Limerick council ends multi-million euro contract with firm managing fire service calls

The council declined to elaborate on why it had terminated its contract with Systel

999/112 emergency call operators in Limerick City, threatened strike action last year after reporting problems with the performance of Systel’s software.

Limerick City and County Council said it has terminated a multi-million euro contract with a French company to manage 999/112 calls to fire services across the Munster region.

The council, which is the contracting authority for the roll-out of Ireland’s fire services Command and Control IT system, said it has also binned plans to migrate the software, provided by Systel Ltd, nationally.

Systel Ltd, which has reportedly entered into an administration process in the French courts, has also recently lost multi-million euro contracts with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service in the UK, as well as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) after allegedly failing to deliver on project plans and meet targets.

999/112 emergency call operators working out of the Munster Regional Communications Centre (MRCC) in Limerick city, threatened strike action last year after reporting problems with the performance of Systel’s software and concerns about the safety of the public. However, Limerick City and County Council did not comment on these complaints.

MRCC staff complained about calls dropping midway through 999/112 calls, as well as issues with the software’s 3D mapping performance, which staff access to dispatch a particular fire service to the location of the emergency call-out.

The council said the National Directorate approved the decision to end the contract for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM), a section of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

“Limerick City and County Council in consultation with the NDFEM’s Management Board has recently made the decision to terminate the development contract with Systel Ltd., meaning that the decision has been made not to migrate the platform nationally,” the council stated.

Sources said that around €10 million has been spent on the software, however, Limerick City and County Council declined to comment. The council also declined to elaborate on why it had terminated its contract with Systel. When specifically asked why it had done so, it replied: “Limerick is the contracting authority for the national project.” 

The council said it has begun “procuring a new replacement system” and had no comment to make about costs “while this commercially sensitive process is ongoing”. Despite deciding to shelve plans to roll out Systel’s software nationwide, the council said Systel will continue to operate and provide support in the Munster region until a replacement provider is in place.

“Limerick City and County Council continue to maintain a commercial relationship with Systel Ltd and will continue to operate and support the platform in the Munster Region for the coming years,” the council stated.

It added “forthcoming meetings have been scheduled to agree on how Systel will continue to operate and support the platform in the Munster Region during the transition period” and that “the process of procuring a new replacement system has commenced”.

“Limerick City and County Council will be making no further comment while this commercially sensitive process is ongoing.” 

The council explained that the “Services Command and Control platform provided by Systemes et Telecommunications SA (Systel Ltd) has been successfully in operation in the Munster Region since October 2021” and that, “in that time, it has successfully processed in excess of 60,000 calls to the services control room”.

It added: “SYSTEL is a more than 35-year-old software company based in France with a strong focus on public safety, employing more than 100 people and providing Integrated Communication Control Systems and Computer Aided Dispatch to more than 60 Fire and Rescue Service clients spread across France, England, Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland.” 

Earlier terminations

In September 2022, it emerged there had been a four-year delay in Systel rolling out its Command and Control software in Scotland, in a €10m deal with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, which the SFRS initially put down to the covid-19 pandemic.

Last December, the SFRS issued a statement on its website that it had “terminated its contract, with suppliers Systel”.

It said Systel had “not delivered on the agreed project plan or met the milestones” and “we have extended all opportunities to our supplier and exhausted all required contractual provisions necessary to assist in the fulfilment of the contract”.

In March this year, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, UK, advertised a tender for a £4.5m contract to replace the mobilising services contract it had with Systel.

Leicestershire said the initial term of the contract to Systel SA expires on 31 October, 2024, with an ability to extend to 31 October, 2026, “which has not and will not be exercised by the Authority”.

Leicestershire added that Systel had been “placed into administration in France and has applied to the French courts for protection”.

It said it intended to procure a new system from “Motorola Solutions UK Ltd., for a term of five years with a maximum estimated value of £4.5m” 

Termination Assistance Period

Ireland’s National Mobilisation and Communications System (NMACs) wrote to staff at the MRCC, Limerick, last May, explaining that Limerick City and County Council, NMAC and the NDFEM had decided to “to terminate” their contract with Systel.

The letter, seen by this reporter, stated: “Recently, the NDFEM Board became aware that Systel Ltd. had been taken into a process of “Redressement Judiciaire” (a form of administration), through the French courts”.

NMAC said it was seeking to extend a 24-month “Termination Assistance Period” written into the Systel contract, in order “to provide a period of reassurance during the timeframe judged necessary for NMAC to procure a new system to support fire mobilising on a shared services basis”.

“Systel Ltd remain an operating company and the system remains fully operational, supported and maintained in the Munster Region, however, we will not at this point be fully migrating the system to either of the other two regions,” NMAC said.

It added: “the appropriate business continuity arrangements are being auctioned to ensure a robust and reliable system of work remains in place with our legacy systems”.

When contacted for a response, a Systel spokeswoman replied: “I regret to inform you that the Management Team have decided to decline to comment on the questions you have raised.”