WWU1342 - Fixed Line VOIP & Redbox Replacement

Background

Wales & West Utilities Ltd (WWU), with its main offices based in Newport, South Wales is a regulated gas distribution business with around 35,000 km of gas distribution pipelines located in Wales and the South west of England.

Covering 1/6th of the UK, WWU serves a catchment area with a population of more than 7 million. Our core business is that of running and maintaining the gas distribution network across our region - which involves connecting new consumers, maintaining, and replacing pipe work and assets and dealing with gas emergencies. The company is committed to the protection and enhancement of the environment as well as recognising the importance of good corporate citizenship, working in and supporting the communities it serves.

Wales and West Utilities operate a multi-partner outsource IT model. Our landscape consists of a layered architecture distributed over dual data centres and around 24 office locations, the largest of which is in in Newport, South Wales.

WWU seeks to tender the market to identify a competitive reseller for support and billing of horizon and a suitable replacement for Redbox.

Business Requirements

Scope and Timescale

This project will seek to tender a market competitive reseller for support and billing of horizon and a suitable replacement for Redbox. The tender will be conducted in two parts -

• Lot 1 - VOIP and Redbox Replacement
• Lot 2 - Restoration of services to 16 disconnected sites

In Scope

• All lines and services billed by current contract partner (Horizon & Redbox).
• All existing fixed line users in offices and depots who require a Horizon fixed line.
• All access circuits for office sites into Horizon solution.
• All switch and router support & maintenance for access circuits.
• Replacement or upgrade of Redbox call recording solution
• Restore phone connection to WWU sites

Out of Scope

• Handset replacement.
• Fax line replacement.
• All other non-Gamma Horizon fixed line communication solutions (PSTN, Fibre, MPLS).
• App for remote users to avoid the need for a physical handset.

Background and Requirements

WWU currently use Gamma Horizon VoIP phone system for desk phones at Celtic Springs and in depots.  The current contract commenced in March 2016 and was extended to September 2023. Also supported in this contract is a Redbox fixed line call recording solution located at Celtic Springs.

The current Horizon solution is compliant with WWU architectural and security standards and provides all the functionality required. Therefore, there is no intention to change the solution, but the tender will seek a market competitive reseller for support and billing of horizon.

Redbox is a SAN (storage area network) based call recording solution housed and maintained at Celtic Springs directly linked to the Horizon solution and serves 135 users at Celtic Springs, supporting our teams in Business Services, System Operations and Despatch.

The contract for Redbox has been extended until July 2024. The hardware for this is end of life and currently incompatible with Microsoft Edge meaning it requires replacement.

Finally, 16 sites across our network have had their circuits accidentally disconnected. Those sites are now without any phone lines so work is required to restore those sites.

The tender is split into two lots:

Lot One -

Gamma Horizon VOIP solution.

Design, implementation, and handover for the Redbox replacement.

Lot 2 -

Restoration of the Gamma Horizon phone lines to the 16 disconnected sites.

Contract Term

WWU is looking for a contract term initially of 3 years with 2 optional 2 year extensions for Lot 1.

Tender Requirements

WWU utilises the Jaeger Bravo Solution online e-procurement portal to manage its tender processes. All information and communications relating to this tender will be published through the WWU-Bravo portal. We encourage joint partnerships between suppliers in order to fulfil the brief, but there has to be a lead partner, who will be awarded the contract and it will be their responsibility to manage any partners/sub-contractors as part of the contract.

Any documents relating to this tender can be accessed in the Attachments area and responses will be submitted via the Technical and Commercial envelopes.

Tender submissions shall be returned via Bravo on the date specified in the tender documentation.

Tenders returned after this time will not be considered.

Background

Wales & West Utilities Ltd (WWU), with its main offices based in Newport, South Wales is a regulated gas distribution business with around 35,000 km of gas distribution pipelines located in Wales and the South west of England.

Covering 1/6th of the UK, WWU serves a catchment area with a population of more than 7 million. Our core business is that of running and maintaining the gas distribution network across our region - which involves connecting new consumers, maintaining, and replacing pipe work and assets and dealing with gas emergencies. The company is committed to the protection and enhancement of the environment as well as recognising the importance of good corporate citizenship, working in and supporting the communities it serves.

Wales and West Utilities operate a multi-partner outsource IT model. Our landscape consists of a layered architecture distributed over dual data centres and around 24 office locations, the largest of which is in in Newport, South Wales.

WWU seeks to tender the market to identify a competitive reseller for support and billing of horizon and a suitable replacement for Redbox.

Business Requirements

Scope and Timescale

This project will seek to tender a market competitive reseller for support and billing of horizon and a suitable replacement for Redbox. The tender will be conducted in two parts -

• Lot 1 - VOIP and Redbox Replacement
• Lot 2 - Restoration of services to 16 disconnected sites

In Scope

• All lines and services billed by current contract partner (Horizon & Redbox).
• All existing fixed line users in offices and depots who require a Horizon fixed line.
• All access circuits for office sites into Horizon solution.
• All switch and router support & maintenance for access circuits.
• Replacement or upgrade of Redbox call recording solution
• Restore phone connection to WWU sites

Out of Scope

• Handset replacement.
• Fax line replacement.
• All other non-Gamma Horizon fixed line communication solutions (PSTN, Fibre, MPLS).
• App for remote users to avoid the need for a physical handset.

Background and Requirements

WWU currently use Gamma Horizon VoIP phone system for desk phones at Celtic Springs and in depots.  The current contract commenced in March 2016 and was extended to September 2023. Also supported in this contract is a Redbox fixed line call recording solution located at Celtic Springs.

The current Horizon solution is compliant with WWU architectural and security standards and provides all the functionality required. Therefore, there is no intention to change the solution, but the tender will seek a market competitive reseller for support and billing of horizon.

Redbox is a SAN (storage area network) based call recording solution housed and maintained at Celtic Springs directly linked to the Horizon solution and serves 135 users at Celtic Springs, supporting our teams in Business Services, System Operations and Despatch.

The contract for Redbox has been extended until July 2024. The hardware for this is end of life and currently incompatible with Microsoft Edge meaning it requires replacement.

Finally, 16 sites across our network have had their circuits accidentally disconnected. Those sites are now without any phone lines so work is required to restore those sites.

The tender is split into two lots:

Lot One -

Gamma Horizon VOIP solution.

Design, implementation, and handover for the Redbox replacement.

Lot 2 -

Restoration of the Gamma Horizon phone lines to the 16 disconnected sites.

Contract Term

Lot 2 - 12 months. Reconnection of 16 sites is a single, stand-alone project which will not be subject to renewal.

Tender Requirements

WWU utilises the Jaeger Bravo Solution online e-procurement portal to manage its tender processes. All information and communications relating to this tender will be published through the WWU-Bravo portal. We encourage joint partnerships between suppliers in order to fulfil the brief, but there has to be a lead partner, who will be awarded the contract and it will be their responsibility to manage any partners/sub-contractors as part of the contract.

Any documents relating to this tender can be accessed in the Attachments area and responses will be submitted via the Technical and Commercial envelopes.

Tender submissions shall be returned via Bravo on the date specified in the tender documentation.

Tenders returned after this time will not be considered.