In their literature Firstport inform their residents as to how they tender contracts?
They also make mention that in the case of alarm/warden call systems they may use a connected company (Appello) and may not put those contracts out to tender?.
So it may have come as something of a surprise to find that Firstport announced that they had put the alarm/ warden call systems out to an indpendent tender process and it had been found that Openview offered the best value for money and were thus awarded the contract?
This begs the question if Openview were better value why was the contract not put out to tender earlier?
Now here is where the story gets a little murkier?
At the time the contract was put out to tender, Appello accounts show substantial debts and a provision for exiting onerous contracts that were incurring substantial losses.
Even murkier and stranger, was that at the very time the independent tender process was taking place, negotiations between Openview and Appello over a sale of that division of Appello to Openview were being conducted?
Subsequent to the award of the contract to Openview it has now emerged that Firstport agreed to keep responsibilty for debts, whilst Openview would pay £430,000 for the company.
Astonishingly the fee for the purchase of the company has not been paid upfront but is being paid in installments.
Since the transfer of services to Openview, About Firstport has received multiple reports of dramatic increases in charges. In many cases up by 50%!
