The Minister of the Interior assured this Tuesday that the SIRESP emergency network is “effective and resilient” and that “there were no failures” in the two biggest fires this year, but “limitations that resulted in a few seconds of waiting”.
Contrary to some news that in recent months reported alleged failures in the network, and as stated in the technical reports on the operation of the network that I timely sent to the Presidency, for the knowledge of this committee, the SIRESP network continues to prove to be effective and resistant”, said José Luís Carneiro to the deputies of the parliamentary commission of Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees.
The official said that the network of the Integrated System of Emergency and Security Networks of Portugal (SIRESP) “did not fail in the two big fires this summer despite the volume of callswhich reached peaks of more than 11 thousand calls per hour and maintaining average waiting times of the order of three to four seconds”.
The network as such did not fail, there were limitations that resulted in a few seconds of waiting. And it is known that there are some shady areas in the national territory”, he maintained.
The minister considered that “the complexity of these operational contexts confirms the need and importance of the work carried out” and that the Government continues “investing in the reinforcement and modernization of this important communications network”.
Chega deputy Pedro Pinto questioned the minister about the failures of the SIRESP network in the Serra da Estela and Ourém fires, highlighting that there are reports from firefighters about these failures.
The deputy for the Liberal initiative Patrícia Gil Vaz also questioned the minister about the non-functioning of the network during the fires this summer.
For his part, the PSD deputy, Joaquim Pinto Moreira, questioned José Luis Carneiro about the terms of the international public tender for the provision of services to the SIRESP emergency network, considering that there is “some delay”.
In response, the minister said that the deadlines are being met, and for the moment “we are managing to comply with what was planned, but a contest of this nature is always subject to unpredictability.”
“This is a totally transparent tender, which promotes the rules of competition, exemption, impartiality and independence in pursuit of the public interest. It is an emergency communications network, so we have to make sure that the procedure protects and guarantees the public interest,” he said.
The official also said that “international public bidding with prior qualification” promotes “the rules of competition, exemption, impartiality and independence in pursuit of the public interest.”
“Prior qualification is not an exclusion factor, but a guarantee. The prequalification criteria are easily understandable. Given the sensitivity of the system, technical capacity requirements and financial capacity requirements are required, thus ensuring the technical and financial solidity of the competitors”, he highlighted.
José Luis Carneiro also said that all the lots had more than one candidate, which “is representative of the interest of this procedure and the way it is competitive, impartial and independent” and that “all the candidates have been qualified, with the proposal submission phase.
The international public tender for the provision of services to the SIRESP was launched by the Government in June and It has a value of 75 million euros over five years.
Added to this value is an investment of 36.5 million euros that will be launched by the secretary general of the Ministry of the Interior, with resources from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and an additional amount of 38.5 million euros earmarked for its financing and permanent updating.
From July 1, 2021, the transitory management model of this emergency communications system is in force, which has a duration of 18 months, ending on December 31.
In this sense, the international public tender must be completed before the end of the year.
Source: Observadora
