Ofcom To Refresh ICT Infrastructure

UK communications regulator Ofcom is set to overhaul its IT services when its current contracts for IT services expire.

According to a pre-tender notice in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), the organisation is seeking updated services under the name “Project Apex.”

Ofcom expects to publish a contract notice in summer 2014, expecting to spend £15-25m over the course of four years on ICT including business-as-usual services. 

It claims the purpose of the prior information notice is to inform interested service providers of its intentions to procure IT services.

Prospective bidders are likely to be expected to provide the following:

• service management and integration services
• ICT security
• user support
• end user computing
• hosting and storage
• communication and collaboration services
• network services
• application support and maintenance
• project management.

This includes email, instant messaging, document management, audio and videoconferencing and telephony services.

The notice claims that the organisation intends to run a “procurement exercise” with lots that will be divided into lots and either awarded to single or multiple suppliers.

Ofcom “Outsourcing For Years”

It notes that Ofcom’s IT provisions have been outsourced for a number of years and successful tenderers will be expected to take over from incumbent supplier CGI.

For this reason, the successful provider will also be expected to deliver transition services, implement a new operating model that includes management processes and tools and transfer knowledge from the previous supplier.

“Ofcom will require the successful tenderer to provide leadership and expertise to develop and working in conjunction with Ofcom, deliver innovation that will yield business benefits,” says the tender notice.

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