Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council, 3rd Floor County Hall
Oxford
OX1 1ND
Contact
Mr Martin Hall
martin.hall@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Telephone
+44 7889164706
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKJ1 - Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Regional or local authority
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
England’s Connected Heartland Framework - PIN Notice for 5G private network managed service along the East West Railway
Reference number
DN720480
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
On behalf of England’s Connected Heartland 5G Innovation Region (ECH 5GIR), Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) intends to procure a contract for a single Supplier to install and operate a 5G NR Standalone mobile private network managed service along approximately 30km of the East West Rail line between Bicester and Bletchley.
The project aims to deliver high speed mobile connectivity to railway users of all kinds. It aims to improve the commercial sustainability of rail mobile connectivity by providing services from the same infrastructure to trackside neighbours, and to develop the technical and commercial blueprint to extend the model more widely.
This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is intended to alert potential bidders to the forthcoming procurement procedure and to outline the current view of the requirements. OCC wishes to engage with potential bidders with the expertise, experience, and innovative solutions to design, build and operate a scalable 5G Standalone mobile private network in a railway setting.
We invite interested parties to review this notice and consider the opportunity to contribute to a project that promises to enhance rural railway connectivity and set a model for similar networks elsewhere in the UK and beyond.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 32410000 - Local area network
- 32420000 - Network equipment
- 32430000 - Wide area network
- 32510000 - Wireless telecommunications system
- 32520000 - Telecommunications cable and equipment
- 32560000 - Fibre-optic materials
- 32570000 - Communications equipment
- 32580000 - Data equipment
- 44212200 - Towers, lattice masts, derricks and pylons
- 45231600 - Construction work for communication lines
- 50330000 - Maintenance services of telecommunications equipment
- 51300000 - Installation services of communications equipment
- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKH11 - Peterborough
- UKH12 - Cambridgeshire CC
- UKH21 - Luton
- UKH24 - Bedford
- UKH25 - Central Bedfordshire
- UKJ1 - Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This Prior Information Notice (PIN) concerns the pre-market engagement for Oxfordshire County Council’s (OCC) forthcoming procurement of a supplier to provide 5G standalone mobile private network managed services along the East West Rail Line between Bicester and Bletchley for England’s Connected Heartland 5G Innovation Region (ECH 5GIR).
Co-ordinated by OCC, ECH 5GIR was formed in 2023 to become one of ten regions to successfully bid for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 5GIR funds.
ECH 5GIR is a partnership between councils in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, with a long-term vision for driving the use of advanced wireless across the councils’ region.
The DSIT 5G Innovation Regions (5GIR) programme is a UK Government initiative designed to foster the development and deployment of 5G and advanced wireless technologies across the country. With a funding pool of approximately £36million, the programme has identified ten regions, including ECH, to become hubs of digital innovation. The DSIT 5G Innovation Regions funding must be spent by 31st March 2025.
ECH 5GIR has ambitious plans for its 5G Innovation Region projects. These plans are highlighted in recent press releases regarding the successful award of the funding to Oxfordshire County Council as the representative of England’s Connected Heartland.
The Supplier will design, build and operate the network over the term of the contract. The Supplier will:
• Design and manage the implementation of the 5G Railway project’s network, including:
o Detailed survey and design of the network to meet the coverage and capacity requirements.
o Delivery of the 5G private network infrastructure
o Obtain all wayleaves, permissions and licences necessary for the Solution
• Maintain and manage the network over the term, including:
o Provide a Service Management function to proactively manage the availability of the Solution to agreed service levels, and to provide prompt remedial action in the event of failure.
o Maintain and manage the network.
o Ensure that the services continue to meet the security, information management and regulatory requirements.
• Work with the ECH partners to drive commercial sustainability of the network, including:
o Engage service users and drive adoption
o Document the delivery model and support its wider replication
two.2.14) Additional information
Further information can be obtained from the Council’s procurement portal at sebp.due-north.com
The Council has some questions for potential bidders which are shown in the ECH 5G Railway PIN Supplier Response template. Potential Bidders are invited to return a completed template to allow the Council to take account of their feedback.
An online market information webinar will be held on 29th April 2024. All potential bidders are invited to attend to hear and discuss ECH 5GIR’s current procurement plans, to ask questions, and to suggest improvements that could be made to the plans.
The Council will provide an opportunity for short 1:1 discussions, so that commercially sensitive topics may be addressed privately. These private sessions will be conducted to the same agenda, with each organisation given equal access time to the Council.
Potential bidders wishing to attend the webinar can do so by registering through the following link:
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/7b3497ff-950e-422d-a77b-5a858845a66e@f05d39da-26ec-4eea-b8eb-9ff1a682d5e5 (Please paste URL into a browser for access OR press the link included in the accompanying documents found on the portal
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
24 May 2024
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes