Official UK procurement notice
Communications Solutions · UK public procurement notice
Authority: University of Essex (Education)·Consortium: 4 public authorities
What is being bought4 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Framework will provide a comprehensive range of communications and telecommunications solutions. It is let by the University of Essex and is available for use by all organisations across the UK Public Sector (and any future successors). These include (but not limited to) central government departments and agencies, Non Departmental Public Bodies, NHS bodies, Local Authorities, Police Authorities, Emergency Services, Educational Establishments, Hospices, Registered Charities, National Parks, Registered Social Landlords and any other body permitted by the Contracting Authority. Full details of the classification of eligible end user organisations and geographical areas is available at: www.dukefieldprocurement.co.uk/fts-eligible-users ↗
The framework will be let across four Lots, with a maximum of 10 suppliers awarded a place on each of the Lots.
CPV: Air-to-ground telecommunications services · Ancillary works for telecommunications · Anti-virus software development services · Anti-virus software package · Communications cable · Communications equipment · Communications infrastructure · Communications network · Communications server software package · Computer audit and testing services · Computer back-up and catalogue conversion services · Computer network services · +56 more
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 40 suppliers · 10 bids on the busiest of 4 lots (0.3 per place) · 12 appointed
Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure
4 lots · all with a published value · a supplier may bid for at most 4 and win at most 4 of them · same evaluation weights on every lotEvery one of these 3 lots carries the same published figure, £22,000,000: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.
Lot #1Unified Communications and TelephonyAwardedceiling above
The Lot will involve, amongst other aspects, the supply of communications software, hardware, installation, training and support of communications supplies, services and solutions whereby users can use a multitude of different devices such as physical phones, software on laptops, PC’s and apps on mobiles to make and receive calls via a telephony platform.
The Lot will provide the intelligent combining of voice, video, instant messaging, mobile voice and data, and other multimedia services in a bespoke way depending on the end users’ needs. This Lot will cover all encompassing solutions offering for example Desktop Agent/Supervisor, Contact Centre, Video Conferencing and Email/Text management functionality. It will also provide access to IP Telephony, Voice Over IP Services and Call Tariff Packages; encompassing the provision and support of IP solutions and Cyber Security provisions.
Lot #2Network ConnectivityAwardedceiling above
The supply, setup and support of networks and associated networking services. It addresses the supply and support of networks and associated networking services for the provision of managed connectivity for high bandwidth secure services and other communications and telecommunications requirements.
This Lot also encompasses but is not limited to, the provision and support of digital connections, network equipment and servers, along with associated support services within premises, and will include Managed LAN services, Wi-Fi and Cyber Security provisions.
Lot #3Mobile CommunicationsAwardedceiling above
This Lot will provide access to all aspects of mobile communications and services by either Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) or Resellers - i.e., handsets, other devices, airtime - call time, data etc, associated value added services and Cyber Security provisions.
Lot #4National One-Stop-ShopAwardedPublished value£24,000,000
This Lot will provide access to the entire suite of communications solutions, supplies and services detailed within the scope of Lots 1, 2 and 3 from a national one-stop-shop provision.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published award criteria (2)
- Quality: 70.00%
- Price: 30.00%
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Communications Solutions” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 40 suppliers, not a single contract.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 20 Feb 2025, 15:57 GMT
- Last source update
- 11 Sept 2025, 14:42 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 1 Apr 2025 – …
- Authority reference
CA15266 - UOE/DU/TELE/01- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-055855- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04e55fFind a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Review procedure
The University of Essex will incorporate a minimum 10-day standstill period at the point information on the award of contract is communicated to tenderers. Bidders who are unsuccessful shall be informed by the Contracting Authority as soon as possible after the decision is made as to the reasons why the bidder was unsuccessful. If an appeal regarding the award of the contract has not been successfully resolved, the Public Procurement Regulations provide for the aggrieved parties who have been harmed or who are at risk of harm by the breach of the rules to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Any action must be generally brought within 3 months. If a declaration of ineffectiveness is sought, any such action must be brought within 30 days where the Contracting Authority has communicated the award of the contract and a summary of reasons to tenderers, or otherwise within 6 months of the contract being entered into.
Where a contract has not been entered into, the Court may order the setting aside of the award decision or order the Contracting Authority to amend any document and may award damages. If the Contract has been entered into the Court may, depending on the circumstances, award damages, make a declaration of ineffectiveness, order the Contracting Authority to pay a fine, and/or order that the duration of the contract the shortened. The purpose of the standstill period referred to above is to allow the parties to apply to the Courts to set aside the award decision before the contract is entered into.
