Planning

Request for Information for Data Centre Co-Location Services

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

16 Dec 2019 at 09:34

Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The University College London (UCL) is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process titled "Request for Information for Data Centre Co-Location Services". This procurement falls under the classification of IT services and aims to identify suitable suppliers capable of providing data centre co-location services, particularly for high performance computing (HPC) equipment. The engagement end date for suppliers to submit their information is set for 27 January 2019. The services will primarily be required at UCL's campus in London, where the institution seeks to expand its data centre capacity to support current and future projects.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses in the IT services sector, especially those specialising in data centre solutions, high performance computing, and innovative cooling technologies. Companies that have expertise in managing high power density requirements and can provide flexible data centre space are particularly well-suited to compete. Additionally, businesses that can respond promptly to the fluctuating demands associated with research grant-funded projects may find this opportunity particularly beneficial for their growth and expansion.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Request for Information for Data Centre Co-Location Services

Notice Description

Background to the Project / Contract: UCL currently has one main onsite data centre on its London campus and also makes use of co-location space hosted by a data centre provider located outside London. UCL wishes to appoint a Supplier for the provision of Data Centre Co-location Services, predominantly to host High Performance Computing (HPC) equipment. UCL is therefore looking to identify Suppliers who have the capacity and capability within the marketplace by way of seeking a response to this RFI. The requirement: UCL has identified the requirements for off-site data centre co-location space as a result of a number of current and proposed projects. These initiatives are coupled with a demand to provide more data centre space for customers. The interested Suppliers are requested to provide information for each of the following requirements summarising how they can meet and/or exceed UCL's requirements. HPC systems tend to require higher power densities than typical IT equipment. 30kW cabinets are now regarded as entry level, with 40kW and above likely to be needed in the near future. Due to the use of low latency network interconnects the cabinets need to be located closely together and ideally it needs to be possible to expand into adjacent space over time. Vendors of HPC solutions generally prefer to provide their own cabinets and these are usually delivered with systems pre-populated in them, which can present logistics challenges. There is an emerging requirement for innovative cooling solutions - notably the connection of servers to a water supply to provide CPU cooling. As the majority of HPC usage is for research activities, equipment is increasingly funded via Research grants to the university. This brings additional challenges as not all grant bids are successful. However, when they are, there are usually very aggressive timescales associated for purchase and installation of equipment. This means that UCL often needs to obtain data centre capacity at short notice, with a high degree of certainty that it will be available. Accurately predicting future capacity can also be very difficult. Additional information: You are being invited to participate in the RFI for Request for Information for Data Centre Co-Location Services UCL-PROC-919. The process will be managed via our Intend system. The link to Intend is here https://in-tendhost.co.uk/ucl/. If your company is not registered on Intend, you will need to create an account via the link above so that you can attached yourself to the project. For troubles registering please email procurement@ucl.ac.uk mentioning UCL-PROC-919 in the subject line. Note that ALL other queries or correspondence must be sent via Intend. I wish you well with the opportunity.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-06d89631-898e-4108-898b-f6e67f5b04f7
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f68cfa20-55e4-49d6-8cc1-dc692ebcaed0
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Not specified
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Dec 20196 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
27 Jan 2019Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
WC1E 6BT
Post Town
Central London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI36 Camden
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Camden
Electoral Ward
Bloomsbury
Westminster Constituency
Holborn and St Pancras

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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