Notice Information
Notice Title
Education Network for Northern Ireland - "Education Network (NI)"
Notice Description
The purpose of this VEAT notice is to inform and give prior notice to the market that The Education Authority intends to modify this contract in accordance with Regulation 72 (1) (b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 to (i) extend the contract for an additional 2 years until 31/03/2027 with a further 2 x 1 year additional extension options, and (ii) increase the value by up to PS175,000,000. Regulation 72 (1) (c) also permits this modification due to unforeseen circumstances which a diligent authority could not have foreseen. The overall nature of the contract is not altered and the modification value does not exceed 50% of the original contract value.
Lot Information
Lot 1
The continuation of the existing single contractor managed service arrangement which includes the supply of a broad range of computer and related services (including, without limitation, on-going management, operation and maintenance services), information technology consultancy services and the supply of computer hardware, software and associated products. The overall scope of the services can be summarised as follows: -- a fully integrated end to end service to meet the management/administration and learning/teaching needs of educational establishments, -- ICT infrastructure and associated services for post primary and special educational establishments, -- connectivity to, and provision of a range of online services for all educational establishments. The systems and services provided via the current contract have been uniquely configured to reflect the varying requirements of the Education Authority.
Options: 2 x 1 year additional optional extensions.
Procurement Information
The contract commenced on 01/04/2012 for 5 years until 31/03/2017 and has been modified on several occasions as per the following VEATs - 2019/S 046-106361, 2022/S 000-006649 and 2024/S 000-006005. The contract is currently extended until 31/03/25. The transition to a new managed service contract was expected to have completed by 31/03/25 but due to unforeseen circumstances the new contract awarded in December 2023 was terminated in November 2024 by mutual consent. Accordingly it is necessary to extend the contract and increase the contract value to ensure the continuation of existing managed service arrangements and functionality changes to meet schools' requirements whilst permitting time to transition to a new managed service contract. The modification is permitted under Regulations 72(1)(b) and 72(1)(c). The modification is not a direct award under Regulation 32. Regulation 72(1)(b) permits a contract modification for additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor that have become necessary and were not included in the initial procurement, where a change of contractor - (i) cannot be made for economic or technical reasons such as requirements of interchangeability or interoperability with existing equipment, services or installations procured under the initial procurement; or (ii) would cause significant inconvenience or substantial duplication of costs for the contracting authority, provided that any increase in price does not exceed 50% of the value of the original contract. This modification is permitted under Regulation 72(1)(b) because the systems and services provided under the contract have been uniquely configured to reflect the EA's varying requirements. For technical reasons, it is not possible to quickly or easily transition the services provided under the contract to a new managed service contract with another contractor as they would need significant time to work with the EA to tailor their systems and services to meet the EA's specific requirements. It would also cause significant inconvenience and a duplication of costs to change contractor for an interim period whilst a new procurement is undertaken. It is expected to take at least 18-24 months to procure and transition to a suitable new contract. The additional 2 x 1 year extension options to be included in the modification are for contingency purposes, to allow time for any risk of material delays, transitioning the existing services and subsequent design and implementation phases of a new contract. Regulation 72(1)(b) is also met on the grounds that as the original contract value was PS350,000,000, the increase in value due to this modification does not exceed 50% of the original contract value. Regulation 72(1)(c) also permits this modification due to unforeseen circumstances which a diligent contracting authority could not have foreseen. Particularly, it could not have been foreseen that the new contract awarded in December 2023 would be terminated, thus delaying the transition to a new managed service contract. Also, the modification will not alter the overall nature of the contract as the scope of services will remain unaltered and any expenditure will not exceed 50% of the value of the original contract.
Notice Details
Publication & Lifecycle
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-04ee94
- Publication Source
- Find A Tender Service
- Latest Notice
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009957-2025
- Current Stage
- Award
- All Stages
- Award
Procurement Classification
- Notice Type
- Award Notice
- Procurement Type
- Standard
- Procurement Category
- Services
- Procurement Method
- Limited
- Procurement Method Details
- Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
- Tender Suitability
- Not specified
- Awardee Scale
- Large
Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)
- CPV Divisions
72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
-
- CPV Codes
72263000 - Software implementation services
Notice Value(s)
- Tender Value
- Not specified
- Lots Value
- Not specified
- Awards Value
- Not specified
- Contracts Value
- £175,000,000 £100M-£1B
Notice Dates
- Publication Date
- 18 Mar 202511 months ago
- Submission Deadline
- Not specified
- Future Notice Date
- Not specified
- Award Date
- 28 Mar 201213 years ago
- Contract Period
- Not specified - Not specified
- Recurrence
- Not specified
Notice Status
- Tender Status
- Complete
- Lots Status
- Not Specified
- Awards Status
- Active
- Contracts Status
- Active
Buyer & Supplier
Contracting Authority (Buyer)
- Main Buyer
- THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY
- Contact Name
- Not specified
- Contact Email
- laura.magee@eani.org.uk
- Contact Phone
- Not specified
Buyer Location
- Locality
- BELFAST
- Postcode
- BT1 2NQ
- Post Town
- Northern Ireland
- Country
- Northern Ireland
-
- Major Region (ITL 1)
- TLN Northern Ireland
- Basic Region (ITL 2)
- TLN0 Northern Ireland
- Small Region (ITL 3)
- TLN06 Belfast
- Delivery Location
- TLN Northern Ireland
-
- Local Authority
- Belfast
- Electoral Ward
- Duncairn
- Westminster Constituency
- Belfast North
Further Information
Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)
View full OCDS Record for this contracting process
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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