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Gartan Availability (Electronic Retained Availability System) Hosting and Licensing

NORTHERN IRELAND FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

06 May 2025 at 13:40

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), a public authority under central government and Northern Irish devolved regulations, has completed the procurement process for the "Gartan Availability (Electronic Retained Availability System) Hosting and Licensing" contract. Based in Lisburn, UKN, the NIFRS required services related to the renewal of licensing, hosting, support, and maintenance for the Electronic Retained Availability System, used for managing around 900 retained personnel. The procurement, falling under the IT services category, was executed through a direct method due to its below-threshold value and absence of competition, with all processes aligned to ensure continuity until the end of December 2027. The contract period starts from 21 May 2025, covering initial hosting till December 2025, with subsequent licensing arrangements planned through to 2027.

This contract presents business growth opportunities primarily for companies specialising in IT services with expertise in cloud hosting and software support. As the successful supplier, Gartan Technologies is uniquely positioned to capitalise on this relationship due to its in-depth knowledge of the system, holding the necessary source code and providing bespoke support and maintenance services. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) specialising in IT consulting and system integration, particularly those familiar with public sector needs, could explore similar opportunities by demonstrating specialised knowledge and innovative support capabilities in related fields.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Gartan Availability (Electronic Retained Availability System) Hosting and Licensing

Notice Description

NIFRS has a requirement to renew licensing, hosting, support and maintenance for the Electronic Retained Availability system (ERAS). This system provides NIFRS with enhanced operational assurance in mobilising ~900 retained (On-Call) personnel. ERAS (in the form of the Gartan Availability solution) was supplied by and is supported by Gartan Technologies. Gartan has been the sole supplier of support and maintenance for this system and therefore possess expert knowledge of the design, configuration and interdependencies with other systems and is therefore the only supplier who can provide updates, technical services, support and training on this system. This supplier holds the Source Code for this system and therefore is the only supplier able to provide the required support and maintenance. NIFRS' existing licensing contract expires at the end of December 2025. Originally it did not include hosting as it was hosted on NIFRS servers. However, it moved to being a Cloud hosted service mid-way through 2024 and so the hosting expires at the end of April 2025. This DAC is required to continue the provision of this service / solution whilst a full business case is approved and solution procured for a new Crewing and Payments System which will include functionality to manage On-Call availability. To ensure business continuity is maintained until the new system is live, the following services are required: - Cloud hosting for Gartan Availability solution from 1st May 2025 until 31st Dec 2025 to align with current licensing contract. - Cloud hosting and licensing for Gartan Availability from 1 Jan 2026 to 31 Dec 2026 with optional 1 year extension until 31 Dec 2027.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-050d3a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019131-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£106,892 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
6 May 20259 months ago
Contract Period
20 May 2025 - 31 Dec 2026 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NORTHERN IRELAND FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
nifrsprocurement@nifrs.org
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LISBURN
Postcode
BT27 4SX
Post Town
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN0E Lisburn and Castlereagh
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Lisburn and Castlereagh
Electoral Ward
Wallace Park
Westminster Constituency
Lagan Valley

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

GARTAN TECHNOLOGIES

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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