Telecommunications services

Tender description

This opportunity relates to the provision, operation and maintenance of telecommunications services between the roadside and various central locations for Highways England, the body responsible for England's motorway and trunk road network. Whilst the authority for National Roads Telecommunications Service (NRTS2) project is Highways England Company Limited (and any future successor to this organisation), the Secretary of State for Transport will be a named beneficiary of the proposed NRTS2 contract as some of the assets / contracts to which the NRTS2 services relate are in the name of the Secretary of State (for example those relating to the M6 toll motorway and the Severn River crossing). However, it is not intended that the Secretary of State should have any rights to directly enforce the contract, under the Contract (Rights of Third Parties) Act or otherwise. The National Roads Telecommunications Service (NRTS) project currently provides services to approximately 30 000 locations on 3 500 km of motorways and trunk roads. These telecommunications services provide connectivity between control centres and roadside devices such as variable message signs, emergency telephones and CCTV cameras. The contract under which NRTS is currently provided will come to an end in March 2018, and the successful supplier(s) will need to be in place at least 6 months before this date to ensure a smooth transition between contracts. The scope of the contract will include the maintenance, deployment and further development of NRTS services. This will involve a range of cable-based, wireless and public network services and other telecommunications technologies and services. The supplier might also be required to provide related services, such as a wireless service that supports communications between the roadside and vehicles and the provision of telecommunications specialist advisers, at some stage in the life the contract. Highways England intends to develop a Technology Operations Centre (TOC) that delivers coordinated management, operation and maintenance of technology assets and the NRTS network. It is currently envisaged that the NRTS2 Network Operations Centre (NOC) will be an integral part of the TOC. Highways England intends to take on the lease (subject to conclusion of suitable leasing arrangement) for the existing Quinton building which contains the current NOC from the end of the existing (NRTS1) contract. The intention is to make space in the Quinton building available to the NRTS2 Service Provider for their NOC and Highways England would establish the TOC alongside the NOC during the Term of the NRTS2 Agreement. Highways England may wish to relocate the TOC (including NOC) to an alternative location during the Term of the NRTS2 Agreement. It is intended that some elements of the NRTS2 Service Provider's systems and processes will be such that they may also be used by Highways England and other parties to support the management of Highways England's technology assets as well as the NRTS network. This might include the provision by the Service Provider of security services related to Highways England's technology. The NRTS2 Service Provider will be expected to support Highways England in achieving these intentions. Highways England is also interested in potential synergies between NRTS and the supply of telecommunications services to other users in the private or public sectors, which might result in savings or revenue earning opportunities. This will be discussed during the dialogue. The public bodies which may procure these services are referred to in Section 1.2) above. An appropriate contractual process for adding any additional public bodies to the contract (see Appendix 5 to the ITPD) will be discussed with candidates in dialogue and, where required by Highways England, the draft contract will be updated. The Service Provider might be required to upgrade parts of the NRTS network to achieve PSN compliance. The Service Provider will be required to become a telecommunications provider, with code powers under Communications Act (2003). The duration of the new contract will be 5 or 7 years with the option to extend by a further 2 years. The value is likely to be in the range 300 000 000 GBP to 900 000 000 GBP. Due to the broad scope of the project it is anticipated that a wide range of suppliers will be required to deliver the NRTS2 requirements. This opportunity should therefore be of interest to, including without limit: — Project management contractors; — Telecommunications equipment suppliers; — Telecommunications equipment maintainers; — Service management system providers; — Fixed telecommunications network operators; — Mobile telecommunications network operators (e.g. 4G, satellite, wireless broadband); — Highways infrastructure civil contractors (although the scale of such work is expected to be limited); and — Small and Medium Enterprises with relevant specialist expertise. It is anticipated that the contract will be awarded to 1 or more prime suppliers or joint venture or consortium. A broad indication (this is indicative only and will vary with the form of the solution proposed by the suppliers) of the breakdown of the value of contract by type of work might be as follows: — Management, operations and field maintenance workforce — 25 % to 45 %; — Supply, design and installation of equipment and systems — 45 % to 65 %; — Others (cable installation, traffic management and civil engineering works) — Up to 10 %. Suppliers interested in this opportunity should note that some of the systems used by Highways England are of a bespoke nature; and special conditions apply to working in a motorway environment to ensure the safety of workers and the travelling public. Any organisation taking part in any subsequent procurement exercise will need to demonstrate competence in these areas. Please refer to the Procurement documents and Descriptive Document for full details: https://highways.bravosolution.co.uk