---
title: "Award Notice for Safety and Security Software under Crown Commercial Service G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement (Ref. RM1557.14), Using Lot 2: Cloud Software"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-77324dba-d14d-4b3e-86f6-52695ce7bca3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-77324dba-d14d-4b3e-86f6-52695ce7bca3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-77324dba-d14d-4b3e-86f6-52695ce7bca3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-77324dba-d14d-4b3e-86f6-52695ce7bca3.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER"
published: "2026-08-19"
---

# Award Notice for Safety and Security Software under Crown Commercial Service G-Cloud 14 Framework Agreement (Ref. RM1557.14), Using Lot 2: Cloud Software

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-77324dba-d14d-4b3e-86f6-52695ce7bca3

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-77324dba-d14d-4b3e-86f6-52695ce7bca3)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-77324dba-d14d-4b3e-86f6-52695ce7bca3.json)

## Summary

The University of Chester procured safety and security software, specifically the SafeZone cloud software service, for use in the North West of England. The requirement covers the supply and ongoing use of software supporting safety and security activities, rather than physical security works or general IT infrastructure. The procurement is categorised as software packages and information systems, with associated software supply services. The buyer is the University of Chester, based in Chester. The selected solution is SafeZone, supplied by CriticalArc Ltd. The opportunity is relevant to software providers specialising in cloud-based safety, security, incident response or related protection and communications systems for higher education or comparable organisations.

The procurement is complete and was awarded on 14 July 2026 to CriticalArc Ltd. It was run as a selective call-off from the Crown Commercial Service G-Cloud 14 framework, using Lot 2 for cloud software, following formal searches, service assessment and evaluation. The awarded value is £170,000 in GBP for the full potential four-year contract period; the notice states that this figure has been rounded up. The contract runs from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2030. The tender submission deadline was 13 July 2026 at 10:00. The requirement was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprises.

This award signals established demand from the University of Chester for a cloud-based safety and security platform serving a university environment. Competitors would need a credible product covering the practical functions delivered by SafeZone, with the reliability, security and service capability expected of software used for safety-related purposes. Experience supplying comparable organisations, particularly higher education or other multi-site institutions, would help demonstrate understanding of user needs, implementation and support. Suppliers should also be able to operate effectively through a public sector framework call-off, respond to formal service assessment and evaluation, and provide a sustainable service over a multi-year contract. The stated suitability for SMEs and VCSEs indicates that smaller specialist providers may be credible competitors if they can evidence these capabilities.

## Notice

This Award Notice follows the formal searches, service assessment and evaluation conducted through CCS G-Cloud 14, for Safety and Security Software which resulted in an award for SafeZone from CriticalArc. The contract values in this notice are for the full potential 4 year contract period and have been rounded up.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/440d6839-bd98-4671-8dbd-7a651b365eff |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Call-off from a framework agreement |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 19 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 13 Jul 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 14 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £170,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £170,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER |
| Locality | CHESTER |
| Postcode area | Chester |
| Postcode | CH1 4BJ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD6 Cheshire |
| ITL 3 | TLD63 Cheshire West and Chester |
| Local authority | Cheshire West and Chester |
| Electoral ward | Chester City & the Garden Quarter |
| Westminster constituency | Chester North and Neston |
| Delivery location | TLD North West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CriticalArc Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 48 - Software package and information systems
- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

### Codes

- 48000000 - Software package and information systems
- 72268000 - Software supply services

## Release History

- 19 Aug 2026 at 14:41 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/440d6839-bd98-4671-8dbd-7a651b365eff

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/440d6839-bd98-4671-8dbd-7a651b365eff
  19th August 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- http://www.chester.ac.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-77324dba-d14d-4b3e-86f6-52695ce7bca3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-77324dba-d14d-4b3e-86f6-52695ce7bca3.json.