This is the latest instalment of an exclusive series analysing the UK’s biggest public sector tech deals. In partnership with the data analysis firm Tussell, we’ve drilled down into the most valuable tenders and awards from the last seven days. Here’s what we found this week…
Prior information notices
Aberdeenshire Council is preparing to spend £5m on a new wide area network (WAN). The local authority says it has no preference on the technologies used, but that the supplier must be CAS-T approved. “The only limiting factor,” the tender states, “is the likely annual budget available for the supply of this service which currently stands in the region of £1m per annum revenue cost”. Aberdeenshire has invited prospective suppliers to register their interest on Public Contracts Scotland’s website.
| Authority | Contract Title | Date Published | Bid Deadline | Framework | Tender Value (High) |
| Liverpool City Council | Liverpool ICT Services Framework 2 Supplier Day | 23/10/19 | 5/11/19 | Y | £11m |
| Aberdeenshire Council | WAN Refresh — Request for Information | 22/10/19 | – | N | £5m |
| Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | A035 – 1Spatial – Spatial Data Management (FME) | 24/10/19 | 24/10/19 | N | £32.5k |
| West Midlands Fire Service | Virtual Reality Fire Investigation Training Package | 22/10/19 | 8/11/19 | N | – |
| Leicester City Council | Mobile Working Solution for Property Inspectors | 23/10/19 | 13/11/19 | N | – |
Tenders
The University of Manchester has unveiled plans to launch a cloud computing services framework valued between £20m and £50m. The framework will allow university staff to procure a range of cloud technologies, covering hosting, compute services, networking and storage. More detailed on how to apply can be found on Manchester’s website. Applications close on 21 November.
| Authority | Contract Title | Date Published | Bid Deadline | Framework | Tender Value (High) |
| Southern Water Services | Business Management Consultancy Framework Panel | 24/10/19 | 6/11/20 | Y | £150m |
| The University of Manchester | Cloud Computing Services | 21/10/19 | 21/11/19 | Y | £50m |
| North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium | Audio Visual Equipment and Installation Services | 25/10/19 | 25/11/19 | Y | £48m |
| East Of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub | Wound Imaging Solutions | 23/10/19 | 19/11/19 | Y | £14m |
| Midland Heart | Installation/Upgrading (including Supply) of Door Entry Systems, CCTV Systems, Warden Control systems and Automated Electrical Gates | 22/10/19 | 20/11/19 | N | £6.2m |
Awards
Earlier this month, the systems integrator Leidos announced it had won a major contract to modernise and converge the Home Office’s two existing biometrics databases. The government revealed on Friday that the ten-year contract is worth £96.4m.
When the deal was first announced, Leidos said it would create a “world leading biometrics capability across government”. But the government’s approach to biometrics to date has proved controversial.
Last July, the publication of the Home Office’s long overdue biometrics strategy attracted criticism. The chair of parliament’s science and technology committee, Norman Lamb warned that it “fails to do justice to the critical issues” involved in collecting biometric data.
“The ‘Strategy’ seems to boil down to setting up an advisory ‘board’ to suggest policy recommendations to Government, rather than telling us what actions the Government will take and, just as importantly, what outcomes it wants to avoid”, said Lamb.
| Contracting Authority | Supplier | Contract Title | Date Awarded | Framework | Value |
| Home Office | Leidos Innovations UK | Strategic Central & Bureau Platform (SCBP) | 1/10/19 | N | £96.4m |
| Southern Water Services | Multiple Suppliers | IT Software and Hardware Reseller Framework | 8/1/19 | Y | £60m |
| UK Shared Business Services | Cray U.K. | UKSBS PR17125 – ARCHER2 Hardware | 25/9/19 | N | £42m |
| Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation | Multiple Suppliers | Electronic Homecare Monitoring and Scheduling Solutions | 1/10/19 | Y | £24m |
| Ministry of Defence | CGI IT UK | Cyber Situational Awareness Fusion Architecture – Next Generation | 31/5/19 | N | £20.3m |
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