Overall Redesign and Implementation of Our Network (ORION) - Supplier Engagement Event

Description

** Please note this is not a call for competition* This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) for an event for the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) (UK Research and Innovation) to provide details of a project to redesign our network. This project will consider a fresh design from the ground up, for all STFC sites across the Digital Infrastructure managed network architecture, cabling, switching, routing, and security. The redesigned architecture should take into account the needs of the next 5-10 years and be flexible enough to grow for years beyond that. Twelve years ago, there was a three-year budget to improve the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) network and many elements of the STFC network are based on 25-year-old design decisions. Over the past year we have gathered requirements from all departments and tenants that use our network. We should take into account modern network technologies and techniques, with security at the core of the new design. There is growing pressure from a number of departments for Digital Infrastructure to provide greater bandwidth for their business, while segregating workloads. The aim of the event is to: -Outline our plans -Help us understand the technologies available and finalise our tender documentation. -Provide interested parties with prior warning of an impending procurement. There will be 30 minute virtual follow up sessions to be organised over 2nd/3rd October for individual organisations that attended the supplier day. We would like to invite prospective bidders to attend a pre-market engagement event on Thursday 21st September at 09.30 am at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot. The session will be led by: the Digital Infrastructure team from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK Research and Innovation) and UK Shared Business Services. Please see details in Additional Information on how to attend. The agenda for the 1/2 day is as follows: Introduction Overview of STFC The science we do? Network redesign requirements and High Level Architecture (HLA) Questions and Answers Procurement overview Refreshments Site Tour Additional information: A pre-market engagement event will be held on Thursday 21st September 2023 at 09.30am at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory at Didcot. This will provide an opportunity for potential providers to find out more about the aims of the procurement and the process. Providers wishing to attend must RSVP by Thursday 14th September 2023 at 14.00 stating their organisation, attendee names, titles, emails and phone numbers and number of vehicles - please note there is a restriction of 3 attendees per organisation. Full logistical information will be provided once an RSVP request has been received. This information should be sent to the following email address: DDaTprocurement@uksbs.co.uk Please ensure that the subject heading for the email is as follows: DDaT23365 ORION Market Engagement Event. It is anticipated that the tender documentation will be released in December 2023.