Telecommunications services

Tender description

Essex County Council seeks to appoint one or several partners to deliver Phase 3 of its Superfast Essex broadband programme. Superfast Essex is part of the UK national broadband initiative overseen by DCMS under its Broadband Delivery UK programme. The Essex programme has been in operation since 2013. It has successfully completed its Phase 1 rollout, delivered by BT, and is currently implementing Phase 2, which is being delivered by BT and Gigaclear. Phase 2 is expected to ensure that 95% premises in Essex can access superfast broadband (measured at 24Mb or above download speed) by 2019. Phase 3 is seeking to address the ‘final 5%’ , and the contract(s) being procured will require the installation of Next-Generation-Access (NGA) compliant broadband infrastructure to serve some or all of these remaining not-spots (NGA White areas) in the county of Essex. Further information on Superfast Essex can be found on the programme website: www.superfastessex.org The procurement will be split into four lots. Suppliers may bid for one, several or all lots. The lots are: LOT 1 – Uttlesford District This lot largely comprises the administrative area of Uttlesford district. This area is one of the most poorly served geographical areas in the county of Essex with regard to broadband, comprising mostly rural locations, with some further coverage also required in the two market towns. This lot also includes London-Stansted airport. LOT 2 – Central North This lot comprises large parts of Braintree district and sections of Colchester and Chelmsford districts. The premises requiring superfast connectivity are situated mainly in rural areas, but also some semi-rural locations. LOT 3 – Tendring District This lot largely comprises the administrative area of Tendring district, which is a rural district with a significant cost line where the remaining premises requiring superfast connectivity are situated in rural locations. LOT 4 – South East This lot comprises premises in some of the most rural and sparely populated areas of the county of Essex, situated along the coastline of Maldon and Rochford districts, and also includes a smaller proportion of semirural and semi-urban locations in the districts of Castle Point and Basildon districts. We will be holding a bidders day on Wednesday 7.12.2016, further details to follow The current confirmed funding figure is up to 8 450 000 GBP, which is allocated between the above Lots as set out in the ITT documentation. In addition, it is possible that total additional funding of up to 1 550 000 GBP (to be allocated across one or more of the above Lots) may become available during the life of this deployment. The actual amount of additional funding applied to each of four Lots will be determined during the life of this deployment, at the sole discretion of the Local Body.