Narrowband  |  2023-03-20

'Next Round' for SIRESP Critical Communications Infrastructure in Portugal

Source: healthnews.pt

Minister of Internal Administration highlighted the savings of around 11 million euros in relation to the amount launched in the tender.

The international tender for the provision of operation and maintenance services for the SIRESP critical communications network was concluded after the approval the Court of Auditors, 

“The process of awarding the operation and maintenance services of the Integrated System of Emergency and Security Networks in Portugal (SIRESP) was concluded this week, after the Court of Auditors approved the last three lots of the international public tender that allowed for greater savings to 11 million euros for the State”, explains Siresp S.A., in a statement.

Last week, the Minister of Internal Administration, José Luís Carneiro, had already indicated that the Court of Auditors had approved four of the seven contracts relating to the seven lots in the tender.

The public company Siresp, S.A., which commands and coordinates the State's emergency and security communications networkin Portugal, advances that the public tender has been successfully completed, and that the last contract for implementation and operation services is entering the execution phase today. from the SIRESP Security Operations Center and which was won by Altice Labs.

In a statement, Siresp, S.A. stresses that the tender registered “a transparent procedure and guaranteed free competition between all 13 competitors, who submitted 16 proposals”.

According to the company that manages SIRESP, the award was made “within the period established by the State, until December 31, 2022”, with the seven contracts being sent “before December 22, 2022 to the Court of Auditors” , whose last visa was received on Tuesday.

Siresp S.A. refers that it will now start, for all tender lots and with a duration of up to 180 days, the service transition process between current companies and future service providers.

The Minister of Internal Administration highlighted the savings of around 11 million euros in relation to the amount launched in the tender.

“In the framework of an international tender that promoted competition, impartiality and impartiality, the State managed to save an estimated 11 million euros and saw its strategic autonomy in the management and operation of its emergency communications network reinforced”, said José Luis Carneiro.

The international public tender for the provision of services to SIRESP was launched by the Government in June last year, it consisted of seven lots and had a value of 75 million euros for five years, having been concluded for 64 million euros.

SIRESP suppliers

In addition to Altice Labs, other companies that won the international public tender and that will now operate SIRESP are:

  • Motorola Solutions, which will maintain the tetra network
  • NOS, winner of two lots to operate transmission services over terrestrial circuits and redundancy of transmission via satellite
  • Moreme, destined to supply energy through generators to SIRESP base stations
  • Omtel, which will be responsible for maintaining the system's basic support infrastructure
  • No Limits, which will be responsible for maintenance and evolution of the network's information systems.

Future of SIRESP

The company also mentions that the awarded contracts foresee the evolution of the network towards the integration of new technological solutions, assuming the will to transfer the entire management of the SIRESP network to the State, which "will have an emergency communications system and more resilient, robust and secure security”.