PCD 1633 NUMS Contract Uplift

PCD 1633 NUMS Contract Uplift

This paper seeks approval for an uplift in the contract value for the National Uniform Managed Service (NUMS) of £33.9m from £102m to £135.9m that is due to expire at the end of March 2026, as well as funding of up to £8.24m for the provision of new cold weather Jackets to be implemented during the 2024 winter. 

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve an increase in the value of the NUMS contract by £33.9m to £135.9m, a 33% uplift to the contract value approved by MOPAC to cover the following expenditure. 

• £12.18m to sustain the new level of spending for the provision of Business As Usual  (BAU) Uniform and Equipment, via the National Uniform Managed Service (NUMS) Framework.   

• Up to £6.18m to support the rollout of the preferred cold weather jackets following the trial.The proposed amount represents the maximum additional cost within the remaining years of the contract, exceeding the BAU expenditure on the current coat available to officers. 

• £0.990m to cover the provision of L2 & L3 uniform for the Public Order uplift programme.   

• £9.55m to cover the potential full roll out of new general purpose body armour. Roll out options are currently being considered and will be subject to a separate Investment Group submission in due course.  

• A further £5m to cover future, currently unbudgeted, uniform spend that could be required to support future urgent operational needs, OP Brocks or the New Met for London (NMfL) plan, within the remaining 2 years of the contract. Specific funding approval will be sought at the appropriate time, through normal governance routes. 

2. Approval for funding of up to £8,240,000 for the provision of new cold weather Jackets to be implemented during the 2024 winter. 

3. Approve the delegated authority to the Director of Commercial Services to award the contract for the cold weather trail jackets and call off contracts as required within the limits of the contract. 

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC. 

1. Introduction and background.

1. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) implemented a fully managed uniform service in 2016 following the award of contract to DHL on a 7+3-year arrangement. Ref- (PCD 2013- 137) 

2. The option to increase the contract by three years was taken in 2023, meaning a new service to replace the contract has to be in place by the end of March 2026. The work on the Uniform NextGen project is underway and will be presented for approval separately in early 2024. 

3. Since 2016, the MPS’s landscape has changed significantly, leading to unexpected demand that has impacted on contract spend. Although the additional spending has been funded via relevant business cases, it means the MPS is approaching the contract value threshold quicker than expected. 

4. The following initiatives are expected to have an additional impact on the NUMS contract value over the next two years. 

• New Met for London plan commitments related to improving uniforms, kit, and equipment. 

• Improved accessibility and product offerings. 

• Increase in public order demand. 

• Renewed focus on improving standards of appearance. 

2. Issues for consideration.  

1. The MPS is requesting approval of up to £8.24m cover the cost of the highest cost- scenario ahead of the trial evaluation results because two options require contracts with suppliers to be placed in April if the solution is to be available in time for next winter.  

2. The MPS state that funding for the roll out of the cold winter jackets is planned for within the NMfL investment in 24/25 but will be subject to prioritisation with other commitments. 

3. The current contract with DHL expires at the end of March 2026, so the MPS is seeking a contract value increase for the highest cost option to supply the Jackets until March 2026, which is why the contract value increase of £6.18m is less than the requested budget allocation of £8.24m. 

4. Approval for the budget of £0.99m to cover the provision of L2 & L3 uniform for the Public Order uplift programme will be requested through a separate Business Justification Paper (BJP) submitted by Public Order (MO6). 

5. Improved accessibility of services, enhanced product offerings, and external supply chain factors, together with an organisational drive to improve adherence to uniform standards, has increased BAU uniform spend across MPS budgets. 

3. Financial Comments.  

1. The additional contract value uplift of £33.9m will cover BAU expenditure on current run rate, cold winter coats, public order, body armour, and headroom for contingency. Requests will be made through separate business cases. 

2. The proposed £8.24m costs for cold winter jackets will be funded through the NMfL. The allocation will be included as part of the overall review and prioritisation of NMfL activities.  

4. Commercial and Procurement Comments. 

1. The existing route to market for MPS Uniform is via the DHL Managed Services agreement. As per the terms of the contract, providing the selection of the new winter coats is competitive and conducted in a fair and transparent manner which does not favour any particular supplier and delivers value for money, then the award can be made via DHL.   

5. Legal Comments. 

1. The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (“MOPAC”) is a contracting authority as defined in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (“the Regulations”).  All awards of, and modifications to, public contracts for goods and/or services valued at £213,477 or above shall be procured in accordance with the Regulations. This report confirms both the value of the original contract, and the proposed modification exceeds this threshold.  

2. Regulation 72 permits MOPAC to modify a contract in limited circumstances.  Specifically, regulation 72(1)(b) provides MOPAC may modify a contract where:  It is not possible to change contractor due to technical or economic reasons; and to change contractor would cause MOPAC to suffer significant inconvenience or substantial costs duplication. Provided the value of the modification does not exceed 50% of the value of the original contract.  This report confirms the above are met.  

3. Paragraph 4.13 of the MOPAC Scheme of Delegation and Consent provides the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime has delegated authority to approve all unforeseen variations and extensions to contracts with an original value of £500,000 or above, when the variation or extension is greater than 10% of the original value and/or is for a period of more than 12 months. 

6. GDPR and Data Privacy. 

1. The MPS is subject to the requirements and conditions placed on it as a 'State' body to comply with the European Convention of Human Rights and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018. Both legislative requirements place an obligation on the MPS to process personal data fairly and lawfully in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals. 

2. Under Article 35 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Section 57 of the DPA 2018, Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) become mandatory for organisations with technologies and processes that are likely to result in a high risk to the rights of the data subjects. 

3. The Information Assurance and Information Rights units within MPS will be consulted at all stages to ensure the programme / project.

4. The project does not use personally identifiable data of members of the public, so there are no GDPR issues to be considered. 

7. Equality Comments. 

1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. As a result, no negative impact has been identified to any individual and/or group safeguarded by a protected characteristic and to those who are not negating the requirement to document any mitigation.  

2.  The paper seeks additional funding for an existing function therefore, there is no real organisational change. Further reviews will be conducted and if any new Equality Impact is identified, a full Equality Impact Assessment will be initiated.

8. Background/supporting papers. 

1.  Appendix 1 National Uniform Managed Service – Contract Uplift.