Award

Datacentre Fabric Refresh

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

31 Jan 2025 at 14:38

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham County Council has successfully completed the procurement process for the "Datacentre Fabric Refresh" project in the data-processing machines (hardware) industry category. The awarded contract, effective from 13th December 2024 to 12th December 2029, is valued at £368,471. This project is crucial for upgrading the Council’s data centre switching equipment, ensuring continued support and lifecycle compatibility. The contract was awarded to FourNet (4Net) Technologies through a negotiated procedure without prior publication, highlighting the urgency and specificity of the requirements to avoid future cost inflations and ensure infrastructure continuity. The project is located in the North East of England.

This tender presents substantial growth opportunities for technology providers specialising in data-processing hardware, particularly those experienced with long-term support and maintenance contracts. SMEs and VCSEs will find this pertinent due to the project's scale and the vital need for specialised equipment ensuring compatibility with existing infrastructure. Businesses that can offer high-quality, integrated solutions for data centres and those with a track record of maintaining seamless hardware replacements will be well-suited to compete in similar future procurements.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Datacentre Fabric Refresh

Notice Description

Our datacentre main switching that carries all Council data is end of life and out of support. We require completely new switching equipment. We have identified the equipment vendor and produced a design and bill of materials to maintain continuity with other infrastructure. Additional information: Originally this request was being progressed utilising the YPO Network Connectivity and Telecommunication Solutions - 976, Lot 2 Framework, however, YPO notified DCC that this framework had expired, and their replacement is not yet in place. They had not extended 976 to bridge the gap as assumed by the supplier and DCC due to the framework still being active on their webpage and the supplier still utilising the framework with other clients. A direct award option was the initial chosen RtM due to the existing infrastructure compatibility and continuity issues, but also due to urgency around avoiding impending price rises due to shipping cost increases which will be imposed following political changes in the USA. As the request is for a 5 year contract to include the initial purchase and accompanying 5 year support / warranty period to match the lifecycle of the equipment, a direct award via other available frameworks with the named supplier listed were not suitable due to shorter award periods offered of no more than 4 years. It is vital that this supplier is utilised in order to maintain continuity and compatibility with existing infrastructure within ICT. Overall, it was agreed that this requirement was a special case with extenuating circumstances which could only be resolved by negotiating directly with the named supplier.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-362fd9c7-134b-49b0-9835-46b3984b5df3
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/a22d0d92-57e1-4c81-b586-272aee1c6b0d
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Negotiated procedure without prior publication (above threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

30 - Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages

48 - Software package and information systems

CPV Codes

30210000 - Data-processing machines (hardware)

48820000 - Servers

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£368,471 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Jan 20251 years ago
Submission Deadline
4 Dec 2024Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
5 Dec 20241 years ago
Contract Period
13 Dec 2024 - 12 Dec 2029 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 5UQ
Post Town
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England)
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Neville's Cross
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FOURNET (4NET) TECHNOLOGIES

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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