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Met Police issues £350m tender for future IT procurement framework

Following a proven and successful model... er, hang on

London's Metropolitan Police is set to copy the UK government's cockup-ridden digital services framework by developing its own, according to a contract published, for some reason, on the Welsh government website.

The framework "is designed to enhance the MPS' current Solution Delivery supply chain," says the contract notice, with "solution providers" being expected to "bring knowledge, experience and functional expertise" to the bobbies. The contract notice also said:

The Solution Provider Framework will establish a panel of Solution Providers from whom MPS and the other contracting authorities will procure end-to-end digital solutions that solve business problems mainly through mini-competitions (Call offs), with direct awards in specifically defined circumstances. The Framework will include providers capable of delivering complex, multi-phased, technologically advanced end-to-end digital solutions.

Suppliers can expect around 10 projects a year to be commissioned through the Met's new framework, including SaaS, off-the-shelf apps and bespoke developments, among others.

The concept of a solution framework is a nice one in government bureaucrats' dreams but has repeatedly failed to work after contact with reality. Last year SMEs complained that the main digital services framework stopped them from properly doing business with the government, while earlier this year web-hosting firm Memset complained that the G-Cloud procurement framework was a failure. ®

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