Prior information notice
This notice is for prior information only
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government
Seilwaith Digidol / Digital Infrastructure, Parc Cathays / Cathays Park
Caerdydd / Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
UK
Contact person: Gemma Martyn
Telephone: +44 3000258886
E-mail: gemma.martyn@gov.wales
NUTS: UKL
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://gov.wales
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA0007
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
I.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Extending High Speed Broadband Reach in Wales
II.1.2) Main CPV code
45314000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Works
II.1.4) Short description
This early market engagement notice is to share the Welsh Government’s intentions and evoke discussion in relation to extending the reach of high speed broadband in Wales.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
70 000 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
32412100
32000000
32500000
32520000
32510000
32522000
32523000
32524000
32562200
64200000
45232332
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKL
Main site or place of performance:
All Wales
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Following a recent review by the Welsh Government, it has been identified that around 84,000 premises within Wales do not have access to superfast download speeds (at least 30Mbps) exacerbating the digital divide. Ofcom has previously stated that a subset of these, around 10,000 premises do not yet have access to at least 10Mbps. While there are existing interventions scheduled by the telecommunications industry and UK Government public funded interventions, these remote and hard-to-reach areas are not likely to be addressed commercially and it is not certain that they will be addressed by further publicly funded interventions.
II.2.14) Additional information
Please note that although ‘No Lots’ has been selected, the Welsh Government may nevertheless divide the Project requirements into either separate procurement exercises and/or Lots. The exact structure and scope of the procurement strategy to be adopted has not yet been
determined.
II.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice:
01/09/2023
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
The Welsh Government is looking to hold one to one virtual (via Teams or another engagement platform) market engagement meetings with suppliers in May and June 2023 to explore possible delivery options. These meetings will be used to shape and outline Welsh Government's plans, investigate the interest of network operators and other stakeholders, and discuss and seek insights into how the Welsh Government’s intended outcomes could be successfully delivered.
Those suppliers wishing to attend a meeting, are asked to consider the following non-exhaustive list of topics:
- Data Map showing the location of the 84,000 premises (https://datamap.gov.wales/maps/public-review-2022-next-generation-access-broadban/)
- Market appetite and capacity to deploy
- Concerns or material issues the market may have in tendering for possible delivery options
- How delivery options could run alongside other UK Government interventions such as Project Gigabit
- Procurement approach / lotting strategy
- New and existing technology capable of delivering the requirements
- Additional factors that might make extending high speed broadband reach more attractive to the market.
To register your interest in attending a meeting please email: NextGenerationBroadB1@gov.wales by 09th June 2023.
Please note - this PIN Notice does not commit Welsh Government to publishing a procurement and is intended for market engagement purposes only. The value of this PIN is indicative and is subject to change should Welsh Government decide to issue a procurement.
(WA Ref:131418)
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
10/05/2023