Warden & Nurse Call Systems - Supply, Installation, Servicing & Maintenance - Portsmouth

INTRODUCTION

Portsmouth City Council (the 'Council') is inviting expressions of interest from suitably experienced contractors for the replacement of existing analogue residential Warden and Telecare Call systems installed within the Council's 34 sheltered housing properties with digital systems.

Following completion of the supply and installation works, the Council will also require ongoing servicing, maintenance, repair and spares provision on a rolling basis.

Supply & installation works will be delivered on a phased basis made up of multiple sheltered housing blocks within each phase in order to achieve effective contract management, equipment economies of scale leverage and programme efficiencies.

The first phase (Phase 1) comprising 8 blocks is targeted to commence on site in January 2022 with all subsequent phases to be completed as far in advance of the 2025 deadline after which the analogue telephone services which the current systems rely upon will be switched off as the UK's telecoms infrastructure is upgraded to digital connectivity.

SCOPE, REQUIREMENTS & SPECIFICATION SUMMARY

The Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) which the current and replacement equipment will signals and alerts to is not subject to this procurement process. This is currently provided via a shared service agreement with Southampton City Council.

In order to ensure that the new systems are able to integrate with differing equipment hardware, ARC systems and can be effectively maintained & serviced by any number of contractors once installed the Council will require on mandated basis that applying contractors are able to supply & install systems and subsequently service & maintain on a full Open Protocol basis.

Warden call systems MUST meet the requirements of BS8521 Specification or equivalent for dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signalling protocol for social alarm systems and Council performance specification. The contractor will be required to supply a turn-key service to include all management, builder's work, and design (where required) to include finishes and decoration as per the Council's performance specification.

All equipment must be the most up to date with both Warden Call and Telecare capability. The equipment must have both analogue and digital capability so that the equipment can operate with the existing analogue infrastructure and subsequently transfer to the future digital infrastructure without any further upgrading.

The contractor must be able to install the new system whilst the existing system remains operational throughout so there is no disruption to the safety of the residents. The contractor must have a maximum response time of 4 hours to carry out any repairs.

FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT RATIONALE & OVERVIEW

In order to provide continuity and ideally realise economies of scale plus programme efficiencies, the Council will seek to ideally work with one contractor to deliver the supply & installation works as well as the ongoing servicing & maintenance requirements. However in order to provide contingency and options for programme acceleration of installations a multi-suppler framework made up of 3-4 contractors will be established.

The top ranked framework contractor will be the primary source for all supply & installation works and, unless there is an issue with performance, the sole provider in respect of ongoing servicing & maintenance of the entire system portfolio.

The framework agreement will be established via the seeking of tenders for Phase 1 being the supply, installation and ongoing maintenance of a Warden Call System at Austin Court, Barkis House, Bresler House, John Marshall Court, Ladywood House, Pickwick House, Thorrowgood House, and Wyn Sutcliffe Court. The blocks listed represent a broad range of the Council's portfolio with some low rise blocks and high rise blocks up to 24 storeys.

The Phase 1 supply & installation works will be let on an individual basis to the contractor who achieves the highest score. That contractor plus the next ranking contractors up to a maximum total number of 3-4 will be appointed onto the framework agreement.

Subject to satisfactory performance of the supply & installation works the Phase 1 contractor will then be awarded the on-going servicing & maintenance contract and, again subject to ongoing performance, all further servicing & maintenance work for the further phases irrespective of whether supply & installation was undertaken by another framework contractor.

The additional next framework ranked contractors will generally only be called upon to deliver supply and installation works where the top ranked framework contractor does not have the capacity to undertake installation works to programme requirements, and / or where pricing cannot be agreed on an economic basis and / or where there has been issues with the top ranked framework contractors performance.

As stated above in respect of ongoing servicing & maintenance agreements the next ranked framework contractors would only be called upon to deliver these requirements where there is an unresolvable issue in regards of the performance of the top ranked framework contractor.

Call off contracts are likely to be let via ranked direct award in the majority of instances although the Council will retain the ability to let contracts via mini-competition procedure as well.

ESTIMATED CONTRACTS VALUES, DURATIONS & LEGAL TERMS

The estimated cost for delivery of Phase 1 is approx. £600k with the further 26 blocks equating to approx. £2.15M bringing the total approx. estimated value for supply & installation of new systems across all 34 blocks to approx. £2.75M. The estimated cost for delivery of on-going servicing & maintenance including for repairs and spares provision is estimated to be at maximum approx. £70k per annum.

The total estimated value of approx. £4.15M entered under Section II.2.6. below is based upon servicing & maintenance agreements running to a term of 20 years. Should t…