Published date: 26 July 2023

Last edited date: 26 July 2023

Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.


Closing: 11 August 2023, 12pm

Contract summary

Industry

  • Network upgrade - 32428000

Location of contract

SK11 9DW

Value of contract

£550,000

Procurement reference

8653

Published date

26 July 2023

Closing date

11 August 2023

Closing time

12pm

Contract start date

11 September 2023

Contract end date

31 May 2024

Contract type

Works

Procedure type

Open procedure (below threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at https://in-tendhost.co.uk/manchesteruniversity/aspx/Tenders/Current

The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics is the astronomical research centre of The University of Manchester and operates e-MERLIN, the UK's national radio astronomy facility. Jodrell Bank was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2019, and the consultant needs to be aware of the heritage status of the site. Jodrell Bank is a world leader in radio astronomy-related research and technology development but also carries out research across the electromagnetic spectrum and in theoretical topics.

A LAN Switch Refresh project has been progressed for the main buildings however the circa 60 3rd party unmanaged switches that are connected to single data ports within the buildings will not be replaced. There is a mixture of 5, 8, 12, 16, 24 & 32 port switches on and under desks, in cupboards, equipment racks etc. This situation is a concern from a security, management, network connectivity and process perspective. Moving to a Wi-Fi only option is not possible due to the sensitive nature of the radio telescopes. However, there may be a requirement for occasional Wi-Fi hotspots for guests and events.

A range of options have been considered for Network Modernisation, and a preferred option identified. This involves removing all the 3rd party unmanaged switches and running additional data cables to the location of the existing comms cabinets. This will bring Jodrell Bank in line with the rest of the University's modernized network, removing old equipment, improving network stability, an enabling monitoring of all areas of the network.

The upgrade is of high importance, with the works aimed to be completed by Spring 24.

About the buyer

Contact name

Mansoor Salim

Address

John Owens Building, Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL
England

Email

procurement@manchester.ac.uk