City council issues contract notice looking for partner to provide public-sector connectivity
Credit: PA
Wolverhampton City Council is seeking a 20-year partner to provide “future-proofed gigabit connectivity” for the city’s public services.
In March 2018, the authority was picked as one of 13 to receive a chunk of the £190m in funding being awarded through the Local Full Fibre Network scheme run by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The programme is designed to promote the rollout of fibre-to-the-premises networks by providing backing for public sector-led projects to deploy the technology.
Wolverhampton is now ready to invest the £4.9m it received from DCMS, and has issued a contract notice for “the provision of quality, reliable high-speed connectivity”.
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“The council is seeking to future proof its network connectivity requirements for the next 20 years through the installation of gigabit-capable network services,” it said. “This procurement is to procure the long-term right of use of flexible and future proofed gigabit connectivity across its entire estate.”
Bids are open until 20 February, ahead of a scheduled contract start date of 21 June. The council is planning to enter into a 20-year deal with its chosen partner.
Extending the availability of connections to full-fibre networks is a major goal of the government for the coming years. Last year chancellor, Philip Hammond pledged that two million UK properties each year would gain access to FTTP services, with ubiquitous coverage achieved by 2033.
