TPR1313 Network Design (Outsourced Service)

Description

Summary of the work TPR are seeking buy an outsourced service to provide a Network Design. Expected Contract Length 8 Weeks Latest start date Friday 15 April 2022 Why the Work is Being Done TPR are seeking to buy network design as a service for our new Accommodations in Brighton, The design will be based on TPRs existing network topology, which will be supplied as part of the tender process to the shortlist suppliers. The design will include the following areas • Security (Firewalls) • Routing and Switching • Wireless access solution There will also be a need to integrate some existing solutions such Cisco ISE and others that will be shown in the design. Problem to Be Solved The Pension Regulator (TPR) is seeking to secure a new lease on business premises in Brighton. Its current arrangements terminate in July 2023 and the Agency is currently in legal negotiations to finalise one of several options. We are seeking to procure Design Services to assist the Regulator to design and specify digital network. The design must be sufficiently detailed and technical to allow TPR to take to the market for delivery of the build. Who Are the Users TPR operate a hybrid working model for around 1000 members of staff. Staff work on site in Brighton and nationally when Working From Home (WFH). The new network will be accessed by FTE, Contractors and 3rd Party suppliers, they need access to the Internet and Cloud based services as part of their normal daily work. TPR is a cloud first consumer, so our Network needs to be designed around this. Existing Team The IT infrastructure team are comprised of: • Specialist • Cloud Infrastructure Architect • Infrastructure Analyst - Specialist • Infrastructure Cloud Engineer - Lead Specialist • Infrastructure Manager - Lead Specialist • Infrastructure Technical Engineer - Specialist • Lead Associate - IT Infrastructure None of the internal team will be actively involved in the delivery of the design. Current Phase Not applicable Skills & Experience • Experience of a range of IT best practice methodologies and implementing best fit in line with organisation needs • Knowledge of service design methodologies. The fusion of service design and IT best practice skills and experience is essential. • Experience of stakeholders through service design process and delivering effective workshops • Expertise in implementing a product-based models and associated processes in IT/digital teams • Ability to deliver a full suite of documents including templates, drawings and boilerplate documents to support the process as well as business continuity • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills at all levels including executive leadership • Ability to deliver in a changing environment and manage uncertainty Nice to Haves Experience of service design in the local government or wider public sector environment Work Location The building is located in Brighton. Work will be remotely as a fully outsourced service. Site visit for the purpose of providing service can be arranged for successful supplier but not as part of this tender exercise. Working Arrangments Fully outsourced services, with agreed milestone and progress reporting to the program lead. No. of Suppliers to Evaluate 5 Proposal Criteria • Understanding of the requirement • Implementation plan to mobilise and deliver the contract • Approach and ability to provide resource to meet our requirements • Identification of risks and plan to mitigate them Cultural Fit Criteria Social Value - as an organisation, identify, deliver & manage social value within their organisation. Payment Approach Fixed price Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 10% Price 30% Questions from Suppliers 1. Who is the incumbent supplier ? There is no incumbent supplier. This is a one off requirement for a network design. 2. What cloud vendor is being used ? Azure & MS Teams 3. May we ask when the last network upgrade took place please? This is part of a move to a new building. So the response is in two parts.For the existing building:An upgrade was undertaken 7+ years ao.For the new building:It has never been an update on the new building, we will be building everything in as new. 4. Could you confirm the contract term will you require support? I.E a 3 or 5 year term ? This is a one off requirement for up to 6 months to deliver the design. It is anticipated the initial term will be 3 months with an option to extend. However, this is for a single requirement to design a network as part of our Accommodation Program. 5. Would there be chance for the selected design supplier to peer review internally within their business and more than one person collaborate with the Regulator to help drive the very best outcome? Note, this is a fully outsourced service. The supplier delivery model will not be dictated by TPR, this is an outcome based requirement. 6. Will the successful supplier be excluded from the procurement exercise that you have indicated will follow the network design? The successful supplier can participate in any future call for competition, but all information will be shared as part of second procurement with all suppliers. There will be no advantage given. 7. Is the new building a multi tenant building? Yes the building is a multi tenanted building 8. Are the available WAN providers known? Unknown at this time but BT and Virgin are both existing providers to the existing tenants and previous. 9. Is there a desire to move to a full Wi-Fi solution or will desk based ports be required? Full wifi Solution there will be minimal requirement for Cable solutions excluding APs, Printers and other no-wifi end-points 10. Are any services hosted at the new site? Minimal onsite services, a small VM environment that supports existing non cloud services and Networking solutions 11. What significant business end-results would be reformatory for the Regulator and all its stakeholders? A fully designed Network that meets TPR requirements and is documented to allow TPR to go to market for install 12. Could the Regulator advise what are the current network issues and future network requirements that will underpin a successful network design? We are moving from our existing accommodations, and we are seeking to update our legacy design to allow for current cloud needs and future proof our network 13. What does good look like for the Regulator going forward? This would be for you to inform us based on information provided and market knowledge. 14. What are the ‘business’ challenges that the Regulator is facing on a daily basis in terms of operating efficiently and effectively? We are currently working in a cloud first environment this is going to continue into our new accommodation and we need a Network designed around this requirement. 15. Could the Regulator advise what are the current network issues and future network requirements that will underpin a successful network design? Main current issue is lack of diverse, redundancy in our network WAN environment this is going to be rectified as part move. 16. Is the new building a multi-tenant building? Yes, the building is a multi-tenanted building 17. Please would you share your approximate budget for delivery of the design? Budget for the design element is outlined in the procurement document and is between £30K and £50k 18. Does the integration into the existing WAN require any traffic intelligence such as SDWAN capabilities? As we do not use a Data Centre to host any data, we are 95% in the cloud, I would not see the need for SDWAN but this could be something that the company that undertake the design feel is a good way forward 19. Can you confirm that the skills and experience areas are correct? They don’t align directly with the requirement you’re looking to fulfil (ie, network architecture and build). Don’t need build, only need a design at this point.The essential & nice to have skills and experience are correct. This procurement is for design element only. The delivery is not part of this procurement.