If you are leading a school, hospital or other public sector organisation and you have decided to stop using or installing cameras manufactured by Chinese companies, there are other options available and we can help you consider some.
Simpler Public Procurement Framework introduced
The Public Procurement Act 2023 took effect in February this year. The main aim of the Act was to create a simpler and more effective public procurement framework, having brought together a number of UK laws which had been derived from EU directives. However, it has also introduced some key changes that could impact buying decisions. The law is supplemented by the Procurement Regulations 2024 which explain the law’s transparency and publication requirements and there is technical guidance to help public bodies interpret the law correctly. A guide for suppliers seeking to bid for public sector contractors has also been published.
An article from lawyers Linklaters explains that the Act has introduced a more flexible award procedure which allows for more bespoke processes. There is also a shift in the award procedure, which could affect procurement of services such as CCTV. Awards of contracts can now be made to suppliers that submit the “most advantageous tender”, rather than just the most economically advantageous tender. This allows for a broader range of factors to be considered when deciding on the value of a project rather than just the price, which could allow for security cameras not made in China to be examined more closely.
Additionally, the grounds for exclusion of a supplier have been expanded to include discretionary grounds such as environmental misconduct, labour market misconduct, breach of contract and poor performance of contracts with public authorities or the supplier posing a threat to national security. There is also increased transparency required when contracts are rewarded. Contracts with an estimated value exceeding £5 million will need to be published by the contracting authority on a central digital platform.
Public bodies phasing out Chinese-made CCTV cameras
In 2022 Oliver Dowden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the last Conservative government banned the use of Chinese-manufactured CCTV on sensitive government sites. This ban was welcomed by the then Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner (BSCC), Professor Fraser Sampson. He developed a framework for local authorities and police forces, who are legally obliged to follow the Surveillance Camera Code, to consider what would be a sensitive site so they could take the same approach as central government. The government in its statement highlighted security concerns caused by the passing of the National Intelligence Law in China in 2017, then described by legal experts as obliging its citizens, but also foreign citizens, companies, or organisations operating in China, to provide access, cooperation, or support for Beijing’s intelligence-gathering activities. In October 2024 it was reported by the UK Defence Journal that over half of the Chinese cameras had been removed from central government’s sensitive sites and it was suggested that all would be removed by April this year.
A number of UK local councils, including Edinburgh City Council and Kent County Council, committed to phasing out the use of Chinese-manufactured cameras. Additionally, following a campaign by human rights groups, targeting retailers supermarket giant, Tesco, said in 2023 that it would phase out the use of CCTV cameras manufactured by Chinese suppliers, Hikvision and Dahua, across all of its stores. However, in April 2024 the UK government stated that local authorities were not obliged to stop using Chinese-made CCTV. In Scotland, its government had committed to phasing out their use in public bodies in 2022. However, it was reported by the Scottish Greens last year that at least 20 public bodies in Scotland were still using Chinese cameras following a freedom of information request.
Both Big Brother Watch and Free Tibet continue to campaign to have Hikvision banned in the UK. This is due to the use of their cameras in areas of heavy surveillance within Tibet and their alleged involvement in surveillance of human rights abuses centred around the treatment of the Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region of China. More recent reports have noted that Hikvision continues to be used by public bodies across Scotland.
We can help you with your surveillance choices
We are specialists in advanced CCTV systems from Avigilon, whose Unity and Alta brands form part of the offer from Motorola Solutions. Avigilon cameras are manufactured in North America, while its Ava cloud cameras are manufactured in Taiwan. Given the scrutiny that Chinese manufactured security systems have had and the changed procurement this may be an opportunity to consider other options.
We can help public sector organisations through the buying process, demonstrating how to take a staged approach to improving your security system, while ensuring they take advantage of the features of the video management platforms from Avigilon Unity and Alta. Both provide advanced analytics allowing you to detect incidents inside or outside in your grounds quickly and help you track suspicious individuals or vehicles.
Contact us if you want to book a free site visit when we can consider your CCTV needs. We will be delighted to help you.