Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Police Digital Service
33 Queen Street,
LONDON
EC4R 1AP
Contact
Nick Scott
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UK - United Kingdom
National registration number
08113293
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Public order and safety
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Back Office Software and Support Services
Reference number
NS/221121
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 72300000 - Data services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The Police Digital Service (PDS) is procuring additional Oracle licences and support services on behalf of UK Policing, in order to deliver the additional licences required to support the recruitment of 20,000 new police officers.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £978,729
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 72261000 - Software support services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Procurement of additional Oracle licences and related support services to ensure that police forces have sufficient Oracle licences to support the recruitment of 20,000 new police officers. Specifically, the police forces of Leicestershire, Durham, North Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Essex, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk will or may utilise the software
licences and related support services being procured from Oracle.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated without a prior call for competition
- The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation:
PDS relies on the ground set out within Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) (Use of the negotiated procedure without prior publication) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. For technical reasons, the services can be provided only by a particular tenderer, namely Oracle Corporation UK Limited. The software licences and related support services being procured are for business critical back office systems which have already been implemented
by police forces. However, as a result of the Government's commitment to recruit 20,000 new police officers, forces require additional licences to ensure that they do not breach the terms of their existing contracts with Oracle. PDS (which is owned by UK police forces and exists to support forces in their technology procurement and delivery, and is the delivery vehicle for the National Policing Digital Strategy) is procuring the additional licences centrally, for the sake of efficiency and in order to ensure that the best value for money is obtained, by aggregating the forces' collective requirements and spending power to negotiate the best possible price
from Oracle. The list of forces who will or may utilise the software licences and related support services being procured from Oracle is set out above.
Competition is absent for technical reasons on this occasion because: (a) each of the forces which is benefiting from the licences being procured is already under contract with Oracle for the delivery of the same software; (b) the only reason for this procurement is to ensure that the forces have sufficient licences to cover the recruitment of 20,000 new police officers; and (c) the back office software being licensed has to be the same across the force - it is not possible or practicable to implement alternative back office software for the benefit of the new
20,000 officers whilst running a different back office environment for the rest of the force's requirements. As such, only Oracle (as the owner of the software and its intellectual property rights) can provide the back office software which is required in this instance to meet the increase in demand. All other options would cause significant inconvenience, substantial duplication of cost and from a technical perspective would not be possible due to the interoperability requirements. No reasonable alternative exists for procuring the additional licences which are required, and the absence of competition is not the result of an artificial narrowing down of the parameters of the procurement. Each force will reprocure its full back office system requirements as and when required, at which point alternative software providers will be able to participate and propose an alternative solution.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract/concession
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
22 November 2021
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Oracle Corporation UK Limited
Unit 8, Number One Lanyon Quay, Oxford Street
Belfast
BT1 3GP
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £978,729
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court
Royal Courts of Justice, Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
Country
United Kingdom