IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Tender description

Porton Biopharma (PBL) is undertaking an extensive programme of work to create a new ICT core infrastructure, following the approval of a 5-year technical strategy by the business, mid-2019. Beginning with a limited scope ‘Pilot’ phase, the primary hosting and network solutions, cyber-security controls and use-cases must be trialled and refined. The duration of the pilot is expected to be circa 6 months. Porton Biopharma (PBL) is undertaking an extensive programme of work to create a new ICT core infrastructure, following the approval of a 5-year technical strategy by the business, mid-2019. Beginning with a limited scope ‘Pilot’ phase, the primary hosting and network solutions, cyber-security controls and use-cases must be trialled and refined. The duration of the Pilot is expected to be circa 6 months. Having been fully dependent on Public Health England (PHE) ICT services and infrastructure since its inception in 2015, it is strategically important for PBL to now establish a completely new and independent ICT operation. The following technical strategy has been approved for implementation. Within the limited scope of a Pilot phase, ICT services organisations are invited to express an interest in designing, supplying and building this environment in close collaboration with a dedicated PBL team, on a fixed-price basis. — HCI-based hosting platform – currently specified as Dell-EMC VxRail stretch-cluster, — physical network underlay (limited scope), — perimeter firewall (to be specified), — SDN network overlay technology (circa 30 endpoints) – currently specified as Cisco’s SDA solution, — Horizon VDI for application and desktop virtualisation (2-3 pilot application environments). — MS Windows domain(s) dedicated to PBL – including all domain-related services and inter-domain trust for testing purposes, — coherent IDAM/RBAC ecosystem. The Pilot infrastructure will form the basis of a broader enterprise ICT core infrastructure that will be built-out in subsequent programme phases. PBL operates within a highly regulated pharmaceutical environment (within FDA and MHRA codes/guidance for GMP IT). Close collaboration with PBL and adherence to ITIL principles and local IT infrastructure qualification controls will be critical to ensure compliance with regulatory standards from day-1.