Government opens up £1bn of public sector communications deals

The contract is for voice, video and data communications

Up to £1bn of government IT and communications contracts are up for grabs as Whitehall looks for suppliers to sign up to a new framework agreement.

Buying Solutions – the procurement partner for the public sector – has issued the tender for up to £1bn-worth of IT deals.

The agency is putting in place a framework that will allow public sector bodies to purchase a range of communications systems at established rates.

The systems must be able to handle voice, video and data communications. Technologies covered by the tender include telecoms, call centre systems, unified communications, broadband, fixed-to-mobile communications, RFID, satellite services, CCTV and videoconferencing.

Suppliers awarded framework deals will be expected to comply with any future Public Sector Network (PSN) standards – PSN aims to create a secure virtual private network across the public sector.

The tender is intended to attract a wide supplier base including specialists, niche suppliers and small businesses.

The frameworks will be for an initial term of two years, with the option to extend for two further terms each of up to 12 months.

Tenders must be received by 4 August - further details can be found here in the Official Journal of the European Union.