Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Defra Network eTendering Portal
17 Nobel House
London
SW1P 3JR
Contact
Alexander Ede
Telephone
+44 7927275531
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs
Buyer's address
https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
one.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at
https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority
one.5) Main activity
Environment
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Defra - Future Network Procurement Project
Reference number
Project_34627
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
This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) for the Future Network Procurement Project (FNPP), which is for the provision of the enhanced continuation of Defra’s connectivity services. The Invitation to Tender (ITT) will be via Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS’s) Network Services 3 (Lot 1a and Lot 2a), and is expected to be published on Monday 17 July.
The FNPP supplier shall transform and manage Defra’s Connectivity as a whole, including but not limited to WAN (SD-WAN and DIA), LAN (LAN and WLAN), Foundation Services (DNS, DHCP, IPAM, and NTP), Gateway proxy services and secure VPN licences & support and Digital Experience Monitoring.
Further information is detailed within the ‘Description of Procurement’ section.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) for the Future Network Procurement Project (FNPP), which is for the provision of the enhanced continuation of Defra’s connectivity services. The Invitation to Tender (ITT) will be via Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS’s) Network Services 3 (NS3) Framework (Lot 1a and Lot 2a), which is expected to be published on Monday 17 July.
Atamis will be used during the procurement for all communications, ITT documentation access, and Bidder Tender response document uploads. The link for Bidders to register to Atamis is below:
https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
Clinked will be used as a Data Room for Defra-wide documents that are referred to in the ITT and Bidders need to view (policies, strategies etc). Bidders can only access Clinked via invite, so if you are an interested Bidder on both NS3’s Lot 1a and Lot 2a, then please contact the below email address with your organisation’s representative email address:
Alexander.Ede@Defra.gov.uk
The FNPP supplier shall transform and manage Defra’s Connectivity as a whole. FNPP moves from traditional MPLS to SD-WAN and Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), and moves from traditional fully-wired LAN to Wi-Fi by default. Its scope includes:
- Wide Area Network (WAN): SD-WAN, DIA, and Internet
- Local Area Network (LAN): To support Wi-Fi, with traditional-wired LAN where Wi-Fi is not possible
- Foundation Services: IP Address Management, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, Private Domain Name Service, and Network Time Protocol.
- Remote Access Service (RAS): Hardware and software capabilities to remotely connect the user to Defra’s servers.
- Secure Gateway: Cloud Internet Proxy and Virtual Private Network (VPN) capabilities and support for Secure Internet Access & Web Content Filtering for end user devices providing access to the internet.
- Digital Experience Monitoring: A solution for reporting on real-life performance of the network, generating synthetic transactions for an end-to-end view
- Security Operations Centre (SOC): Detecting and responding to cyber-attacks through Protective Monitoring. This will either be part of FNPP’s scope or brought in-house to Defra.
This FNPP service will connect circa 300 sites across the United Kingdom for up to 32,000 staff, consisting of Defra and its Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs):
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
- Environment Agency (EA)
- Rural Payments Agency (RPA)
- Natural England (NE)
- Marine Management Organisation (MMO)
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
FNPP will consist of a circa 14-month transition period, 5-year business as usual (BAU), and a 2-year optional extension. It will also include an optional 18-month Termination Assistance Period (TAP).
The Supplier must provide a service which recognises the Defra Group priority to minimise environmental and social impacts, whilst delivering additional benefits, by upholding Defra Groups published sustainability objectives and targets.
two.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice
17 July 2023
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: No