Virtual Reality Training

Research into making the current Student Officer Training programme more effective has recommended that computer-generated virtual reality (VR) be used in order to provide new recruits with a deeper emotive experience of especially challenging or upsetting situations. For example; immersive VR will be an effective way to prepare officers for dealing with a fatality on the railway and counter terrorism situations.

They should provide a high degree of situational realism but do not need to be photo-realistic. They must allow users to experience a scenario and interact with characters and objects. The situations need to be realistically graphic and in places may potentially be distressing - we want to prepare recruits for the real situations they'll experience in the field.

The VR experiences will be computer-generated using 3D models, rather than being interactive 360-degree video. They will be used within a classroom environment (rather than individually), so that participants can be supported by a trainer both in terms of the learning experience and also emotionally.

The trainer must be able to manipulate the scenario and what happens within it, depending on what students decide to do, so that it may be different for different students.

The VR training must include creating and supplying a minimum of x 3 different environments to BTP, one of which must be a railway station. There must be a minimum of 6 x scenarios created and suppled to BTP within the 3 environments, 2 of these must include a railway fatality scenario and a counter-terrorism scenario.

The Supplier will need to be familiar with police training and the unique environment in which BTP operate.

The supplier will need to provide headsets and any hardware needed to use this VR training free of charge.

This RFQ has been published 3rd February with a deadline of 17:00 hrs 10th February. Please note the contract start date is estimated and to be confirmed.

All works must be completed, finalised and issued no later than 31st March 2023.

The RFQ contains full information about the requirement, including the specification and submission requirements which can be requested by contacting CommercialBuyingTeam@btp.police.uk