The Police and Crime Commissioner, on behalf of Sussex Police, currently holds a contract for the provision of Language Services which is due to expire on 30 November 2026. The existing contract was awarded through the BlueLight Commercial Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). The current DPS is expected to be superseded by a replacement DPS, anticipated to become available in September 2027. To ensure the continued provision of critical language support services and to avoid any disruption to operational policing activities, Sussex Police intends to award a 15-month extension to the incumbent supplier. The proposed extension is considered necessary to maintain service continuity until the replacement DPS is established and available for use. Conducting a separate procurement exercise at this stage would likely result in a short-term interim arrangement, creating additional procurement costs, resource burdens, and potential implementation risks, shortly before a further competition would need to be undertaken under the new DPS. The extension will provide sufficient time for the replacement DPS to become operational and for Sussex Police to undertake a full and compliant competitive procurement process through that route. The proposed modification is therefore intended solely as a temporary measure to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of essential Language Services while facilitating a future competitive procurement exercise under the successor DPS. This is a demand led contract and values have been determined by the spend from 1st April 2025-31st March 2026, and extrapolated to 15 months.

The requirement relates to the provision of face-to-face and telephone interpreting and translation services to support operational policing activities, including the needs of officers and custody staff in the execution of their duties. As this is a demand-led service, the Authority is unable to accurately forecast the volume of interpreting and translation services that will be required during the contract period. Consequently, the contract value has been estimated based on historical expenditure over a 12-month period and proportionally extrapolated to reflect the proposed 15-month extension term. The stated value is therefore indicative and represents the Authority's best estimate of anticipated expenditure for the duration of the extension.