The Metropolitan Police Service has put out a tender notice for a new mobile phone framework that could be expanded to other police services in a deal worth up to 64 million.
The notice was served in the Official Journal of the European Union last week, and seeks a single supplier to provide all mobile services outside of the Airwave secure communication system used by emergency services.
The four-year deal will be worth 16 million if restricted to just the Metropolitan Police Service, but provision in the tender has been made for up to 64 million to be allocated for a far more comprehensive deal.
"This notice allows itself and all other UK police forces and law enforcement agencies (and their statutory successors and organisations created as a result of re-organisation or organisational changes) to use the services described under this notice," the tender notice reads.
Aside from the Metropolitan Police itself, the notice also makes provision for the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and all "non-geographic police forces and law enforcement agencies" listed here to potentially use the framework too.
Following NPIA spokesman Gary Cairns' comments in October that the rollout of smartphones to the entire UK police force would be complete by next month, the tender notice makes provision for any framework deal to cover all voice and data services, including 2.5G, 3G and faster data services, push email and third-party support.
The tender will remain open to applicants until 9 April.
