---
title: "Provision of a TETRA/ MCX Interworking Gateway Solution for the Emergency Services Network (ESN)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-040228"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-040228"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-040228.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-040228.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT"
published: "2025-10-16"
---

# Provision of a TETRA/ MCX Interworking Gateway Solution for the Emergency Services Network (ESN)

Buyer: SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-040228

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## Summary

The public procurement process for the provision of a TETRA/MCX Interworking Gateway Solution for the Emergency Services Network (ESN) is being handled by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, a national authority in the UK. This service procurement process, initially planned in 2023, entered the tendering phase in 2024 and was finally awarded in October 2025 to Etherstack Wireless Limited. The contract, valued at £14,246,433.64, involves developing a platform interconnectivity software solution to support the transition from the current Airwave system to the ESN for UK emergency services. This competitive procedure with negotiation ensures that the selected supplier can provide technical, social value, and price considerations, with the procurement process expected to unfold over multiple stages, including a Selection Questionnaire and negotiations. The final contract for these services commenced with the signing on 16th October 2025.

This contract offers substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in software development, particularly those with capabilities in platform interconnectivity and networking software services. Companies with a strong background in communication and multimedia software development and a track record of handling large-scale, critical infrastructure projects would be well-suited to compete in this tender. The procurement presents growth potential by offering access to a high-value contract serving a critical national infrastructure, with the supplier playing a key role in modernising communications for the UK's emergency services, impacting an approximate 300,000-user base. Additionally, businesses focusing on technical delivery, deployment, and long-term support services will find opportunities in the auxiliary services related to this project.

## Notice

This Award Notice relates to the Award of a contract for a TETRA/ MCX Interworking Gateway (IWG) solution to be provided to the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP).

### Lot Information

Lot 1

This Award Notice relates to the Award of a contract for a TETRA/ MCX Interworking Gateway (IWG) solution to be provided to the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP). The supplier will provide this IWG to support the transition from Airwave to ESN for approximately 300,000 users across 107 User Organisations. The IWG will link together Airwave talk groups to their equivalent new ESN talk groups, allowing migrated ESN users to make Group and Emergency Calls to, and receive Group and Emergency Calls from, unmigrated Airwave users. The Authority is seeking to procure a Network Interworking Service to support the transition from Airwave to ESN for approximately 300,000 users across 107 User Organisations. The Network Interworking Service will use an Interworking Gateway (the subject of this procurement) to link together the 6000 busiest Airwave talk groups to their equivalent new ESN talk groups, allowing migrated ESN users to make Group and Emergency Calls to, and receive Group and Emergency Calls from, unmigrated Airwave users. The Interworking Gateway is assumed to be a software product that can be deployed onto physical or virtual servers provided and hosted by the ESN User Services Supplier, who will also be responsible for service integration, first line and second line maintenance, with the Interworking Gateway supplier responsible for third line support. The type of interface to be used between Airwave and the Interworking Gateway will be DCS, (Motorola DIMETRA(tm) Dispatch Communications Server), because this is the only interface available on the Airwave radio service. This is the same interface as used for standard control room system connections that provide service to over 4000 control room ICCS (Integrated Communications Control System) desks. A quantity of 600 active DCS ports (plus an extra 300 ports for resilience) will be assigned to the Interworking Gateway, serviced by three Airwave DCS data centres.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066061-2025 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive procedure with negotiation |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Oct 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 5 Jul 2024 |
| Future notice date | 15 Jan 2024 |
| Award date | 15 Oct 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £17,100,000 |
| Lots value | £17,100,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £14,246,433 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1H 9EX |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East |
| ITL 3 | TLI41 Hackney and Newham |
| Local authority | Newham |
| Electoral ward | Stratford Olympic Park |
| Westminster constituency | Stratford and Bow |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ETHERSTACK WIRELESS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 72211000 - Programming services of systems and user software
- 72212100 - Industry specific software development services
- 72212200 - Networking, Internet and intranet software development services
- 72212210 - Networking software development services
- 72212211 - Platform interconnectivity software development services
- 72212215 - Networking developers software development services
- 72212500 - Communication and multimedia software development services
- 72212510 - Communication software development services

## Release History

- 16 Oct 2025 at 15:57 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/066061-2025
- 20 May 2024 at 16:25 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015914-2024
- 20 Sep 2023 at 08:18 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027709-2023

## Notice URLs

- https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com
- https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-emergency-services-mobile-communications-programme/emergency-services-network
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-emergency-services-mobile-communicationsprogramme/
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-emergency-services-mobile-communicationsprogramme/emergency-services-network

## 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-040228. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-040228.json.