Government seeks to establish £3bn telecoms PSN framework

Buying Solutions, the national procurement partner for the UK public sector, has put out a tender that outlines plans for a government-wide public sector network (PSN) connectivity service for use by UK public sector bodies. These include central government departments, their agencies, NHS bodies, local authorities, voluntary sector charities and many others. The aims to create "innovative telecommunications connectivity services for the UK public sector as a whole". The tender also states that the managed telecoms service will "facilitate inter-organisational collaboration through secure communication, interoperability and sharing of information".This framework hopes to support the government's vision of creating a secure public services network, constructed from a network of networks. This will enable the delivery of public services from any place, by any provider. The chosen framework suppliers must deliver the following services, across the UK or on a more localised basis, and directly to public sector bodies or through subcontractors:
-Network services, which will include a range of local and wide area networking connectivity services
- Information assurance services, such as encryption and key management services and security consultancy
- The design, deployment and transition of business continuity services, which will include the implementation, testing, integration of services, and project and programme management
It is estimated that the total value of purchases for the duration of the framework agreement will be between £500m and £3bn.
The agreement will have an initial term of two years, but will include the option to extend for two more terms, each of which will be up to one year in length.

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