the fleet.

The supplier possesses unique technical knowledge of the installed system, its configuration and historical performance data.

Continuity of service, maintenance, monitoring and support is dependent upon access to established systems, interfaces, software tools and operational arrangements already provided by Icomera.

Replacing the supplier would require substantial technical redesign, equipment replacement and re-certification activities, resulting in disproportionate cost, complexity and operational disruption.

Accordingly, the Authority considers that only Icomera can deliver the required services without causing disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance. The direct award is therefore justified under Procurement Act 2023 Schedule 5, Item 7 (Additional or Repeat Goods, Services or Works).