The Environment Agency (EA) has awarded a major contract for Incident Management Forecasting System (IMFS)software support, maintenance and development services with an estimated total value of £17.91 million.
The Incident Management Forecasting System (IMFS) is the Agency's primary flood forecasting system and uses Deltares owned Delft-FEWS software as a platform to run models for flood forecasting, groundwater modelling, bathing water quality forecasting, and other services. The National Groundwater Modelling Service (NGMS) also uses Delft-FEWS software.
The EA has published a Transparency Notice announcing its intention to enter into a contract for software support and maintenance (and the provision of new software enhancements and improvements) with Stichting Deltares for 5 years with potential extension options of up to a further 5 years.
The Agency will also have the right to make additional purchases while the contract is valid and for the
development of new software code to support new functionality requirements specified by the Environment Agency for its Deltares' software and Delft-FEWS installations.
The Environment Agency has made the the direct contract award without going out to competitive tender because competition is absent for technical reasons. Stichting Deltares are the sole owners and of Delft-FEWS and there are no alternatives available to the EA because any decision to deviate from Delft-FEWS would require a redevelopment and rewriting of all the Agency’s models.
Stichting Deltares are the sole owner and licensor the specialist Delft-FEWS software and alsoprovide develop and support.
Deltares is the Dutch national R&D institution for hydrology, integrated water resources management and flood risk management. The developer of the Delft-FEWS forecast production system, Deltares is the world-wide market leader in the provision of real-time hydrological forecasting systems and related expertise.
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