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Azure VPN Firewall Support

Essex County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

22 Sep 2026 at 09:59

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

19 Aug 2026 at 15:20

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

19 Aug 2026 at 15:16

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council procured remote software support services for its technology environment. The requirement combines one Fanatical Support service for Microsoft Azure with one Palo Alto Firewall Networks support service. The work is delivered remotely for the council, whose base is in Chelmsford, Essex. The procurement is categorised as services, with the item classification describing software support services. It covers a single requirement rather than separate lots. The buyer is Essex County Council, a sub-central public authority. The scope is therefore suited to suppliers that can support Microsoft Azure alongside Palo Alto firewall technology and provide that support remotely to a local authority. The awarded supplier is Rackspace Limited, based in Hayes, although delivery is remote.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded to Rackspace Limited. Essex County Council used a direct award below the relevant threshold, without competition. The award was dated 19 August 2026 and covers one lot. Its value is £151,843.20 excluding VAT, or £182,211.84 including VAT. The award period was 2 September 2026 to 1 September 2028. The contract was signed on 10 September 2026 and is active, with a contract period from 10 September 2026 to 9 September 2028. The published outcome identifies Rackspace as the sole supplier. The requirement was marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprises, although the route used did not involve a competitive tender.

This award is evidence that Essex County Council buys combined support for Microsoft Azure and Palo Alto Firewall Networks as a managed, remotely delivered service. Suppliers considering comparable future requirements would need demonstrable capability across both Azure support and Palo Alto firewall support, rather than expertise in only one platform. They would also need the operational capacity to provide ongoing remote support to a public authority over a multi-year service period. The procurement was marked as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises, so smaller specialist providers and mission-led organisations may be credible participants where they can meet the technical scope and service demands. The direct-award route shows the buyer has used a below-threshold, non-competitive procurement for this requirement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Azure VPN Firewall Support

Notice Description

The supplier will provide 1x Fanatical Support for Microsoft Azure and 1x Palo Alto Firewall Networks. This service is to be provided to Essex County Council remotely.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e7d9
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089446-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

72261000 - Software support services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£151,843 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£151,843 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
19 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
10 Sep 2026 - 9 Sep 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Essex 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
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Postcode Area
Chelmsford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH36 Heart of Essex
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

RACKSPACE LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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