Networks

Tender description

Solihull Council led the procurement of WMPSN through the government procurement service national Framework Agreement RM860 (Public Services Network) in 2013, to drive down the costs of networking provision through economies of scale. 19 West Midlands public sector bodies (partners) have utilised the contract since then. The current (WMPSN1) contract expires after a 7-year term in November 2020. As the number of partners in WMPSN is reducing and the contract value is decreasing as partners move away, Solihull Council is seeking to award a short term contract (WMPSN2) to Virgin Media Business to ensure continuity of supplies to the remaining partners. SMBC is undertaking a negotiated procedure without prior publication to award the contract to the incumbent supplier, Virgin Media Business. This procurement has been conducted pursuant to Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council. Article 32, 3(b) — Negotiated procedure without prior publication: (3) The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for public supply contracts— (b) for additional deliveries by the original supplier which are intended either as a partial replacement of supplies or installations or as the extension of existing supplies or installations where a change of supplier would oblige the contracting authority to acquire supplies having different technical characteristics which would result in incompatibility or disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance. The WMPSN2 contract will run for 3 years from 18.11.2020 to 17.11.2023.