The Provision of Design and Build Services for a modern and secure LAN, WLAN infrastructure for the Campus, Halls of Residence and Data Centre using a capital funded refresh approach

Tender description

The University of Southampton has a vision to be a top 10 UK university and digital services are considered to be an enabler in assisting the University to achieve this goal. A high capacity, high availability network that is secure and is architected in a way that delivers optimal data services to researchers, students and administrator is critical. For students residing in the University's Halls of residence, the quality of the in-room network services is an essential component of their day-to-day experience at the University of Southampton. The Network Transformation Programme will disrupt the cycle of infrequent capital-intensive network replacements driven by failing and end-of-life infrastructure, and establish a forward-looking, agile, and responsive business-aligned network environment which can be adapted and sustained to support changing business needs through both the short- and long-term planning horizons. The Project will replace all end-of-life wired and wireless network infrastructure, at the various layers - core, distribution, access. The scope will include all permanently connected campuses and smaller sites in the local region (includes academic campuses, sport facilities, data centres and halls of residence), focusing on internal and external spaces. The project will engage strongly with the 10-year building programme. There is however more to this programme than simply replacing hardware. The scope will include the ongoing development of features and capabilities required to deliver the listed objectives, along with other user-orientated or device-orientated journeys required from a modern 'smart' campus network. Lot 1: The Network Transformation Programme commenced by commissioning PTS Consulting to develop and present a number of key documents that have enabled the iSolutions team to develop and obtain approval for a Business Case for the new network infrastructure. The NTP also allowed the University to consolidate data network projects addressing the active network equipment, data network security and network physical infrastructure into a single programme for procurement. The Project will replace all end-of-life wired and wireless network infrastructure, at the various layers - core, distribution, access. The scope will include all permanently connected campuses and smaller sites in the local region (includes academic campuses, sport facilities, data centres and halls of residence), focusing on internal and external spaces. The project will engage strongly with the 10-year building programme. The scope includes the ongoing development of features and capabilities required to deliver the listed objectives, along with other user-orientated or device-orientated journeys required from a modern 'smart' campus network. The convenience and flexibility of wireless networking has resonated strongly with our user community. Wireless standards and technologies continue to develop such that network speeds equivalent to and sometimes in excess of wired network access are now achievable. This Project provides a strategic requirement to adopt a predominantly wireless campus approach, thus reducing investment and maintenance of wired infrastructure. The rollout of network switches is a large-scale and potentially long duration project that needs to be completed outside of business hours. As such the Project requires that switches are procured in line with the deployment to maximise equipment lifetime. The network already supports an increasing number of smart building management systems that contribute to creating a safe, comfortable, and efficient workplace. The network will underpin the transition to an intelligent campus, drawing information from a growing variety of IoT (Internet of Things) sensor devices. Procurement Process: This procurement process was conducted using the Competitive Dialogue procedure; consisting of the selection stage, dialogues and Invitation to Tender stages. Selection Stage: An overall pass mark of 60 % applied to this stage. The intention allowed the University to arrive at a shortlist of a maximum of five qualified potential suppliers for formal invitation to participate in dialogue. Contract Period: The University Contract is for seven years - this will be the maximum contract period, including any potential extensions with the successful tenderer(s). This comprises of an initial contract period of five years with an option to extend by a further two years subject to satisfactory performance and at the discretion of the University. Contract Value: The Contract value is £45 million excluding VAT. All figures stated cover the full contract term, to support the University if it takes the options to extend past the initial term and is provided as a range, the final figure is dependent on the final specification and the level/type/number of services included within that. Additional information: Lots: This contract is NOT suitable for splitting into lots. A holistic design and compatible technology is required and the risk of dividing the requirement into Lots would render the execution of the contract excessively technically difficult, not cost effective and would undermine proper execution of the contract.