CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE – OFFICIAL JOURNAL

Section I: Contracting Authority

I.1)

Name, Address and Contact Point(s)

I.2)

Type of contracting Authority and Main Activity or Activities

Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local sub-divisions National or federal agency/Office Regional or local Authority Regional or local Agency/Office Body governed by public law European Institution/Agency or International Organisation

General public services Defence Public order and safety Environment Economic and financial affairs Health Housing and community amenities Social protection Recreation, culture and religion Education

Section II: Object of the Contract

II.1)

Description

II.1.1)

Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority

FibreSpeed - Open Access Networks for Wales

II.1.2(a))

Type of works contract

II.1.2(b))

Type of supplies contract

II.1.2(c))

Type of service contract

II.1.2)

Main site or location of works, place of delivery or performance

Wales

II.1.3)

This notice involves a framework agreement

II.1.4)

Short description of the contract or purchase(s)

FibreSpeed is a key initiative of the Welsh Assembly Government. It will deliver a regional fibre-optic telecommunications network initially in North Wales ensuring that ‘fibre speed’ broadband connectivity is available at pre-identified business parks/locations in Wales at affordable prices. It will also meet the objective ensuring that Wales has extensive geographic access to competitive wholesale infrastructure.

FibreSpeed is an 'open access' network and will comprise both local access networks at the target locations, a backbone network interconnecting these locations to other telecoms networks and points of presence distributed across the network. The 1st Phase of the network will serve upto 14 business parks in North Wales and will have the capacity to deliver advanced symmetrical services (10Mbps with multi-Gigabit capability).

The business parks include: Parc Cybi on Anglesey, Parc Menai (including CAST Technium), Parc Bryn Cegin and Victoria Dock, Caernarfon, in Gwynedd, Llandudno Junction and Parc Caer Seion in Conwy, St.Asaph Business Park (including OPTIC Technium) in Denbighshire, St. David’s Park, Deeside Industrial Park, Hawarden Business Park and Warren Hall, in Flintshire, Wrexham Industrial Estate and Wrexham Technology Park. Other sites may be added in the future.

The Welsh Assembly Government has procured an Operator to work with it on a strategic partnership basis for a period of 15 years. The Operator is responsible for the design, build, operations and maintenance of the FibreSpeed network and will also undertake sales and marketing activities for a range of wholesale telecommunications services to any electronic communications provider on a fully transparent ‘open access’ basis.

II.1.5)

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

II.1.6)

Contract covered by the government procurement agreement (GPA)

II.2)

Total final value of the contract(s)

II.2.1)

Total final value of the contract(s)

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)

Type of procedure

IV.1.1)

Type of procedure

IV.2)

Award criteria

IV.2.1)

Award criteria

IV.2.2)

An electronic auction has been used

IV.3)

Administrative information

IV.3.1)

File reference number attributed by the contracting authority

144/2006

IV.3.2)

Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract

Other previous publications

Section V: Award of contract

Contract No:

V.1)

Date of contract award:

V.2)

Numbers of offers received:

V.3)

Name and address of economic operator to whom the contract has been awarded

V.4)

Information on value of contract

V.5)

The contract is likely to be subcontracted

Short description of the value/proportion of the contract to be subcontracted

Section VI: Complementary Information

VI.1)

Contract related to a project and/or programme financed by community funds?

For Phase 1 Only at the present time.

Programme: Objective 1 West Wales and the Valleys

Fund: ERDF – Priority 2: Measure 2

Project Title: FibreSpeed - Open Access Networks for Wales

An application for ERDF funding may be made by the Assembly in respect of additional phases

VI.2)

Additional Information

The use of EU funds within Phase 1 of the project will be restricted to those four local authority areas defined within the Objective 1 programme in North Wales. In respect of this procurement, the qualifying local authority areas will be Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy & Denbighshire.

VI.3)

Procedures for appeal

VI.3.1)

Body responsible for appeal procedures

Body responsible for mediation procedures

VI.3.2)

Lodging of appeals

VI.3.3)

Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained

VI.4)

Dispatch date of this Notice