Audio-visual equipment

Description

• This proposal is to replace all the ageing station end AV equipment with a new technology that will enable the organisation to work in a more agile and connected way, the equipment needs to deliver in the medium to long term basis. It will support various key projects moving forward to ensure a clear return on investment. • During this challenging period, as we respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been looking at how we can improve service delivery through ICT solutions. Our focus has been looking at improving ways to communicate with our fire stations and the wider organisation and what technologies can be utilised to facilitate this. Implementing new technologies across the fire estate will provide improved communications across the workforce, reduce our carbon footprint in line with government legislation, lower utility bills within key buildings, increased resilience and allow better technology to support online training. • Over the last 12 months, the digital services team have upgraded the technical infrastructure to ensure that new technologies and innovative solutions can be effectively implemented and deployed across the organisation. As Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is considered a ‘Microsoft house’ we have access to a wider portfolio of products and services including technical support and end-user training, enabling us to work more efficiently and effectively. The digital strategy was in the process of being implemented and this included moving to O365 and the eventual delivery of Microsoft Teams, but the successful implementation of the new infrastructure meant that the Teams app could be mobilised quickly in response to the pandemic. • In rolling out Microsoft Teams, whilst this worked well across a number of areas, issues with the current equipment located on fire stations were identified, due to its age and limited functionality. • In rolling out Microsoft Teams, it was identified that there were limitations with the ageing AV equipment on stations, resulting in inability to connect to meetings via Teams, therefore impacting on the new agile working arrangements. • Ageing equipment on stations. • Digital engagement with crews to better inform. • A greater need to communicate to the wider organisation through ‘Teams.’ • Improve training through an interactive wallboards. • Engagement with third party organisations to support operations support. • Link in with NWFC and other multiagency incidents. • Improved functionally to help support programme for change. An open OJEU tender has been run for this procurement allowing a cross section of supplier and reseller to bid. The chosen evaluation criteria was 50 % quality/technical capacity and 50 % price split. Given the nature of the appointment, the quality/technical elements were intended to allow the supplier to show a combination of service report/management, org structure (in support of the contract and relationships), service management, Implementation planning and social value in addition to non-scored examples of experience (of similar projects) and having sufficient/qualified resources to undertake the appointment within the expected timeframe.