IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Tender description

The University has committed to creating a new campus for its ever-widening community, in the heart of Northampton. The new Waterside Campus, opening in September 2018, will provide state-of-the-art academic facilities for 15 000 students, additional residential facilities for 1 200 students and leisure facilities open to the local community. The innovative 330 000 GBP Waterside Campus will transform a 58 acre brownfield site in Northampton's Waterside Enterprise Zone. The area is in close proximity to the town centre, a short walk away through the town's Cultural Quarter and past the University's St John's Halls of Residences, opened in 2014. See http://www.watersidecampus.info/ for further information. The programme is now at a stage where the Information and Communication Technology elements are to be defined and purchased to ensure the campus is fit for purpose when opened and the University's vision can be effectively supported by the appropriate technology solutions and services. The University is seeking a technology partner who can work with us at a strategic level. The strategic partner will work with the University to design, develop and implement solutions and will take responsibility for ensuring continuity and integration, so that the University benefits from an holistic approach to the active infrastructure components that are set out below. The University also expects some sharing of risk with the strategic partner in ensuring that components of the overall IT solution work together in a seamless way. The University expects to benefit from the experience and resources in research, development and implementation that a strategic partner could provide. The strategic partner will also support the University with the on-going development and innovation of solutions beyond the opening of the new campus in 2018. The strategic partner should also provide measurable and substantial opportunities to students and staff which add value and contribute towards the mission of the University to transform lives and inspire change. The University of Northampton are seeking tenders for services and solutions that could be developed and implemented to deliver innovative, efficient and scalable solutions within the new Waterside campus and across the University in support of our strategic plan. The IT for Waterside requirements can be split into the following active infrastructure components: — Wired Network Solutions; — Wireless Network solutions; — Unified Communications; — Desktop and Mobile Computing; — Audio Visual Solutions; — Server and Storage Solutions; — Security and Compliance. The University is looking for best value in terms of service reach, quality, delivery and cost for the required solutions and therefore wishes to procure a single strategic partner that can demonstrate the ability to offer a technologically integrated service and the capability to deliver as much of the entire project as a ‘Total Package’ as possible. The successful partner will be required to supply, install and integrate robust IT solutions, providing a suitable level of performance in a number of environments, including associated ongoing support, maintenance and development services.