Policing plans unified case management for digital and physical forensics
A police buyer is testing the market for a combined forensic case management platform, pointing to tighter integration of digital and physical evidence workflows.
A police buyer is testing the market for a combined forensic case management platform, pointing to tighter integration of digital and physical evidence workflows.
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Greater Manchester Combined Authority issued a brief on behalf of Greater Manchester Police to sound out suppliers on a combined forensic case management system that integrates digital and physical forensic requirements. The pre-procurement engagement is a low-key but telling signal: policing wants a more joined-up approach to handling forensic casework.
The notice is concise. It asks for information on solutions that bring digital and physical forensics into one case management environment, and frames the exercise as market engagement. That leaves room for suppliers to shape thinking on how best to combine workflows across disciplines.
Other forces have moved in this direction. In August 2020, the Yorkshire and Humber region sought a replacement forensic case management system that covered both traditional and digital forensics. In July 2023, West Mercia Police went to market for a digital forensics case management system, seeking support to develop, test and implement it.
The Greater Manchester engagement also sits alongside the force’s recent push on targeted digital tools. In May 2024, the Combined Authority sought a bail management application to track detainee bail. In July 2024, it looked for a digital data analysis solution to support the intelligence directorate with ingestion, cleansing, integration and analysis. A combined forensic case management platform would be a logical next building block.
Across policing, case management decisions often sit alongside quality management and accreditation obligations. In March 2022, Thames Valley Police set out a need for a CMS and QMS software solution for forensic teams, referencing ISO 17020 and 17025, MoPI, BS 10008 and the Forensic Science Regulator’s codes. The authority was open to either a single platform or two systems linked by open APIs.
The Welsh forces took a similar tack. In June 2023, a project team working on behalf of the four Welsh police forces sought a combined electronic quality and case management system, specifying case management and exhibit handling for digital and traditional forensic units alongside accreditation to ISO 17025, 17020 and 15189.
Quality tooling is also being procured at network and regional levels. North Wales Police, for the Forensic Collision Investigation Network, awarded a contract in June 2023 for a national, cloud-based electronic quality management system to support accreditation processes across participating forces. And in April 2025, Surrey and Sussex Police launched a procurement for an electronic quality management system to support compliance with the Forensic Science Regulator’s Code of Practice as accreditation demands grow.
Taken together, these notices show a pattern: police buyers are coupling case management with formal quality frameworks. That context will shape supplier proposals even where, as in Greater Manchester, the specification has not yet been set out.
The forensic case management question is also a data question. Forces want systems that can connect across platforms and share material with partners. The thread goes back years. In June 2017, Kent Police’s plan for a digital asset management system required interfaces to core policing systems such as Athena and Niche, analytics to relate assets and identify people and objects in images, and secure sharing with agencies including the Crown Prosecution Service and Border Force.
At national level, the Police Digital Service in June 2023 launched a framework for a dynamic decision and case management system to support proactive investigations across law enforcement. The requirements spanned end-to-end case management, decision logging and support, integration and provision of COTS software and hardware.
Beyond policing, councils are looking at integrated case management for public protection. In October 2024, Portsmouth City Council ran market engagement for a community safety case management application focused on anti-social behaviour. Outside forensics, this is still about joined-up workflows and better task management.
Hosting models and interoperability are recurring choices. Several buyers specify cloud-based and externally hosted systems. For example, Welsh public bodies have sought cloud-based case management in legal services, with multi-tenant collaboration and Microsoft 365 integration, as set out by Flintshire County Council in October 2022 for a legal case management system.
Greater Manchester’s notice is part of a wider move to test the market before locking down requirements. The National Crime Agency did the same in November 2023, using an early supplier engagement event to inform its strategic review of case management options and its ambition to modernise data capabilities. That plan was flagged in a prior information notice.
Market engagement can surface practical questions that will influence outcome and cost. In Thames Valley’s case, the buyer explicitly weighed a single platform against two linked systems. National programmes, like the Police Digital Service framework, have emphasised interoperability and support models. Local engagements, such as Portsmouth’s, have focused on end-user workflow gains. Together they underline the choices facing buyers about architecture, standards and integration.
Common themes emerging across these procurements include:
The Greater Manchester notice is deliberately light on detail. It does not set out a hosting model, integration targets, quality management scope or an approach to analytics. Those choices will define the eventual specification and the balance between off-the-shelf and tailored development.
Watch for how the authority frames four points in any follow-up: whether case and quality management sit together or are linked by APIs; which accreditation standards and regulator expectations shape the build; how data will flow to existing systems and external partners; and how far the system will support analysis as well as record-keeping. The steady drumbeat of recent procurements suggests the demand — and the questions — are common across UK policing.
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