New contract lays ground for upgrade of justice system’s data sharing infrastructure
Northern Ireland’s Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) has awarded the contract to upgrade the Causeway data sharing mechanism for criminal justice to the incumbent supplier Fujitsu Services.
It has agreed on a deal with the firm to carry on when the existing managed service contract ends in March 2019, picking up as a strategic partner in a seven-year deal, with the option for three more, that could be worth up to £20 million.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has indicated that a new system should come into operation in April 2019, providing for “essential integrated services”.
Causeway, which was launched in 2002, provides an integrated system for information sharing between the main criminal justice organisations in Northern Ireland: the DoJ, Public Prosecution Service, Police Service, Courts and Tribunals Service, Prison Service and Forensic Science Northern Ireland.
Digital first
Details of the upgrade are not yet public, but the CPD has indicated that, while it believes the existing system has been effective, it now wants it developed in line with a ‘digital first’ strategy for the criminal justice system. This will demand improvements in the manage information capability, and taking in new digital developments in the justice arena, along with legislative and business process changes.
It will also be expected to make Causeway available to more users.
The overall value of the contract has been estimated in a wide range of £4 million to £20 million, which the DoJ said is “to allow for the development of optional services” and support the use of new technologies.
Image by Michael Kooiman, CC BY 2.0 through flickr
