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Long Arm Software

The Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

29 Aug 2026 at 12:21

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police is procuring Long Arm software for police investigations. The secure platform supports non-attributable internet searching, so activity cannot be traced back to the police, and provides open-source intelligence gathering. It replaces the previous Spectrum capability and is intended for use by trained investigators across the organisation. The procurement was conducted jointly with the Chief Constable for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The requirement is for software and information systems, with delivery across the United Kingdom. The selected supplier is Internet Investigation Solutions Ltd, a UK small and medium-sized enterprise based in Liverpool. The service is embedded in the police organisations’ investigative operations and supports daily use by several hundred trained users.

This completed procurement was awarded through a direct award rather than an open competition, under the stated switching direct award rationale. The buyer says Long Arm has been in force since 2020, several hundred users are trained on it, and no other supplier offers a similar product with the current range of services. One lot was completed and was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. Internet Investigation Solutions Ltd was selected as supplier. The award is recorded at £477 excluding tax and £57,319,043 including tax. The recorded contract period runs from 29 August 2026 to 29 August 2029. A signature milestone was scheduled for 29 August 2026. The award is above the applicable threshold.

For suppliers assessing future police demand, this procurement demonstrates a requirement for secure, non-attributable internet investigation software combined with open-source intelligence capability. A credible competitor would need to provide a secure platform that protects police attribution while supporting investigators’ online searching and intelligence-gathering work. It would need to match the breadth of services delivered by the incumbent and support operational use by several hundred trained users, rather than serving only a small specialist team. Evidence of reliable daily use in policing, a practical migration path from an embedded system, and the ability to train and support users across Thames Valley and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight would be important. The direct award rationale also indicates that demonstrating comparable functionality and manageable switching effort would be central to competing when this requirement returns.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Long Arm Software

Notice Description

Longarm allows investigations on the internet using a secure platform that cannot be tracked back to the police. It also allows for open-source intelligence gathering. This service replaced the previous Spectrum capability.

Procurement Information

This solution has been in force since 2020 with several hundred users trained and using this solution daily. This solution is our non-attributable internet searching capability which has been embedded into the organisation for a number of years and therefore a large number of users trained. There is not another supplier of a similar product and therefore a significant amount of work would be required to change the product. Any new product would not provide the current range of services available from Long Arm.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ef02
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082390-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

CPV Codes

48000000 - Software package and information systems

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£477 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
29 Aug 2026 - 29 Aug 2029 3-4 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
The Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police
Additional Buyers

The Chief Constable for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
KIDLINGTON
Postcode
OX5 1NZ
Postcode Area
Oxford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Cherwell
Electoral Ward
Kidlington West
Westminster Constituency
Bicester and Woodstock

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Internet Investigation Solutions Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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