Prior information notice
This notice is for prior information only
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Scottish Government
5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw
Glasgow
G2 8LU
UK
Contact person: Tom Waring
Telephone: +44 1312445485
E-mail: Tom.Waring@gov.scot
NUTS: UKM
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.scotland.gov.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA10482
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
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Project Gigabit in Scotland
II.1.2) Main CPV code
64200000
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II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Deployment of infrastructure that will facilitate access to gigabit capable internet connections to premises which are not expected to be otherwise covered by suppliers' commercial plans.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
32412100
32425000
32412000
32562300
32570000
45231600
45232300
64227000
45232332
50330000
32510000
50332000
50334400
64210000
32000000
32572000
32420000
32424000
45314000
32500000
45314310
32571000
32412110
32572200
32562100
45314300
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKM
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
In March 2021, the UK Government announced an ambition to deliver nationwide gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure, recognising that there is a need for government intervention in the parts of the country that are not commercially viable. They have committed a total of 5 billion GBP to ensure that all areas of the UK can benefit. This will be spent through a package of coordinated and mutually supportive interventions, collectively known as Project Gigabit, with an initial intervention of 1.2 billion GBP targeting at least 85% gigabit coverage of the UK by 2025 and nationwide gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure by 2030.
As part of Project Gigabit, the Scottish Government is working with Building Digital UK (BDUK) to deliver contracts to suppliers delivering gigabit-capable wholesale infrastructure in Scotland. This procurement approach will be a successor to the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme and work in parallel with the Scottish Government’s current Reaching 100% (R100) programme.
II.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice:
30/04/2024
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 first local procurement in Scotland is expected to launch by the end of March 2024, covering the Borders and East Lothian areas. The procurement process will be conducted through the BDUK Project Gigabit Dynamic Purchasing System. A regional procurement, in the Dundee, Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Moray Coast area is expected to follow in the coming months. The estimated date of publication of contract notice set out within II.3) is for the regional procurement. Dates are indicative and subject to change.
The Scottish Government and BDUK have worked together to prepare further procurements, and these will be launched if and when we are confident that there is the market interest needed for them to succeed.
Any suppliers who would like to be included in future supplier engagement exercises should email Gigabit@gov.scot
As part of the work to develop a procurement approach to deliver Project Gigabit in Scotland, the Scottish Government and BDUK have been engaging with market participants. Scottish Government and BDUK held a number of supplier engagement sessions between August 2022 and March 2024.
To aid the supplier engagement sessions, information on Project Gigabit in Scotland and the proposed intervention areas was shared with market participants. Please see Additional Documents for information shared with market participants during the supplier engagement sessions, including the UPRN lists issued as part of the supplier engagement exercise in January 2024.
The UPRN lists for the proposed areas and data within the documents were correct at the time they were published and are subject to update prior to the launch of any procurements.
The Scottish Government and BDUK reserve the right not to proceed to procure the Proposed Procurement Areas detailed in this Prior Information Notice and the Information Pack. This is not a commitment from the Scottish Government or BDUK to launch any procurement(s).
Please note that the requests for feedback set out within the information packs have now closed.
NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=708302.
(SC Ref:708302)
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
15/03/2024