---
title: "Gartan Availability (Electronic Retained Availability System) Hosting and Licensing"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-050d3a"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-050d3a"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050d3a.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050d3a.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NORTHERN IRELAND FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE"
published: "2025-05-06"
---

# Gartan Availability (Electronic Retained Availability System) Hosting and Licensing

Buyer: NORTHERN IRELAND FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-050d3a

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050d3a.json)

## Summary

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.

## Notice

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.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019131-2025 |
| 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 |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 6 May 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 6 May 2025 |
| Contract period | 20 May 2025 - 31 Dec 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £106,892 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NORTHERN IRELAND FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE |
| Locality | LISBURN |
| Post town | Northern Ireland |
| Postcode | BT27 4SX |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| ITL 1 | TLN Northern Ireland |
| ITL 2 | TLN0 Northern Ireland |
| ITL 3 | TLN0E Lisburn and Castlereagh |
| Local authority | Lisburn and Castlereagh |
| Electoral ward | Wallace Park |
| Westminster constituency | Lagan Valley |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | GARTAN TECHNOLOGIES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

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

## Release History

- 6 May 2025 at 13:40 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019131-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019131-2025
  6th May 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-050d3a. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050d3a.json.