The pre-commercial procurement process consists of three clearly defined phases: solution design, prototype development and field testing (see graphic below). In each of these phases, significant budgets are available for suppliers to support their work. The total procurement budget for BroadWay is approximately 9.1 Million Euros.
BroadMap was our first stage took place from May 2016 until April 2017 and was funded under Horizon 2020 topic DRS-18-2015.
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The BroadWay team will hold a dialogue with potential suppliers to understand the status of what innovation capability is available to address the BroadWay Challenge. This process will help the BroadWay procurement team to prepare and refine the request for tenders, which is expected to be launched in November/December 2018.
This phase comprises of 3 sequential steps involving the launch of a request for tender, selection of the best suppliers and contracting these suppliers to provide designs to address the BroadWay Challenge.
A contract notice and public tender process will be carried out to select multiple teams of suppliers to work in competition to find the best solutions. Suppliers will have roughly 3 months to prepare tenders, from the launch of the request for tender, until the tender submission deadline.
The BroadWay procurement team will assess the submitted tenders and invite at least 4 supplier teams to enter into a framework agreement for the duration of the PCP, and a specific contract for the solution design phase.
Suppliers will have roughly 5 months to submit their designs to BroadWay. This includes both the design of the solutions themselves and the proposed approach to test and validate the prototypes and pilots.
The BroadWay procurement team will assess these designs and select at least 3 supplier teams to enter into specific contracts to develop prototypes.
Suppliers will be given approximately 12 months to develop their prototypes and testing evaluation capabilities. High levels of technology readiness will be expected, with the aim to achieve TRL8 during the pilot phase. Prototype solutions will be demonstrated to the BroadWay Procurement team, and to representatives of responder practitioner organisations.
The BroadWay procurement team will assess the tested prototype and select at least 2 supplier teams to enter into specific contracts to further develop their prototypes for the final assessment of TRL8 pilot solutions.
Suppliers will have approximately 8 months to implement, test and develop their TRL8 pilot solutions. These pilot systems will remain in service for at least 3 months to allow for evaluation by the BroadWay procurement team and Practitioner Validation team.
Full procurement of a solution to the BroadWay challenge is expected to be made.
During the BroadWay PCP, our procurement team will seek to agree the basis for the formation of a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). This organisation will become the single authority for procurement and conformance of final live pan-European mobile broadband for Public Safety.
NOTE: Phase 4 is not within the scope of BroadWay and is subject to the availability of further funding.