Status of the C3i Project

Report: 13
Date: 4 October 2001
By: Commissioner and Clerk

Summary

In the last month, the C3i Project has passed two milestones: the initial business case was issued on 10 September and the project successfully passed the Office for Government Commerce (OGC) Gateway 1 Review. The initial business case has been prepared and is under consideration by the Home Office and the Treasury at official level. Work proceeds on the final business case as costs are better detailed within an overall procurement strategy for the project. All OGC recommendations for the project organisation and structure were properly addressed. A project director has been appointed (1 October 2001) and the project team has been reorganised to take account of the new objectives and targets for delivery. The C3i Project is working with Partnerships UK (PUK) and OGC to ensure that it passes Gateway 2 in November.

A. Recommendations

That

1. Members note the status and progress of the C3i Project; and

2. the Committee agree that a workshop should be arranged to consider the business case in more detail before it is submitted to the Full Authority for approval on 25 October 2001

B. Supporting information

1. The C3i Project was presented for Office of Government Commerce (OGC) Gateway 1 review over the period 10-12 September 2001. This is an essential precursor to acceptance by the Treasury: if the review were not passed no funding would be forthcoming. The project passed the Gateway 1 examination and OGC recommended that approval be granted for the project to proceed. Some points were made for project action and these are all in hand.

2. The next Gateway Review examines the C3i procurement strategy and the review is scheduled for the week commencing 28 November 2001. Because of the lead time for competitive procurements through the OJEC process, a high level approach is being addressed now with Partnerships UK (PUK) assistance and will be available as a draft procurement strategy for internal review at the end of October 2001.

3. The outline business case for C3i was completed and distributed internally and to the MPA for review and comment. PUK were largely content with the draft business case and, as agreed by the C3i steering group, advance copies were sent to the Treasury and Home Office officials for preliminary analysis to begin. The MPA is represented on the steering group by Nicholas Long and the Clerk and Treasurer. The MPA Secretariat has copies of the outline business case which members may wish to inspect before this proposed workshop.

4. The project team continues to work with PUK on the preparation and delivery of the formal business case which will be issued in Q1-Q2 of 2002 after all costings are determined. Detailed costings will depend upon the approach to each procurement stated in the procurement strategy and on commercial responses to formal invitations to tender.

5. The planned dates for financial and other approvals are:

6. Treasury approval is required for spending against the estimates for which there is no current approved budgetary provision.

7. The project director has now been appointed and the Senior Management Team (SMT) and Project Management Office (PMO) for the project, as it now is, are being built. Processes for project management and control are defined and are being implemented. OGC comments on organisation and structure from the preview of Gateway 1 have all been addressed. MPS Management Board considered and approved the outline business case on 26 September 2001

8. Work is now in hand on business (operational) processes, transition and migration planning, blueprint definition and staffing. All work strands across the project have been documented and are being integrated. The PMO has prepared the definition of the Project Approach and plans and critical milestones are now under scrutiny.

9. The System Integrator (SI) procurement has not yet been approved. The terms of reference and procurement options are being discussed and PUK advice has been sought. It is intended to proceed with procurement as soon as it is confirmed that the Home Office prohibition against procurements for which agreed funding exists is relaxed. This remains an urgent need as the employment of the SI is essential to the determination of project risk, the approach to technology integration and the confirmation of project costings.

10. PA Consulting Group remains in support of the project and their contribution is now under review with them to ensure best value and cost effective support. It is intended that the PA consultants will be integrated with the MPS teams and will deliver directly to the project line management.

11. Tendering for the building work at Lambeth, Hendon and Bow is in progress in order to meet the timescales for Airwave delivery to C3i. This is the critical path in the project and is being closely managed by the Property Services Department. Building costs are under review by an independent quantity surveyor and all estimates will be improved as far as possible in anticipation of tender negotiations. It is likely that costs for the move of SO11 from Lambeth will be higher than originally estimated but such increases are containable within the contingencies calculated for the project.

12. The business case for the project assumes a reduction in, and the civilianisation of, the staffing of the command and control centres. Savings are estimated to be £40m per annum. These savings release approximately 1000 police over the project life.

13. The addendum to the business case would allow the MPA flexibility to maintain police numbers. An additional £40m per annum is required to be able to retain and reallocate 1000 trained police officers.

Next steps

14. Officials in the Home Office and the Treasury are aware that the case for extra resources from central government to fund C3i must be presented formally by the Authority and a paper will be prepared for the Full Authority meeting on 25 October. In the meantime, members may agree that a more detailed examination of the proposals, and particularly of the financial implications would be of benefit. If so, a workshop can be arranged before the meeting on 25 October.

C. Financial implications

The costs included in this business case and then reconciliation with figures previously reported to members will be represented in the Authority on 25 October and presented at the proposed workshop.

D. Contact details

Report author: Sean Coughlan and Catherine Crawford, Clerk to the MPA

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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