Aster provides Technology Enabled Care (TEC) services across a range of grouped living, sheltered and extra care schemes, supporting residents through Hard-Wired alarm systems, Digital Alarm Units (DAUs), dispersed TEC devices and emergency call-handling arrangements. As part of the national digital switchover, all analogue systems must transition to digital-ready solutions by 2027. This requires a coordinated approach across both the maintenance of physical TEC equipment and the delivery of monitoring and alarm receiving services. Lot 1 covers the maintenance, servicing, repair and future upgrade of Aster's Hard-Wired alarm systems, DAUs,smoke detection and fire panels within dwellings. The Contractor will support Aster in ensuring equipment reliability, minimising downtime, maintaining accurate asset data and enabling a smooth transition from analogue to digital-ready systems. These services play a critical role in ensuring that residents can raise alerts safely and consistently. Lot 2 covers Monitoring and Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) Services. The ARC is responsible for receiving alarm activations, responding to calls, triggering appropriate actions and supporting residents in emergency and welfare situations. The ARC provider will also be responsible for onboarding new TEC users, including configuring monitoring profiles, ensuring alarms route correctly and maintaining up-to-date service user information. In addition, the ARC provider will be required to deliver a suite of performance and operational reports that enable Aster to review service outcomes, monitor compliance, identify trends and assure resident safety. Tenderers must therefore clearly outline the reports they propose to provide as part of their response. The ARC must provide key industry updates from the TSA. Together, the Lot 1 and Lot 2 services form an end-to-end TEC operating model that ensures residents receive a safe, reliable and digitally resilient service. Aster is seeking partners who can support this transformation, safeguard service continuity through the digital migration period and deliver a high-quality resident experience.

Procurement Act 2023

Competitive flexible procedure