Explanatory note
Published 24 August 2016
© Crown copyright 2016
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-and-rescue-authority-procurement-data/explanatory-note
1. Background
This procurement data is supplied by fire and rescue authorities in England in response to a survey issued by the former Minister for Policing, Fire, Criminal Justice and Victims.
2. How the data was collected
The survey, which ran from 1 to 23 June 2016, asked fire and rescue authorities to provide the following details on the last time they purchased 25 commonly procured items:
- cost
- quantity
- date purchased
- supplier
- whether it was a joint purchase or made under a collaborative framework
The fire and rescue authorities were provided with descriptions of the items (including the relevant British standards where appropriate), and these descriptors are included with the published data.
Fire and rescue authorities were able to expand on their answer if the item they had purchased was different from that described by the survey. This information was used by the Home Office to exclude items purchased by fire and rescue authorities which were incomparable.
Where costs for items appeared excessively high or low, a clarification was sought from the relevant fire and rescue authority. Where multiple costs for similar items within a particular category were provided by a fire and rescue authority, the most expensive is quoted.
Nevertheless, there are still differences within the categories surveyed, which makes direct comparison across fire and rescue authorities more complicated in the following ways.
A number of fire and rescue authorities use some form of fully managed service to fit their firefighters with personal protective equipment. The price of this service per firefighter per annum has been quoted wherever possible. The items of personal protective equipment included in these fully managed services vary depending on the terms of the agreement, as does the level of service (for example, maintenance, replacement and laundering of items). The cost noted against individual items of personal protective equipment for those fire and rescue authorities using a fully managed service is generally that for replacement of a lost or damaged item. This may differ from the cost to procure that item outside of a fully managed service.
While the survey asked about medium class rescue pumping appliances, the costs of all classes of appliance (light, medium and super) are quoted. The operational requirements of each fire and rescue authority determine which class of rescue pumping appliance is appropriate for them.
The survey asked fire and rescue authorities for information on the most recent time they bought the items in question. For some authorities, this was several years ago, and the general cost of certain items (electronic items in particular) may have changed in the intervening period.
3. Contact us
For more information about how the data was collected and how it is presented, please email fireprocurement@homeoffice.gov.uk.