--- title: "Force Communications Solution - CPA/SPU/2684P" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-067abc" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067abc" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067abc.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067abc.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR CHESHIRE" published: "2026-04-02" --- # Force Communications Solution - CPA/SPU/2684P Buyer: POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR CHESHIRE Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-067abc [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067abc) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067abc.json) ## Summary The contracting process for the Force Communications Solution has progressed to the award stage by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, headquartered in Winsford, Cheshire, United Kingdom. This contract will provide continuity of service with Saab UK Ltd as the supplier, commencing on 8th March 2028 for an initial period of 5 years, inclusive of optional extensions. The procurement method employed is a direct award. The system involves crucial services such as telephony and radio communication for emergency and non-emergency responses. The award notice was published in April 2026, mentioning a gross contract value of £12,000,000 under the industry categories of IT services and communication equipment. The procurement is classified under public authority-sub-central government, and the contracting stage is complete with the future signature date scheduled for 31st August 2026. This tender offers substantial opportunities for business growth by showcasing a highly sophisticated communication solution integral to the operations of law enforcement agencies. It presents potential collaboration prospects for IT service providers and suppliers of telecommunication equipment, particularly those that specialise in integrated telephony and radio systems capable of handling high-stakes, mission-critical technology demands. Companies possessing expertise in bespoke interface development and systems that can seamlessly integrate with existing platforms like Saab SAFE may find these contracts beneficial. The direct award to Saab UK Ltd underscores the importance of vendor compatibility with existing assets, indicating that businesses with technical capabilities and solutions compatible with existing infrastructure may have opportunities to compete in future tenders. ## Notice UK6 Contract Award Notice following publications of UK1 Pipeline Notice and UK5 Transparency Notice. This is in respect of a Direct Award for the continuation of service for a Force Communication Solution to commence on March 8th 2028 with the incumbent provider. The intention is to replace the current contract CPA/SPU/401 which will reach the end of the term on March 7th 2028 as there are no further options to extend, and to enter into a new contract for an initial period of 5yrs with optional extensions. Saab SAFE is the core platform used by the organisation to take emergency and non-emergency calls from members of the public. The system has integrated telephony and radio (through interfaces with Airwave), which allows a call to be managed from whatever route it enters the Force Control Room, through to dispatch of an officer, at an appropriate grading. The system is classed as one of the Force's core platforms, required 24/7, and contains multiple layers of redundancy. The system was the first of its type in the UK, with other forces since adopting due to its flexibility and is in use in thirty-five mission critical areas worldwide. When the system went live in 2018 it replaced seven disparate systems and integrated them into a single solution. The system also integrates into other key line of business systems used by the force, including Niche and Duty Management, to support other processes, such as crime recording and case management. Since its introduction in 2018, it has been continually tuned to suit our needs, and indeed, the wider policing market. Migrating to a new platform would have an excessive cost of change, involving a multi-year project (minimum of 24 months), significant business change and a large number of internal resources, and would not be as operationally effective / beneficial as the product we currently use. As well as project costs, new underlying hardware would be needed, requiring significant capital investment. The hardware currently used for the Saab platform remains fit-for-purpose and only needs replacing in-line with standard refresh cycles. It couldn't be repurposed for a new platform as there would have to be a period of dual running if we were to move platforms. Aside from software and hardware, the amount of knowledge built up by our support team should not be underestimated, although impossible to quantify in cashable terms. Likewise, training Force Control Centre colleagues on a new platform would take between 4-6 months. Saab SAFE is a large multi-component system, but to support wider business processes, it has links into a number of other key platforms, many using bespoke interfaces. Many of these interfaces are bespoke and would need fully re-developing if moving to another platform. The cost and effort to do this would effectively get us to the same position we are now, it would not provide a technically superior product. Vendors would build the cost of any development into the procurement of a solution, however, there would be substantial indirect costs as internal resources, such as testing, project management, training would be required. There is no other solution that offers links into all these respective products already. For the above reasons, the Force is direct awarding to the incumbent under the PCC's Terms and Conditions for a period of 5years with the option to extend annually for a further period of 5 years. ### Procurement Information Applicable justifications are : A: are required to be compatible with an existing asset and C: where the provider is the sole supplier of the goods, services or works. Saab SAFE is the core platform used by the organisation to take emergency and non-emergency calls from members of the public. The system has integrated telephony and radio (through interfaces with Airwave), which allows a call to be managed from whatever route it enters the Force Control Room, through to dispatch of an officer, at an appropriate grading. The system is classed as one of the Force's core platforms, required 24/7, and contains multiple layers of redundancy. The system was the first of its type in the UK, with other forces since adopting due to its flexibility and is in use in thirty-five mission critical areas worldwide. When the system went live in 2018 it replaced seven disparate systems and integrated them into a single solution. The system also integrates into other key line of business systems used by the force, including Niche and Duty Management, to support other processes, such as crime recording and case management. Since its introduction in 2018, it has been continually tuned to suit our needs, and indeed, the wider policing market. Migrating to a new platform would have an excessive cost of change, involving a multi-year project (minimum of 24 months), significant business change and a large number of internal resources, and would not be as operationally effective / beneficial as the product we currently use. As well as project costs, new underlying hardware would be needed, requiring significant capital investment. The hardware currently used for the Saab platform remains fit-for-purpose and only needs replacing in-line with standard refresh cycles. It couldn't be repurposed for a new platform as there would have to be a period of dual running if we were to move platforms. Aside from software and hardware, the amount of knowledge built up by our support team should not be underestimated, although impossible to quantify in cashable terms. Likewise, training Force Control Centre colleagues on a new platform would take between 4-6 months. Saab SAFE is a large multi-component system, but to support wider business processes, it has links into a number of other key platforms, many using bespoke interfaces. Many of these interfaces are bespoke and would need fully re-developing if moving to another platform. The cost and effort to do this would effectively get us to the same position we are now, it would not provide a technically superior product. Vendors would build the cost of any development into the procurement of a solution, however, there would be substantial indirect costs as internal resources, such as testing, project management, training would be required. There is no other solution that offers links into all these respective products already. For the above reasons, the Force is direct awarding to the incumbent under the PCC's Terms and Conditions for a period of 5years with the option to extend annually for a further period of 5 years. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030676-2026 | | Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Direct | | Procurement method details | Direct award | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Large | | All stages | Planning, Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 2 Apr 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 1 Apr 2026 | | Award date | 31 Mar 2026 | | Contract period | 8 Mar 2028 - 7 Mar 2033 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £10,000,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £10,000,000 | | 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 | POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR CHESHIRE | | Locality | WINSFORD, CHESHIRE | | Post town | Crewe | | Postcode | CW7 2UA | | 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 | Winsford Over & Verdin | | Westminster constituency | Mid Cheshire | | Delivery location | TLD6 Cheshire | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | SAAB | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 32 - Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment - 48 - Software package and information systems - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 32000000 - Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment - 48000000 - Software package and information systems - 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ## Release History - 2 Apr 2026 at 08:23 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030676-2026 - 1 Apr 2026 at 12:52 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030381-2026 - 1 Apr 2026 at 12:21 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030361-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030676-2026 2nd April 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030381-2026 1st April 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030361-2026 1st April 2026 - Pipeline 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-067abc. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067abc.json.