Decision details

To report the outcome of the procurement exercise for the Cambridgeshire Public Sector Network (CPSN) conducted by Cambridgeshire County Council and authorise officers to enter into the new contract.

To authorise officers to enter into the Partnering Agreement with Cambridgeshire County Council and thereafter enter into a partner call off contract under the Framework Agreement with MLL TELECOM LIMITED for the provision of Centralised Services.

The contract with Virgin Media for the provision of a Public Sector Network (PSN) is due to expire shortly. This contract started in 2011 and many public sector bodies across Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire have subscribed to the service. As the lead partner, Cambridgeshire County Council conducted an open procurement for a new PSN. MLL Telecom won the contract on both price and quality and formal confirmation is now required from the CPSN partners that they wish to enter into the new PSN contract.

There is some uncertainty around the costs of transition to the new service as the former provider has stated that they may issue a claim for their exit costs. Given the number of large bodies subscribing to the CPSN service, it is unlikely that if a claim from the former provided was to succeed that it would have a significant cost impact on this council.

Cambridgeshire County Council have conducted a robust procurement exercise and any other option than entering into a contract with the winning bidder could be subject to a legal challenge. Therefore, the options to remain with the current provider or procure a Public Sector Network by some other means have been rejected.

If the Council was to seek its own provider, it is likely that the outcome from any single body procurement would be more expensive than what is being offered through this joint procurement. There would also be considerable practical difficulties in arranging our own transition from Virgin Media and the ongoing support for a network that would be outside the 3C ICT arrangements.