G4S have been selected to deliver outsourcing services for Lincolnshire Police
G4S, the UK’s leading secure solutions provider, has been selected to deliver middle and back office functions for Lincolnshire Police – the first contract of its kind to be let by a British Police Authority.
G4S was selected from an original 160 bidders to deliver the Lincolnshire Police Business Transformation Project and from April 2012 will be providing a range of functions, formerly delivered by a combination of civilian employees and police officers.
The contract, worth at least £200million over the next ten years, represents the widest range of services ever offered in a single contract by a UK Police Authority, from HR to finance, and from custody services to fleet management. In total the Authority expects to make around £28m in savings over the life of the contract.
John Shaw, managing director of G4S Police Support Services, said:
“We’re delighted to have been selected to deliver this important contract, which is the first of its kind in the UK.
“Lincolnshire is leading the way in responding to the challenges of the economic environment and this transformation project will mean many of the services provided by Lincolnshire Police will now be delivered externally by specialists who can deliver greater savings and improve efficiency.
“We believe that the combination of Lincolnshire’s policing model and our expertise in delivering middle and back office functions will improve services and deliver the savings the Authority needs.
“Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Police Authority are to be commended for having run a very agile procurement that we believe should be the case study for other public sector competitions. The end result is a partnership approach that has been talked about many times but that has already been demonstrated by the Authority. This can only lead to a better outcome for the people of Lincolnshire and the taxpayer in general.”
Barry Young, Chairman of Lincolnshire Police Authority, said:
“Lincolnshire Police Authority is pleased to recommend G4S as our preferred bidder.”
As well as providing back office functions, the contract will include an opportunity for the design and build two purpose-built custody suites, which would be staffed by G4S custody detention officers under the guidance of Lincolnshire Police custody sergeants. The suites which are specially designed by G4S would be the first to be constructed in the UK and would allow the police to close old and out of date cells in town centre police stations, as well as freeing up warranted officers for crime prevention.
G4S has been providing services to support front line policing for many years, including the provision of custody suite services for three police forces in the UK, as well as forensic medical services for 13 forces.