The fire service national radio system procurement is suffering further delays and will not be signed until the autumn.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), which is running the project, says a further round of discussions is needed, and that the delays could affect the implementation schedule.

The agreement for the national network, called Firelink, was originally due to be signed in July 2004, then November, then March, then the end of May (Computing, 10 February).

Firelink is only the latest of a series of plans. Negotiations for a national network have been taking place for more than six years, and if the deal is signed in the autumn, the contract for Firelink itself will be over a year late.

'We have been in a position where the end is in sight for some time now, and the fact that it is significantly delayed again is immensely frustrating,' said Chief Fire Officers' Association representative Olaf Baars.

'This was originally supposed to be fully live by 2005 and we still haven't awarded the contract.

'But I do understand the reasons for the delay on this occasion, and it is important that bids are given the most thorough evaluation possible,' he said.

Last month's General Election and a change of ministers at the ODPM, as well as compliance issues with the bids submitted by shortlisted suppliers Airwave O2 and EADS, have contributed to the latest delay.

The deadline to roll out the service to brigades by 2008 may now also change.

'This [delay] may have an impact on the Firelink delivery schedule, and we have therefore started an assessment of the potential impact of this on operational continuity,' says an ODPM document seen by Computing.

Such changes could have a knock-on effect on the controversial FiReControl plan to rationalise local control rooms into nine regional centres.

'Any delays may mean a delay for FiReControl, because you can't roll out new control rooms without the network,' said Baars.

The Fire Brigades Union is backing a call from MPs for a review of the rationalisation plan, on the grounds that it is a waste of money and will risk the lives of firefighters and the public.