Memorandum from Oxfordshire Fire Authority
(FIRE 13)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
— Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority
continues to oppose the project unless all specified functionality
and outstanding areas of concern are fully addressed.
— Despite this, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue
Authority (OFRA) will fully engage in the project to ensure the
most beneficial outcome to its local communities.
— Whilst unsighted as to the reality of
the contractual position, OFRA considers that continuation of
the project is the most appropriate course of action, subject
to enhanced leadership and support from Communities and Local
Government, supplemented by active and robust contract management.
— Whilst continuation is still favoured,
OFRA will actively work with colleagues in the South East, and
if appropriate nationally, to identify and if necessary implement
alternative provision. This will only be feasible with the full
financial and commercial support of Communities and Local Government.
— OFRA fully endorses the South East Regional
Management Board submission.
GENERAL
1. The OFRA's formal position on the FiReControl
Programme is one of opposition unless areas of concern are fully
addressed. Whilst this is the official position, practically the
Authority has undertaken to engage fully with the wider programme,
investing considerable time, finances and managerial effort to
ensure that the issues can be identified and resolved as part
of the programme management. The Authority has committed fully
to active involvement with the Local Authority Controlled company
and will do all it can to ensure the successful operation of the
South East Regional Control Centre should it become operational.
In effect this translates into a position whereby the Authority
will support the continuation of the FiReControl programme, subject
to the delivery of the full operational capability as identified
in the concept of operations and the resolution of all remaining
areas of concern.
2. As an Authority which responded to exceptional
levels of demand caused by the July 2007 flooding OFRA recognises
the underpinning resilience issues which predicated the introduction
of the project. Current mobilising arrangements, whilst managed
effectively, were not designed to meet the increased levels of
resilience that are now deemed appropriate within the wider national
context. As a direct result of several delays (original cut over
in 2007 now intended July 2012) each of which, while increasing
the risk, individually did not make the upgrading of the Authority's
mobilising system financially or practically viable. Subsequently
this Authority now finds itself in a position whereby the risk
to its legacy mobilising system is approaching an intolerable
level. Therefore, the Authority seeks removal of uncertainty and
the decisive action of CLG to either drive through the full implementation
of the project on the current timetable or to announce alternatives,
including if considered the only viable option, programme abandonment.
3. The present situation is not of the Authority's
making and the current FiReControl Programme would not have been
the chosen option had it had the local autonomy to dictate its
future mobilisation arrangements. However, OFRA having reviewed
all factors it has awareness of or responsibility for, considers
that the most appropriate way forward both for local and national
purposes will be to continue with the current project. Whilst
this is the case, continuation must be supported by genuine commitment,
visible leadership and financial support from Communities and
Local Government.
4. This Authority has been party to and
endorses the South East Regional Management Board submission.
Consequently the remaining submission focuses exclusively on what
changes need to be made to the Government's plans for proceeding
with the project.
CHANGES TO
THE PROJECT
5. OFRA have actively tracked this project
via its appropriate portfolio holder and Scrutiny Committee and
have contributed fully to the South East Local Authority Controlled
Company. All of these areas have registered increasing levels
of concern over programme governance, financial consequences and
central support and contract management and assurance. This is
evidenced by continued slippage, refusal of business cases, failure
to supply deliverables and failures of those products that have
been delivered. The following actions are considered essential
to ensure the continued ability of the Authority to actively engage
with the ongoing and hopefully revitalised project.
6. Programme Governance—recent improvements
in programme governance must be sustained and improved upon. Active
partnership with individual Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) to
address concerns must be enhanced. Action should be taken to streamline
the governance structure to improve the speed of decision making
and make ownership and responsibility clear.
7. As the contract was let, and is currently
managed by Communities and Local Government, individual FRS's
have no ability to ensure active contract management. Whist more
active management can be evidenced by the actions relating to
the replacement of the Mobilising supplier, this must be sustained
and improved upon. The continued failure of the main contractor
to meet the deliverables timeline must be addressed and repetition
prevented.
8. Where deliverables have been received
the quality assurance process has repeatedly failed to ensure
that these products are fit for purpose. It is essential that
a more effective and robust process is put in place to ensure
improvement and where failures exist that abortive work from FRS's
is recompensed.
9. OFRA has ongoing concerns regarding the
financial implications of the project both in the short and long
term. It is essential that mechanisms are put in place whereby
CLG can deliver, in perpetuity, the financial guarantees which
underpin the project. The original business case and its subsequent
iterations have continually eroded the theoretical savings that
would have allowed OFRA to undertake "out of scope"
activities within the overall current budget. Any potential removal
of future "resilience" payments could have the effect
of increasing overall cost the OFRA. This is not acceptable.
10. This Authority remains deeply dissatisfied
in the contractual arrangements let by CLG relating to the Buildings,
Facilities Management and ICT. All these items appear to be either
at considerable expense or include a degree of over specification
that is inappropriate for FRA's to fund in the longer term where
national resilience is the root cause.
11. One aspect of continued financial support
is the constant refusal by CLG of legitimate business cases submitted
by this Authority (both for Firelink and FiReControl items) for
support to undertake actions that have been identified as being
in scope for financial support. With the difficult financial environment
continued proactive actions by this Authority to take early and
enabling actions for the project cannot be sustained unless the
previously identified financial support is maintained.
12. OFRA has limited resources available
to undertake the specialist work that is necessary to implement
the project. These resources are fully committed in not only implementing
FiReControl but also the Firelink project. However, the failure
to finalise the technical solution for the project has led to
the national team being unable provide sufficient detail to allow
the FRS to work on its own actions to put the processes and data
systems to support FiReControl in place. This is a major activity
requiring considerable FRS specialist resource (a scarce commodity)
and requires sufficient lead-time. An inability to progress work
poses an increasing risk that when the information finally becomes
available FRS's will be unable to resource the necessary work
to meet the project timescale. This creates considerable frustration
in the FRS and the constant changes to the project delivery dates
makes resource planning very difficult. All this has reduced the
FRA's confidence in the ability of the project to deliver an acceptable
solution within the current timescales. The action required is
to resolve the technical issues quickly and authoritatively, communicate
these to all stakeholders, including third party software suppliers,
and fund actions under the New Burdens principles as originally
intended (eg interfacing of supporting systems).
13. The OFRA mobilising system is dated
and has previously not been replaced due to the impending mandatory
movement to FiReControl. However, this coupled with ongoing delay
and increasing concern over the current cut over timetable now
results in increasing and potentially intolerable levels of risk.
This Authority remains proactive and will continue to meet its
Business Continuity responsibilities and where prudent either
invest in limited interim upgrades or alternative collaborative
actions. Financial support from CLG will be essential. However,
this is clearly sub optimal and the most appropriate way forward
is the delivery of the original project on the current timetable,
avoiding any further cost escalation and with all intended functionality.
14. Whilst OFRA still consider project continuation
the most appropriate option it will actively engage with partners
to consider alternatives should the current project become clearly
non viable. OFRA is aware that alternatives are being considered
by CLG and consider that any alternative strategy must begin by
enfranchising and partnering the FRS community. Any future alternative
approach should not merely be handed down from CLG as a "fait
accompli." Any option for local or regional collaborative
ventures must be funded appropriately and national requirements
additionally funded. Networked resilience remains the underpinning
requirement to meet current and potential future needs.
January 2010
| 
