The Environment Agency has agreed on a contract with Leidos Innovations for the company to take over the running and further development of the national flood warning system (FWS).
It published the award notice for the agreement, which will come into effect on 4 March to run for six years with a value of £23.8 million.
This follows a lengthy procurement process which led the agency to extend its contract with the incumbent for the existing system, Fujitsu Services, until the end of 2025.
Under the new deal with Leidos, the company is expected to have a new version ready within 18 months, and to propose ideas, innovations and service improvements through a bi-annual continuous improvement plan. This includes the development of a product roadmap with readily available functions beyond those already stated stated.
Unchanged for years
The notice says the current system has been largely unchanged for many years, supported by satellite systems maintained by the Environment Agency and third party suppliers.
The new version is expected to include additional geospatial services, the capacity to work with new contact channels such as social media and smart devices, new digital services related to floods and geospatial data, and new types of messages such as on environment related incidents and drought.
It will also provide the option for other organisations under the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and government departments to use the services.
