Agenda item

Ian Taylor - Senior User and Business Change Lead (Fire) NFCC and Simon Parr QPM, Senior Responsible Owner, ESMCP, to attend

The Chair invited Ian Taylor (IT), Senior User and Business Change Lead, NFCC, and Simon Parr (SP), Senior Responsible Owner, Home Office, to introduce the update.

SP updated members on developments with ESMCP since the previous report on the Business Case in March 2021. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had carried out an investigation into Motorola, the suppliers of the current Airwave system, in relation to excess profits and possible deliberate delays to the introduction of the less profitable Emergency Services Network (ESN). The CMA published provisional findings in October 2022 and concluded that Motorola were making supernormal profits – at current prices, the opportunity to earn just under £1bn of excess profits between now and 2029. The CMA announced their intention to impose a price control to restrict excess profit, to require Motorola to facilitate a workable transition between Airwave and ESN and to instruct the Home Office to fully introduce ESN by 2029 at the latest. Motorola had decided to step away from delivering ESN at the end of their current contract in 2024 and were currently negotiating early release (Dec 2022). Market engagement had begun on reprocuring the ESN contract with a view to formally launching the process in early 2023 and starting a new contract in early 2024. The network contract with EE was also due to expire in 2024 and conversations were taking place about how to proceed on this front. SP concluded that, in spite of all the problems, the strategic case for ESN remained very strong as the Airwave technology gets closer to becoming obsolete.

IT added that in the light of the Motorola contract termination, those FRSs that had been early adopters of ESN would unfortunately have to be transitioned back off early in 2023. Finally, IT drew members attention to recommendation 2 in the report and advised FRAs not to anticipate any Airwave related savings in their budget setting due to the possibility of legal challenge by Motorola.

Members’ comments and questions:

·       The logic behind taking early adopter services off ESN was queried. IT confirmed that once the Motorola contract ended, the data centres that enabled the system to function would no longer be accessible and so continuing would not be possible. This was very disappointing for those FRS’s as ESN had proved extremely effective.

·       It was suggested that the developments with Motorola might provide an opportune moment to review the whole project and the rationale behind it. SP ran through the benefits of ESN and explained that it would combine the benefits of standard mobile phones with new robust devices with access to reliable high bandwidth broadband.

·       Cllr Carter, the FSMC representative on the ESMCP Fire Customer Group, reiterated the huge potential of ESN and reassured members that, despite the setback with Motorola, everything was being done by officers to bring the system to fruition.

Decision:

FSMC:

1.     noted the content of the report

2.     acknowledged the advice that FRAs may be best placed not to anticipate any Airwave related savings at this time.