---
title: "vFire Maintenance and Support"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-03113b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-03113b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03113b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03113b.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION I T S"
published: "2022-01-31"
---

# vFire Maintenance and Support

Buyer: BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION I T S  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-03113b

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03113b.json)

## Summary

The Business Services Organisation I T S is overseeing the procurement process for a contract titled "vFire Maintenance and Support", focused on IT services, specifically consulting, software development, Internet, and support. Based in Belfast, UK, the contract has recently been awarded and is currently active, valued at £486,796.16. This process was initiated through a limited negotiation without prior publication of a contract notice, and the contract aims to extend support for the vFire product, critical for maintaining effective IT Service Management aligned with industry best practices.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in IT services, particularly those experienced in ITSM software solutions and system support. Companies that can demonstrate expertise in maintaining and adapting software to meet specific organisational needs, such as those familiar with the NHS frameworks and ISO 20000 standards, would be well-positioned to compete. The existing relationship between Alemba, the current supplier, and the contracting authority suggests potential for collaboration or innovation in service delivery, making this a strategic opportunity for firms looking to expand within the public sector.

## Notice

Alemba are the Global owner of the vFire product. Alemba have worked with HSC since 2007 and have an in-depth knowledge of HSC requirements and where necessary have adapted the product to meet service needs in order to ensure ISO20000 audit compliance and guarantee that the product is aligned to ITIL IT Service Management (ITSM) industry best practice. Alemba is hosted on HSCNI dedicated Servers offering HSCNI more control over the environment and the data contained within the software product.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Alemba are the Global owner of the vFire product. Alemba have worked with HSC since 2007 and have an in-depth knowledge of HSC requirements and where necessary have adapted the product to meet service needs in order to ensure ISO20000 audit compliance and guarantee that the product is aligned to ITIL IT Service Management (ITSM) industry best practice. Alemba is hosted on HSCNI dedicated Servers offering HSCNI more control over the environment and the data contained within the software product. Continuing to have support for the product and the adaptions implemented (e.g. Business Service Transformation Programme adaptions to work with other non-vFire Trusts) will ensure that IT Services will continue to run as effectively as possible. It will also mean that the provision of IT Services can be monitored and reviewed to ensure that HSC customer Service Level Agreement (SLA) targets are met via use of the vFire ITSM toolset. A core ITSM toolset forms a foundation for the move to a NHS Digital Service forecast which is likely to occur over the period of the next four years. This has been highlighted at senior levels of NHS IT Management as a core requirement that HSCNI move onto the one ITSM toolset for all HSCNI Trusts. This is beneficial for a lot of reasons in terms of efficiency, cost effectiveness and simplicity. We intend to extend the existing vFire maintenance and support contract by three years which will lead us to a point at which a new ITSM toolset should be being procured as part of the Digital Shared Services programme. vFire allows BSO ITS and Northern, Southern and South Eastern Trusts to continue to deliver an effective service using a tried and tested product. The withdrawal period for Alemba is 12 months. In two years, we will better informed and will be able to make a much more informed decision on vFire support.

### Procurement Information

Alemba are the Global owner of the vFire product. Alemba have worked with HSC since 2007 and have an in-depth knowledge of HSC requirements and where necessary have adapted the product to meet service needs in order to ensure ISO20000 audit compliance and guarantee that the product is aligned to ITIL IT Service Management (ITSM) industry best practice. Alemba is hosted on HSCNI dedicated Servers offering HSCNI more control over the environment and the data contained within the software product. Continuing to have support for the product and the adaptions implemented (e.g. Business Service Transformation Programme adaptions to work with other non-vFire Trusts) will ensure that IT Services will continue to run as effectively as possible. It will also mean that the provision of IT Services can be monitored and reviewed to ensure that HSC customer Service Level Agreement (SLA) targets are met via use of the vFire ITSM toolset. A core ITSM toolset forms a foundation for the move to a NHS Digital Service forecast which is likely to occur over the period of the next four years. This has been highlighted at senior levels of NHS IT Management as a core requirement that HSCNI move onto the one ITSM toolset for all HSCNI Trusts. This is beneficial for a lot of reasons in terms of efficiency, cost effectiveness and simplicity. We intend to extend the existing vFire maintenance and support contract by three years which will lead us to a point at which a new ITSM toolset should be being procured as part of the Digital Shared Services programme. vFire allows BSO ITS and Northern, Southern and South Eastern Trusts to continue to deliver an effective service using a tried and tested product. The withdrawal period for Alemba is 12 months. In two years, we will better informed and will be able to make a much more informed decision on vFire support.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002721-2022 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated without publication of a contract notice |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 31 Jan 2022 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 31 Jan 2022 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £486,796 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | BUSINESS SERVICES ORGANISATION I T S |
| Locality | BELFAST |
| Post town | Northern Ireland |
| Postcode | BT1 4JE |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| ITL 1 | TLN Northern Ireland |
| ITL 2 | TLN0 Northern Ireland |
| ITL 3 | TLN06 Belfast |
| Local authority | Belfast |
| Electoral ward | Central |
| Westminster constituency | Belfast South and Mid Down |
| Delivery location | TLN Northern Ireland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ALEMBA |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

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

## Release History

- 31 Jan 2022 at 16:36 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002721-2022

## Notice URLs

- http://www.hscbusiness.hscni.net

## 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-h6vhtk-03113b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-03113b.json.