Becta ICT Services framework procurement under way
11 March 2010
Becta has announced the publication of the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) notice for the first of two new ICT Services procurement frameworks, which uniquely focus on the provision of effective learner centric ICT services for educational institutions.
These new arrangements have been developed following extensive research with educational stakeholders and have been designed specifically to:
- help to ease the burden on institutional leaders
- make more efficient use of teacher time
- drive greater reliability of ICT systems with a clear focus to drive greater efficiencies of an operational, financial and environmental nature.
The first of these ICT Services Frameworks consists of two lots. The first lot focuses on infrastructure and mobile connectivity services, enabling schools and local authorities to buy these core services individually or in combination and replaces the previous Infrastructure Services Framework. The second lot focuses on the provision of ICT Service Integrators (ISI) for all ICT services. It is aimed at supporting those schools and local authorities who require a supplier that can pull together and manage a supply chain effectively to cover all of their requirements.
Partnerships for Schools has worked closely with Becta to shape both the requirements and the terms and conditions of the ICT Services Framework. The first of these frameworks is intended to be the default route for Academies in areas where there is no Building Schools for the Future (BSF) ICT Managed Service in place. It will also be an option in BSF for those local authorities who are procuring ICT services for schools outside of a Local Education Partnership (LEP).
The OJEU notice and the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire for the ICT Services Framework can be found at: www.becta.org.uk/industry/ictservices for return no later than 29 March 2010.
The first framework is expected to be available for use in late September 2010. A second framework covering Data Services (MIS) and Learning Services will be published at a later date.
