Telecommunications services

Tender description

GEANT Ltd is coordinating procurement efforts under the AfricaConnect2 (AC2) project. The project, funded by the European Commission Development and Cooperation — Europe Aid Directorate (http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm), aims to establish a high-capacity network for research and education in West and Central African region, and to connect this network to the worldwide community of Research and Education Networks through GÉANT, the pan-European Research and Education Network operated by GEANT Ltd. The beneficiaries of AfricaConnect2 are the NRENs under WACREN, the regional research and Education Network for the West and Central African region. WACREN currently has membership drawn from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Niger, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, Mali, Gabon and Cameroun albeit the aims of the AC2 project are to connect additional countries in the region as they join WACREN during the life of the project. This tender is for a range of layer 2, international circuits, as well as co-location services at key landing stations along the coast and inland, at various bandwidths and (ideally) presented as Ethernet, between various African PoPs, and GEANT locations as described within the Tender documents. The aim of this Competitive Dialogue procedure is to establish a regional research and education network within West and Central Africa with onward connectivity to the GEANT network in Europe. An initial statement of the required end points and capacities are set out within the Lots below and the tender documents. The primary purpose of the dialogue process is to ensure that all potential bidders can fully participate in the design of the final technical solution. We will invite potential providers to help shape the final technical design by bringing creative topological, technical and commercial options to the dialogue process. We will wish to understand the relevant Segment S and Segment T charges as part of any proposals. At the end of the EC action, any resultant contracts will novate to WACREN.