PSN compliant, Tri-Service Control System network redesign

Tender description

Summary of the work Review and Redesign of the Future Fire Control System's network and topology. The WAN and the topology are separate initiatives combined for the purpose of a Digital Outcome. Latest start date 25/11/2016 Budget Range Pricing T&M up to budgetary limit. Maximum budget available is £30K Why the Work is Being Done The START system has been unable to maintain a fully available service since going Live and the root cause has been difficult to isolate. This may be due to the complexity of the network connecting three databases, one in each Fire Service Area, synchronized via the WAN. The topology has been developed by the system supplier based on requirements for self autonomy, resilience and performance. The Tri-Service Control partners must achieve PSN Code of Connection (CoCo) accreditation by 31st March 2017. An ESCMP sponsored IT Health Check in April 2016 identified several vulnerabilities including the architectural design of the WAN. Problem to Be Solved Design a PSN CoCo compliant, inter-connected, fit for purpose WAN for all three Fire Services to support the Systel Mobilisation System and the topology required to optimise it. Any design should consider both the network links and overall topology of START. The system handles all incident calls with different entry points for each control room. There is no requirement for this network to carry corporate data as there is a corporate network with connections to Operational Support Systems. The overall design must demonstrate how PSN Code of Connection will be achieved. Full details of CoCo can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/psn-code-of-connection-coco. Who Are the Users Three Tri-Service control rooms, all operational crews (Full Time and Retained) at Fire Stations, mobile Officers. Incidents are handled in the control room and after categorisation they are passed out to Operational teams for action and update. In the event that a system failure renders a control room inoperative then the responsibility and control passes to one of the other control rooms that is still able to handle calls. Early Market Engagement Not applicable Work Already Done The Systel Control Room Mobilisation system is already Live including station end equipment and Mobile Data Terminals on board Appliances. Call out systems are also in place to alert individuals in the event of any incident. Existing Team Support team from each Fire Service, network provider (Virgin Media), system supplier (Systel SA) and the designer of the current network topology. Current Phase Not started Skills & Experience • Designing and implementing PSN CoCo compliant systems and networks. • Design, development and implementation of network topologies to support multiple Microsoft SQL 2012 databases in a Microsoft Server 2014 environment. • Implementing, configuring, and exploiting VMware products. • Undertaking system design of information systems. • Designing and implementing virtual and physical networking. • Outline proposal for a transition between designs (move from as-is to proposed solution). Nice to Haves • French language skills for discussions with Systel Development Team. • Designing and establishing Cloud services management. • Employing security separation techniques to information systems. • Designing and implementing security logging and audit. • Developing technical architectures. Work Location Derby, Leicester and Nottingham Working Arrangments Network Design consultant will be based at a central Project Office and may need to visit other locations including Force Headquarters. There are 20 sites (Fire Stations) in Leics, 33 sites in Derbys and 33 sites in Notts. Security Clearance No specific requirement for Security Clearance. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 4 Proposal Criteria • Technical solution. • Approach and methodology. • How the approach or solution meets PSN CoCo compliance. • How the approach or solution meets improved service availability. • Estimated timeframes for the work. • Outline transition plan. • Risks and Dependencies identified, with proposals for control measures. • Team structure. • Value for money. Cultural Fit Criteria • Be able to work with groups who may be called away at short notice. • Work around a four shift based organisation where team memebrs cannot always be contacted immediately. • Be able to fit in with other priorities that may interrupt any workshop-style requirements gathering exercises. In all cases, life affecting situations will take priority. • Demonstrate how they would deal with three Fire Services with supporting Infrastructure, Operational and Support teams. Payment Approach Capped time and materials Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 70% Cultural fit 10% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Will it be possible to see the output of the ITHC that was conducted in April 16 at the face to face meeting in Leicester? The IT Health Check (ITHC) cannot be shared with prospective suppliers as it contains confidential information pertaining to the networks that could create a security risk. 2. Are there any details on the face to face session to be held in Leicester on the 9th of November 16? The face to face session will include an overview of the existing network, topology and mobilisation system. It will be followed by an opportunity to ask questions about the requirement alongside all other suppliers.It is intended that the event will start at 13:30 and the event location will be:-The Peter Roffey Suite, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service12 Geoff Monk WayBirstallLeicesterLE4 3BULimited parking is available on-site with additional on-street parking outside. Prospective suppliers should contact Dominic Kealey (dominic.kealey@lfrs.org) to arrange a place at the event with names of attendees and car details. 3. Is the scope of the work limited to network design and controls specific as per article 3 of the CoCo - Boundary Defence, or does the work require analysis of other CoCo security controls such as Operational Security, Authentication and Data Protection. The scope covers boundary defence, operational security and authentication only. 4. Who is lead for this project. The project is being led by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service on behalf of the East Midlands Tri Service Partnership. Dominic Kealey, ICT Business Analyst, is the nominated point of contact on 0116 229 2290. 5. Are failovers designed to be highly available? Switching between Live and Standby is automated between two of the locations then if required, to the third manually. 6. Has failover been tested Between sites, yes regularly 7. Is airwave used for anything other than voicecomms Not at present though that may change next year with ESN 8. What target dates are there. This is governed by the PSN / ESN published timescales and depends on the level of security required. 9. Where are we in terms of ITHC response. There isn't a combined approached to the ITHC across all three services and they are in varying states of progress. 10. Is the current mobilisation solution system based or corporate needs based. Both. 11. Has any due diligence been carried out yet. Not as such. We know that mobilisation takes place over the corporate network (in part) and that complexity of the network makes it difficult to fault find in the event of failure. We need clear demarcation points. 12. Are any other systems shared between the three Counties. No, mobilisation only with DMZ fed HR and rostering data. 13. What is the in-house capability. Small teams at each service plus central security. 14. What other suppliers are there. Virgin, Easynet, BT. 15. Who created the original design. The mobilisation system supplier in response to Tri-Service requirements. 16. Would the approach through a business analyst and fresh design be feasible. Yes. 17. Is the current system working. Yes. There are periods of slow response and switching between databases. There are also 'fallback to paper' occasions. 18. Are any internal routing protocols being used. Yes, OSB and BTG. 19. Where does the PSN nominated circuit sit Not decided but maybe Derbyshire and Leicestershire, possibly a third in Nottinghamshire. 20. What skills and experience are required. Phase 1 is design, Phase 2 (not this published requirement) is roll-out supported by engineers to do the work. 21. What implementation skills are needed. Not implementation itself but experienced enough to guide or direct current teams in how to find out what information may be needed. 22. Can anything be shared from ITHC. The Tri-Service cannot publish publically results of an IT Health Check as that may increase vulnerability to speculative attacks. However, if a bidder is successful then it may be possible to share appropriate parts of the ITHC, subject to confidentiality agreement. 23. Is PEN testing required. Once the work is complete then it will be. PEN testing is not part of this published requirement. 24. Is the presentation slidepack from the Supplier Day available. Yes, interested parties should request a copy from Dominic.kealey@lfrs.orgInformation contained in the slide-pack is not for re-use without prior permission from the content owner. 25. When is a presentation required. The initial evaluation will be by sift of proposals based on evaluation criteria. Once that is complete then the assessment stage of the remaining Suppliers will require a presentation as well as the proposal. Full details of the assessment criteria and are included in the Request. 26. Where should electronic submissions be sent. Any submissions should be sent to commercial.bids@lfrs.orgin line with any dates shown in the request. This mailbox is for formal responses to the requirement and should not be used for any other purpose. The mailbox will not be accessed before the cut-off date and is restricted to a member of staff not associated with a published requirement.