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Server Infrastructure Upgrade & Maintenance

Lancaster & Morecambe College

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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20 Oct 2026 at 15:08

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Lancaster and Morecambe College is procuring a server infrastructure and backup upgrade, including new server hardware and software, supply and installation, migration, and ongoing maintenance support. The requirement is part of the College’s seven-year service refresh cycle. The work is for the College’s Morecambe Road campus in Lancaster, serving an organisation with around 1,500 on-site students and 500 staff. The procurement covers both the infrastructure and the support needed to maintain the project’s deliverables. The College provides further education and training to a catchment across Lancashire, South Cumbria and North Yorkshire; the specified delivery location is Lancaster.

The competitive procedure was unsuccessful: seven initial tenders were received, but the College found none suitable for award. It then switched to a direct award for the same requirement, citing the need to avoid further delay. The process is recorded as complete, but the award is pending and no supplier is named in the supplied information. The gross award value is £500,000. The contract is scheduled to run from 16 November 2026 to 15 November 2031, with an option to extend by two further 12-month periods, potentially running to 15 November 2033. A future signature milestone is scheduled for 13 November 2026. The earlier tenders were assessed against published requirements, participation conditions and procedural requirements; relevant contract experience and financial evaluation were among the stated considerations.

For a supplier considering this buyer’s future server requirement, the work demonstrates demand for an integrated infrastructure and backup solution, rather than hardware supply alone. A credible competitor would need to deliver and install the equipment and software, migrate the existing environment, and provide continuing maintenance support. The College’s assessment also shows that relevant contract experience is important, and that suppliers must follow the stated tender process carefully, submit complete current documentation and provide required safeguarding confirmations. Financial submissions need to present a single tender and compliant total in a form that can be assessed under the stated price methodology. The requirement supports a mid-sized further education organisation, so suppliers should be able to implement and support a live college environment serving students and staff.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Server Infrastructure Upgrade & Maintenance

Notice Description

Lancaster & Morecambe College seeks a suitably qualified supplier to supply, deliver, and install, new server infrastructure and software, for this server upgrade project. The appointed supplier will also provide an on-going maintenance support contract covering the deliverables for this project. This forms part of a 7-year refresh cycle of it's service provision. Lancaster & Morecambe College (LMC) has been providing further education and training at its Morecambe Road campus for over 50 years. The College delivers high quality academic, vocational and work-based learning programmes and is committed to inspiring and developing individuals and businesses. LMC serves a wide geographical catchment area across Lancashire, South Cumbria and North Yorkshire. The College supports approximately 1,500 on-site students and employs around 500 staff, reflecting a mid-sized further education organisation.

Procurement Information

Lancaster & Morecambe College conducted a Competitive Flexible Procedure for the supply, installation, migration and ongoing maintenance of its server infrastructure and backup solution. Seven Initial Tenders were received as part of the Competitive Flexible Procedure process. Following assessment of the submissions against the published requirements, conditions of participation and procedural requirements, the College determined that no suitable Tender remained capable of award. The reasons for unsuitability included failures to satisfy the published condition of participation relating to relevant contract experience; material breaches of procedural requirements, including failure to submit the current or completed Invitation to Tender documentation; failure to provide an expressly required mandatory safeguarding confirmation; and submission of multiple alternative Financial Evaluations without identifying a single Tender and Total Compliant Sum capable of evaluation under the published Price Evaluation Methodology. The College considered whether the deficiencies identified could appropriately be addressed through clarification or through further stages of the Competitive Flexible Procedure. It concluded that, in the relevant cases, doing so would require Tenderers to provide, select or materially complete substantive elements of their Tenders after the submission deadline rather than merely clarify information already submitted. No suitable Tender is therefore available from which the College can make an award under section 19 of the Procurement Act 2023. The College has an ongoing operational requirement to replace and upgrade its server infrastructure and associated backup arrangements and requires the new solution to be implemented as soon as reasonably practicable. The College has already undertaken a competitive procurement exercise for this requirement. Commencing a further competitive tendering procedure at this stage would introduce significant additional delay to the implementation of the required infrastructure and would not meet the College's current operational timescales and need for timely replacement of the existing environment. Having regard to the outcome of the completed competitive procedure, the absence of any suitable Tender capable of award, and the College's continuing operational requirement to implement the replacement infrastructure without the further delay associated with conducting a new procurement exercise, the College considers that an award under section 19 is not possible in the circumstances. It has therefore determined that the conditions in section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023 are satisfied and intends to switch from the unsuccessful competitive tendering procedure to direct award. The contract proposed to be awarded remains the contract which was the subject of the competitive tendering procedure and has not been significantly altered as part of the switch to direct award.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078c10
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099104-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

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

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

48800000 - Information systems and servers

48821000 - Network servers

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

80533100 - Computer training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£500,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
16 Nov 2026 - 15 Nov 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Lancaster & Morecambe College
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LANCASTER
Postcode
LA1 2TY
Postcode Area
Lancaster
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD4 Lancashire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD44 Lancaster and Wyre
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Lancaster
Electoral Ward
Torrisholme
Westminster Constituency
Morecambe and Lunesdale

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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