United Kingdom-London: External Connectivity (WAN & Internet Services)

Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Ref: (2023/S 000-035249/EN)
Nature of contract: Supply contract
Type of bid required: Global bid

Contract notice
Supplies

Section I: Contracting authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Official name: The Guinness Partnership Ltd
Postal address: 30 Brock Street, Regents Place
Town: London
Postal code: NW1 3FG
Country: United Kingdom
Contact Person: Neil Aitken
Telephone: +44 2038190076
Email: neil.aitken@guinness.org.uk
Internet address(es):
Main address:
Address of the buyer profile:

I.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
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted:
electronically via:
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Housing and community amenities

Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title: External Connectivity (WAN & Internet Services)

Reference number: DN684001
II.1.2) Main CPV code: 32430000
II.1.3) Type of contract: Supplies
II.1.4) Short Description: The Guinness Partnership (TGP) require a contract for fixed line communications including:
• Data Centre Connectivity
• Wide Area Networking
• Internet Connectivity
TGP are conducting a competitive Procedure with Negotiation process for a contract duration of 5 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years.
The estimated annual value of the contract is £350,000 +VAT.
II.1.5) Estimated total value:
Value excluding VAT: 2450000 Currency: GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots:
The contract is divided into lots: no
II.2) Description
II.2.3) Place of performance
Nuts code:
II.2.4) Description of the procurement:
The Guinness Partnership (TGP) require a contract for fixed line communications including:
• Data Centre Connectivity
• Wide Area Networking
• Internet Connectivity
TGP are conducting a competitive Procedure with Negotiation process for a contract duration of 5 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years.
The estimated annual value of the contract is £350,000 +VAT.
Background:
The Guinness Wide Area Network serves all of our remote sites and provides internet access and connection to our core cloud services including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Oracle Fusion Finance and HCM and Microsoft O365 services. The Guinness IT Strategy is to increase the use of cloud services so the criticality of connectivity will only increase.
The WAN is a “hub and spoke” architecture centred around our 2 datacentres, the primary (DCA) is hosted by a third party in Manchester and secondary (DCB) is at the main Guinness IT office in Oldham. The DCs are each served by 10Gb bearers providing WAN and internet connectivity (on separate VRFs) and an additional 10Gb datacentre interconnect.
Remote site connectivity ranges from large sites with 300Mb circuits on 1Gb resilient/diverse ethernet bearers, medium sites with single 200Mb or 100Mb circuits on 1Gb ethernet bearers to small sites ranging from EFM connection to FTTC or ADSL.
II.2.5) Award criteria

II.2.6) Estimated value:
Value excluding VAT: 2450000 Currency: GBP
II.2.7) Duration of the contract,framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 84
This contract is subject to renewal: no
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: no
II.2.11) Information about options
Options yes
Description of options: The contract is 5 years with an option to extend for a further 2 years. Hence the 84 months detailed above.

II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:no

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents

Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure:
Competitive procedure with negotiation
IV.1.4) Information about the reduction of the number of solutions or tenders during negotiation or dialogue
Recourse to staged procedure to gradually reduce the number of solutions to be discussed or tenders to be negotiated
IV.1.5) Information about negotiation
The contracting authority reserves the right to award the contract on the basis of the initial tenders without conducting negotiationsIV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement(GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date: 2024-01-05 Local time: 17:00
IV.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
Date: 2024-02-05
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted:EN

Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence:
This is a recurrent procurement: no
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
VI.3) Additional information:
This contract is being procured by the Guinness Partnership Ltd., a registered Charitable Community Benefit Society registered number 031693R, whose registered office is at 30 Brock Street, Regent’s Place, London, NW1 3FG (“Guinness”).
This contract is being procured by Guinness for and on behalf of the following entities (“Other Users”) who will all be entitled to conclude contracts based on this framework agreement:
• Any and all subsidiaries and entities within Guinness’ group of societies and companies (“the Guinness Group”), including but not limited to:
o The Guinness Partnership Ltd. (Company No: IP031693R)
o City Response Ltd., Trading As Guinness Property (Company No: 04471280)
o Guinness Care and Support Ltd. (Company No: IP30337R)
o Guinness Developments Limited (Company No: 04175094)
o The Guinness Housing Association Limited (Company No: IP17017R)
o Guinness Homes Limited (Company No: 05710006)
o Guinness Platform Limited (Company No: 06411652)
o Hallco 1397 Limited, Registration (Company No: 05998281); and
o Any existing and future entities which are contracting authorities within the Group;
Guinness reserves the right to abandon this procurement at any time. Guinness shall not, under any circumstances, be responsible for bidders tendering costs or any other costs or losses arising from such abandonment.
For further information regarding this tender please review the documents attached to the tender opportunity, or contact Guinness’ Procurement Team via their tender portal. Free and unfettered access is available at
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Official name: Public Procurement Review Service, Cabinet Office
Town: London
Country: United Kingdom
E-mail: publicprocurementreview@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice:2023-11-29