Limerick City and County Council on behalf of all Irish local authority fire services are contracting for the supply, installation, configuration, support and maintenance of Station End Equipment for approximately 218 fire stations across the Republic of Ireland. SEE is a mission-critical component of the IFS mobilisation and communications infrastructure. It supports the automatic dissemination of mobilisation messages, officer alerting, and integration with station systems such as station doors and lighting. The procurement forms part of the ongoing national modernisation programme for fire service mobilisation and communications. The scope includes: • Supply of replacement SEE hardware components • Integration with existing mobilisation systems • Commissioning, configuration and acceptance testing • Preventive and reactive maintenance • Provision of spares, technical support, and software updates It is the intention of the Authority to award a contract in compliance with the European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 284 of 2016), Regulation 32(5)(b) - use of the negotiated procedure without prior publication (direct award). The procurement falls outside the scope of the standard procurement regulations for the following reasons: • The primary objective of this project is to sustain existing mobilisation functionality and operational capability until forthcoming modernisation initiatives are implemented. These future programmes are expected to reshape the role of SEE within the wider mobilisation strategy. Consequently, the immediate focus is on stability, interoperability, and continuity of service, rather than introducing substantive technical change. • The SEE system is a national, mission-critical component of the Irish Fire Service (IFS)’s mobilisation infrastructure, linking 218 fire stations with control centres and local station systems. Its performance depends on tightly coupled interfaces, station-end configurations, and communication protocols that have been proven in service. • Replacing the solution at this stage would trigger a full re-engineering of these interfaces, extensive testing cycles, and the physical redeployment of hardware across all stations. While technically possible, such a change would introduce disproportionate technical difficulties relative to the limited functional gain achievable in the short term, creating significant implementation risk, extended downtime potential, and substantial additional cost for parallel integration and validation activities. • A new solution would necessitate new maintenance, monitoring, and support processes nationwide, further increasing complexity during a period when uninterrupted service is critical. By building on the existing infrastructure, the Authority avoids those disproportionate impacts, maintains proven integrations, and ensures seamless operational continuity. • This approach represents a proportionate, value-for-money, and low-risk solution aligned with the transitional nature of the wider modernisation programme. It delivers the necessary outcome efficiently while preserving operational stability of Critical National Infrastructure. The 10-year term is necessitated by the significant capital investment and technical complexity of deploying a standardised hardware platform across the 218 fire stations in Ireland. A shorter duration would fail to provide the necessary economic amortisation period for the initial high-cost deployment. This system forms a core part of how Ireland’s national emergency response systems communicate and operate together, meaning its stability and compatibility are essential to safe and effective mobilisation. Maintaining a single-provider ecosystem for 10 years ensures operational continuity, system stability, and avoids the disproportionate technical risks and costs of replacing embedded hardware and integrations part way through their lifecycle in a mission critical emergency response environment. Accordingly, the Authority considers that extending the incumbent supplier’s contract for additional SEE deliveries and associated services is the most efficient and proportionate means of achieving the required outcome, ensuring technical compatibility, minimising disruption, and safeguarding the continuity of critical operations.
Award Criteria Not Specified