Publisher note: The University of Essex's Internal Reference Number is UOE/DU/TELE/01. The framework is being delivered by the University of Essex and its partners Dukefield Procurement Ltd (who are a subsidiary of Dukefield Ltd). Dukefield Procurement Ltd are acting as agents of the University of Essex in the development and ongoing contract management of this framework. The contracting authority will be using an eTendering system to conduct the procurement exercise. To access the procurement documentation suppliers must register their company details on the Sourcing Cloud system at: https://suppliers.multiquote.com The tender is available from the opportunities menu on the login page of the site. The contracting authority shall not be under any obligation to accept the lowest tender or indeed any tender. The University of Essex expressly reserves the rights: (a) to terminate the procurement process and not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process at any time; (b) to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the procurement as detailed within the tender documentation; (c) to award a contract covering only part of the it's requirements if explicitly detailed within the tender documentation; (d) to disqualify any organisation from the process that canvasses any employee of the Contracting Authority during the procurement process or standstill period if applicable; (e) seek clarifications to tender responses on the basis that any clarification sought will not confer any undue competitive advantage in the favour of any supplier from whom such clarifications are being sought; (f) where the contracting authority can evidence that there is a conflict of interest, either personal or in consideration of any organisation bidding for the contract, the contracting authority shall have the explicit right to immediately exclude that person or organisation from the tender process entirely; (g) where the contracting authority has engaged in any pre-market soft testing prior to the commencement of the procurement process, the contracting authority reserves the right to name any organisation that has been involved in these discussions and release any and all specifications/ discussion documents to the market where appropriate to the subject matter of this procurement; (h) the contracting authority will not be liable for any costs incurred by tenderers; (i) the value of the framework provided in section II.1.5) is only an estimate and the contracting authority will not guarantee any business through this framework agreement; and (j) the contracting authority wishes to establish a framework agreement open for use by all Public Sector Bodies as stated in II.1.4). Tenderers should note, in reference to section IV.1.3), envisaged maximum number of participants to the framework: Where, following the evaluation of bids, more than one tenderer is tied with the same final evaluation score and are ranked in the last supplier award position, each of these tenderers shall be deemed to occupy the last framework agreement contract award position for the for the purpose of calculating the maximum number of suppliers under the framework. The contracting authority will award a framework agreement to additional tenderers on the framework beyond the stated maximum number, where their final evaluation score (s) is within 0.5% of the last placed position on the framework. For the avoidance of doubt, for each Lot, the last placed position in respect of this framework is tenth. Therefore, tenderers within 0.5%, along with the tenderer in last placed position, shall be deemed to occupy the last framework agreement contract award position for the framework.
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 1 Apr 2025, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission","written"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bids opened
- 1 Apr 2025, 12:00 BST
Timeline
1 Apr 2025 → 11 Sept 2025 · 3 dates- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown1 Apr 2025, 12:00 BST
- Bids opened1 Apr 2025, 12:00 BST
- Notice published11 Sept 2025, 14:42 BST
Notice history
1 event · 2 releases on Find a Tender- Status changed to complete11 Sept 2025, 14:42 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast4 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.
Contracts
All 3 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £22,000,000, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.
Unified Communications and Telephony
- Signed
- 11 Sept 2025
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Network Connectivity
- Signed
- 11 Sept 2025
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Mobile Communications
- Signed
- 11 Sept 2025
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
National One-Stop-Shop
- Signed
- 11 Sept 2025
- Value
- £23,500,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Unified Communications and Telephony | 10bids | — | — | — |
| 2 · Network Connectivity | 9bids | — | — | — |
| 3 · Mobile Communications | 8bids | — | — | — |
| 4 · National One-Stop-Shop | 7bids | — | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
4 public bodies on the noticeConsortium members and other public bodies
- Dukefield Procurement LimitedContracting authority
- EducationContracting authority
- Public SectorContracting authority
Framework contractors & participating bidders
12 commercial parties on the notice- Abzorb LtdFramework contractor
- Avoira LimitedFramework contractor
- Clarion Communication SystemsFramework contractor
- Currys t/a Currys BusinessFramework contractor
- Daisy CommunicationsFramework contractor
- Exchange Communications LimitedFramework contractor
- Glide Framework contractor
- Rydal CommunicationsFramework contractor
- Southern Communications Corporate SolutionsFramework contractor
- Start Communications Group LtdFramework contractor
Show 2 more suppliers
- Talk Straight LtdFramework contractor
- Tel Group LtdFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Economic and financial selection criteria
- Technical selection criteria