Telecommunications services

Tender description

Essex County Council sought to appoint one or several partners to deliver Phase 4a (Phase 4, Tranche 1) of its Superfast Essex broadband programme. Superfast Essex is part of the UK national broadband initiative overseen by DCMS. ECC has successfully completed its Phase 1 roll-out and is currently implementing Phases 2 and 3. Using a mixture of project implementation savings from previous phases, subsidy clawback from existing delivery contracts, new funding from Essex districts and new grant funding, Phase 4 aims to: (a) ensure more than 99 % of all fixed addresses in the county have access to superfast broadband; (b) complete the roll-out by December 2021; (c) make effective use of project savings and external funding sources to avoid the need for new ECC capital funding. This procurement was split into 3 lots comprising Epping Forest District, Basildon District and Braintree District. This lot comprises the geographical area within the administrative boundaries of Epping Forest district. The district is situated on the border between Essex and Greater London and contains a mixture of semi-urban and rural areas. The district also includes a large part of Epping Forest, a former royal forest now managed by the City of London Corporation, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This lot comprises the geographical area with in the administrative boundaries of Basildon district. Located on the border between Greater London and Essex, and neighbouring Epping Forest District – the area covered by Lot 1, Basildon district is a largely urban or semi-urban area with a high concentration of business premises. This lot comprises the geographical area within the administrative boundaries of Braintree district. The district is situated at the border between Essex and Suffolk. Outside the district town of Braintree and the surrounding area, the district contains many rural areas. Its key positioning between the M11 and Stansted airport in the neighbouring district of Uttlesford to the West and port of Harwich in the eastern Essex district of Tendring makes it an attractive business and employment location.