--- title: "UHB Network Support Services" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05d212" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05d212" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d212.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d212.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST" published: "2025-10-23" --- # UHB Network Support Services Buyer: UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05d212 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05d212) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d212.json) ## Summary University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust is conducting a preliminary market engagement exercise to initiate the procurement process for UHB Network Support Services, classified under data network management and support services. The procurement is currently in the Planning stage and is set in Birmingham, United Kingdom, within the Central Government's public authority. Potential suppliers are encouraged to participate in this engagement by responding through the Health Family Single eCommercial System Portal by 13:00 on 29th October 2025. This initiative is critical for developing a robust and future-ready network infrastructure across multiple hospital sites, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and community clinics operated by UHB. This opportunity is well-suited for businesses specializing in network infrastructure services, particularly those with expertise in Cisco, Extreme, and Fortinet technologies and who aspire to expand their reach in the healthcare sector. The future contract will entail managing and supporting a comprehensive array of network components, such as core, datacentre, and Wi-Fi infrastructure, along with network access control and cybersecurity compliance. Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with capabilities in multi-vendor integration, cloud readiness, and compliance with NHS standards are particularly encouraged to engage, as the contract period is projected to commence on 1st January 2027, with potential extensions through to the end of 2030. ## Notice University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) is initiating a preliminary market engagement exercise in preparation for a formal procurement of Network Support Services. UHB is one of the largest NHS Trusts in England, operating multiple hospital sites including Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Heartlands Hospital, Good Hope Hospital, and Solihull Hospital, alongside community and specialist clinics. The Trust seeks to engage with suppliers capable of delivering a comprehensive, secure, and future-ready network infrastructure service that supports clinical operations, research, and enterprise IT across its estate. The future contract will encompass the management, support, and strategic development of the following: * Core Network (Cisco): High-availability backbone designed to vendor best practice and resilient architecture * Datacentre Network (Cisco): Supporting mission-critical clinical and Trust systems with high throughput and disaster recovery capability * Distribution Layer (Cisco): Scalable and resilient aggregation for Trust and campus connectivity. * Access Layer (Cisco, Extreme): Managed wired connectivity across the Trust estate, providing reliable access for clinical and administrative users * Wi-Fi Infrastructure (Cisco & Extreme): High-density wireless coverage to support mobile devices, laptops, clinical equipment, and guest access * Network Access Control (Forescout): Policy-based access control, device profiling, and integration with security monitoring solutions * Firewall Services (Fortigate): Perimeter and internal segmentation firewalls, configured for high availability and compliant with Trust, NHS, and NCSC requirements * VPN Services (FortiClient & FortiAuthenticator): Secure remote access, MFA integration, and scalability to support hybrid working * Wide Area Network (WAN): Site-to-site connectivity across hospitals, community services, and cloud providers, with resilience, bandwidth optimisation, and QoS management * Emerging Technologies (e.g., GPON, SD-WAN): Capability to adopt and support evolving network technologies Additional requirements include: * Monitoring, Management, and Reporting Tools: Centralised NOC operations, SLA reporting, capacity planning, and integration with Trust monitoring systems * Future-Proofing and Scalability: Cloud readiness, multi-vendor integration, and support for NHS interoperability standards * Cyber Security and Compliance: Cyber resilience, vulnerability management, and compliance with NHS Digital, NCSC, and ISO27001 * Training and Knowledge Transfer: Provision of skills uplift and vendor certification to UHB IT staff * Lifecycle Management: Planning and execution of hardware refreshes, software updates, and end-of-life transitions ### Planning Information Potential suppliers are requested to respond to the requirements, as detailed in the Briefing Document UHB Network Support Sevices with confirmation of ability to meet the requirement, a description of how their product meets the requirement. Procurement Process The procurement process will be subject to further approvals and this Pre-Market Engagement Exercise will help form the tender process so currently, the route to market is unknown. Suppliers wishing to participate in this market engagement exercise and express an interest in this requirement should respond to the questionnaire via the online form on the Health Family Single eCommercial System Portal (Atamis) by 13:00 on Wednesday 29th October 2025. https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome Please search for C396618 To View documents please register interest and then navigate "My Proposals and quotes" ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067661-2025 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 23 Oct 2025 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 29 Oct 2025 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2028 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | | Locality | BIRMINGHAM | | Post town | Birmingham | | Postcode | B15 2GW | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands | | ITL 3 | TLG31 Birmingham | | Local authority | Birmingham | | Electoral ward | Edgbaston | | Westminster constituency | Birmingham Edgbaston | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 72315000 - Data network management and support services ## Release History - 23 Oct 2025 at 08:03 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067661-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067661-2025 23rd October 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05d212. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05d212.json.