Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) & Local Area Network (LAN) Replacement

Description

The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is inviting expressions of interest for an upcoming tender for the refresh of its Local Area Network (LAN) and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) replacement requirements. As the fourth-largest Fire and Rescue Service in the UK, WYFRS serves over 2.2 million people across 800 square miles, providing emergency coverage 24 hours a day, every day of the year. WYFRS employees approx. 1500 staff. At this time, the tender opportunity is expected to be issued approximately August/September 2026. The contract term is envisaged to last a minimum of 5 years, with options to extend for +1 + 1 year periods, bringing the total duration to a maximum of 7 years total. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue intends to issue this potential tender opportunity comprising two separate lots: Lot 1 – LAN Lot 2 – VoIP The estimated costs for LAN requirements for the full contract term is expected to be between £550,000 and £650,000. The estimated costs for VOIP requirements for the full contract term is expected to be between £150,000 and £200,000. The budgets are to include but not be limited to; Hardware, software, support, maintenance and training. Lot 1 - VOIP WYFRS have utilised an on premise Cisco based telephony platform since 2020. This system covers admin telephony across all sites and comprises two hypervisor UCS BE6000 servers, running one publisher and two subscribers nodes hosting a mix of different virtual servers that make up the total system. WYFRS are not looking to replace the system in its entirety as the core system works well but the underpinning hardware supporting it will soon be end of life and require replacement. WYFRS would like to maintain an on premise Cisco solution due the nature of our organisation and risk, no consideration for cloud based solutions will be undertaken. In addition to the core telephony system listed above, there are several other adjacent systems that would require replacement, namely the Redbox voice recorder with new hardware and/or software, SBC’s to AudioCodes to bring us into line with other telephony within the organisation, and the convergence towards Microsoft Teams for soft client telephone calls. At this time, WYFRS is looking to inform the market of this opportunity and assess the market's interest and its appetite to bid for and deliver this upcoming contract. A high-level overview of the key requirements is outlined below, although full details will be provided in the tender opportunity. High Level VoIP Requirements • Replacement of both Cisco UCS servers with refreshed hardware (On premise). • Migration of the existing Cisco UCM platform/servers to this new hardware. • Replacement, migration and configuration of the existing SBC’s (Cisco CUBE) with AudioCodes SBC’s (On premise). • Replacement, migration and configuration of the existing Redbox call recorder (On premise). • Replacement of Cisco desk phone handsets. • Integration of telephony into Microsoft Teams for soft clients and the replacement/removal of Cisco Jabber. • Ongoing support for all hardware and software queries throughout the life of the contract covering all supplied hardware, existing hardware (where appropriate) and software. • Ongoing maintenance and upgrade support for all hardware and software throughout the life of the contract with an expectation of yearly upgrades (as a minimum) for all elements of the system that require it. • Quarterly service reviews to review ticket management, billing, support, and account management queries. Lot 2 - LAN WYFRS currently operates a resilient dual data centre architecture, connected by a dedicated 10Gbps point-to-point and MPLS. The on-premise LAN infrastructure supports critical operational and administrative services across all locations and is built on Cisco enterprise-class switching platforms delivering core, distribution, and access layer connectivity. Dynamic routing (OSPF) is implemented throughout the network. Fire stations and operational sites are connected to the core network via managed MPLS circuits, providing reliable connectivity to central infrastructure and hosted services. WYFRS operates a distributed estate, with local switching infrastructure deployed at individual fire stations and sites to support on-site connectivity. The existing solution continues to meet operational requirements; however, it is approaching end of life and will require replacement to maintain service reliability, performance, security, and vendor support. WYFRS intends to retain an on-premise LAN architecture due to the critical nature of the services delivered. At this stage, fully cloud-managed network solutions are not being considered. In addition to the core LAN infrastructure, several associated systems and dependencies must be considered as part of the refresh programme. These include integration with existing: • Network security controls (e.g. Network Access Control) • Network monitoring and management platforms • Wireless networking services • IP telephony systems • Data centre interconnectivity • MPLS WAN connectivity • Other business-critical applications reliant on the network infrastructure High-Level LAN Requirements • Replacement of core, distribution, and access layer LAN switching infrastructure across all WYFRS sites • Provision of high availability and resilience at the data centre level, through redundant design and failover capability • Support for secure network access controls (e.g. 802.1X, Network Access Control solutions) • Support OSPF for dynamic routing across the environment • Implementation of network segmentation to improve security and traffic isolation • Scalability to support future growth, cloud services, and digital transformation initiatives • Integration with existing monitoring and management platforms • Centralised management, configuration, and visibility of network infrastructure • Support for high-performance connectivity, including increased bandwidth and PoE requirements (e.g. for wireless access points and telephony) • Provision of hardware, software, licensing, support, and maintenance services • Delivery of quarterly service reviews, covering performance, ticket management, billing, support, and account management The existing contracts are due to expire March 2027. Suppliers interested in participating are invited to email their expression of interest to [email protected] by Monday 13th August, and if possible, provide the following information: • Main contact name, email, and phone number for follow-up communication. • Any frameworks you are currently associated with or will be in the near future. • Confirmation if you believe that the core requirements can be delivered through your proposed solution/s. • Confirmation of your ability to bid within the specified time frame and that you have the capacity to deliver the contract over the full term, including implementation, testing & assurance, etc. by go live date March 2027. • Feedback on the proposed budget. • Feedback on the proposed contract length e.g. do you deem it as suitable. • Any additional comments or feedback based on the information provided. Please note that this request for information (RFI) is not a call for competition. Further details will be made available in the official tender documents upon publication. The tender route is yet to be determined. WYFRS reserve the right to discuss requirements with any supplier beyond this initial notice before any competitive tender process is undertaken. We also recommend that you register with the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service's E-Procurement system, 'In-tend,' at the following link https://in-tendhost.co.uk/wyfrs/aspx/Home . This will ensure that if a competitive tender procedure is undertaken, you will already have access to the documentation once live.

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