Global Connectivity Services

Tender description

The Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Secretary of State for the Department for International Development (DFID) and the British Council (BC) (the Procuring Bodies) have a requirement for global, secure, resilient, flexible and scalable enterprise wide voice and data connectivity services. These services are required to connect ministerial headquarters and other head offices in the United Kingdom with their respective embassies, consulates and other office locations totalling approximately 550 sites in 170 countries. The FCO currently has a framework contract for the supply of global connectivity services and associated voice and video services. Each of the Procuring Bodies has a separate call off contract under the framework for connectivity services and for voice and video services. The call off contracts expire during 2018/19. The Procuring Bodies need to re-procure the connectivity services and the voice and video services. The connectivity services are the subject of this notice. The voice and video services are the subject of a separate procurement. The Procuring Bodies will procure a framework contract for connectivity services. The scope of the connectivity services will be wide area network, local area network and internet services to approximately 550 sites in approximately 170 countries. Each of the Procuring Bodies will establish a call off contract under the framework. The scope of the call off contracts will include transition from the incumbent supplier, provision of the connectivity services and exit management services to support transition to a replacement service provider on expiry of the call off contracts. The connectivity service supplier will be required to work with the provider of the voice and video service to ensure that the end to end service meets the requirements of the end users. The precise scope of the services is subject to on-going review and will be finalised following supplier engagement activities. The FCO will be the Contracting Authority for this procurement, acting on behalf of the Procuring Bodies and potentially other UK public bodies who may use the services.