---
title: "01816B Provision of Fibre Backhaul to SPS Establishments (COVID-19)"
ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000628254"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000628254"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000628254.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000628254.json"
source: "Public Contracts Scotland"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SCOTTISH PRISON SERVICE"
published: "2020-12-07"
---

# 01816B Provision of Fibre Backhaul to SPS Establishments (COVID-19)

Buyer: SCOTTISH PRISON SERVICE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000628254

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## Summary

The Scottish Prison Service has successfully completed the procurement process for the contract titled "Provision of Fibre Backhaul to SPS Establishments (COVID-19)." This contract, initiated as an open tender, aimed to enhance communication solutions for individuals in custody, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project was executed in Scotland and has been awarded to British Telecommunications plc. The fibre backhaul connection is essential for improving the telephony service across SPS prison sites, addressing varying mobile signal strengths. The contract was signed on 12 May 2020, with a total value of £268,478.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in telecommunication services and infrastructure, particularly those with capabilities in fibre optics and mobile device management systems. Companies that can provide innovative solutions for enhancing communication in environments with challenging signal conditions will be well-suited to compete in future tenders of this nature. The strategic decision by the Scottish Prison Service to expedite the award under the Crown Commercial Services Framework indicates a strong emphasis on urgent and efficient service delivery, which may bode well for agile suppliers in the sector.

## Notice

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, SPS was required to implement a telephony solution (including the provision of mobile phone handsets and a mobile device management system) to improve current communication arrangements for those in our care to maintain family contact. Due to varying mobile phone signal strengths across all SPS prison sites, a fibre backhaul connection would provide SPS with the ability to increase the number of concurrent calls to be made by those in our care and improve the overall service.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a profound impact on many aspects of the Scottish Prison Service's daily operations. This included the need to place restrictions on the prison regime in the interests of the health and wellbeing of those living and working in establishments in Scotland. A number of decisions were necessarily made to curtail aspects of the prison regime in order to support effective social distancing measures. Once such measure was the temporary cessation of prison visits. This, alongside limited access to existing shared telephones, severely limited the ability of those in our care to make contact with family and friends. SPS therefore identified an urgent requirement to increase access for those in our care to make telephone contact with family and friends. SPS urgently procured an in-cell telephony solution based on mobile phones via a dedicated and uncontended private network and managed through local mobile device management systems (MDMS). To provide coverage and capacity across the entire prison estate and to handle the anticipated call volumes, SPS also required to procure fibre backhaul services. The desired timescales available for implementing fibre backhaul were restricted, especially when operational stability was a primary concern. Therefore, SPS made the strategic decision to expedite the award of this contract by making a direct award under the Crown Commercial Services Framework RM3808.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland |
| Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401468 |
| Notice type | PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 7 Dec 2020 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 12 May 2020 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £268,478 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SCOTTISH PRISON SERVICE |
| Locality | EDINBURGH |
| Post town | Edinburgh |
| Postcode | EH12 9HW |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM1 East Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM13 City of Edinburgh |
| Local authority | City of Edinburgh |
| Electoral ward | Drum Brae/Gyle |
| Westminster constituency | Edinburgh West |
| Delivery location | TLM Scotland |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 72400000 - Internet services

## Release History

- 7 Dec 2020 at 00:00 - Award - PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401468

## Documents

- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC401468
  01816B Provision of Fibre Backhaul to SPS Establishments (COVID-19) - In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, SPS was required to implement a telephony solution (including the provision of mobile phone handsets and a mobile device management system) to improve current communication arrangements for those in our care to maintain family contact. Due to varying mobile phone signal strengths across all SPS prison sites, a fibre backhaul connection would provide SPS with the ability to increase the number of concurrent calls to be made by those in our care and improve the overall service.

## Notice URLs

- http://
- http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/the-courts/sheriff-court/find-a-court
- http://www.sps.gov.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000628254

## Provenance

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