Email Address (I.1): …@crowncommercial.gov.uk → …@crowncommercial.gov.uk
3. Explanation (Annex D3): The actual proposed contract start date will be on or around 15 March 2023.
The purpose of this VEAT notice is to provide sufficient notice of the intention to award a seven (7) year framework in accordance with Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the PCR 2015, which permits the contract to be awarded without prior publication where competition is absent for technical reasons.
Having reviewed its requirements for this framework, CCS has concluded that an award to the supplier is permissible under Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) because this supplier is the only supplier in the market that can provide the collocation premises product types suitable to meet (i) the high security classification requirements and/or (ii) support services critical to the national interest, of customers that will require rental data space/premises services.
By way of additional information, the digital transformation aspects of the UK HMG Cloud First Policy formed part of CCS's decision making process. This policy directs customers to migrate their data centre workloads away in favour of those provided from public cloud services. The net effect of this policy is an
overall diminishing of potential data centre business, especially that with a security classification of OFFICIAL, and so a greater proportion of continued data centre requirements are those that are critical to the national interest and or have higher security classifications.
Consequently requirements include:
• Very high physical, operational and electronic security requirements associated with critical HMG ICT
operating at all security classifications and across all threat levels;
• The mandated provision of facilities within the maximum lead times ranging from 1 month for multiple rack spaces immediately able to accept customer ICT, to 6 (six) months for multiple large data halls including whole data centre buildings; and
• The ability of customers to terminate for convenience without penalty some or all of their license to occupy premises with as little as 30 (thirty) days notice, providing the supplier no benefit of assured occupancy.
CCS has determined that a seven (7) year framework is justifiable. It enables multiple customers to start and complete their four (4) year relocation programmes. This provides for three (3) years where customers can start and complete relocation within the framework agreement period. The alternate of the more common four (4) year framework agreement period would be insufficient for a large data centre relocation programme to start and finish before the framework agreement had expired.
Other Information
Subject to CCS receiving no responses to this VEAT notice, it shall commence negotiations with the supplier with the intention of awarding the contract on or around 15 March 2023.
Crown Hosting Data Centres Limited (CHDCL) is a joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Ark Data Centres Ltd (Ark). → UPDATE to the timetable text in the original VEAT Notice: CCS has revised its timetable and now intends to enter into the contract on 4th October 2022.
The purpose of this VEAT notice is to provide sufficient notice of the intention to award a seven (7) year framework in accordance with Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the PCR 2015, which permits the contract to be awarded without prior publication where competition is absent for technical reasons.
Having reviewed its requirements for this framework, CCS has concluded that an award to the supplier is permissible under Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) because this supplier is the only supplier in the market that can provide the collocation premises product types suitable to meet (i) the high security classification requirements and/or (ii) support services critical to the national interest, of customers that will require rental data space/premises services.
By way of additional information, the digital transformation aspects of the UK HMG Cloud First Policy formed part of CCS's decision making process. This policy directs customers to migrate their data centre workloads away in favour of those provided from public cloud services. The net effect of this policy is an overall diminishing of potential data centre business, especially that with a security classification of OFFICIAL, and so a greater proportion of continued data centre requirements are those that are critical to the national interest and or have higher security classifications.
Consequently requirements include:
• Very high physical, operational and electronic security requirements associated with critical HMG ICT
operating at all security classifications and across all threat levels;
• The mandated provision of facilities within the maximum lead times ranging from 1 month for multiple rack spaces immediately able to accept customer ICT, to 6 (six) months for multiple large data halls including whole data centre buildings; and
• The ability of customers to terminate for convenience without penalty some or all of their license to occupy premises with as little as 30 (thirty) days notice, providing the supplier no benefit of assured occupancy.
CCS has determined that a seven (7) year framework is justifiable. It enables multiple customers to start and complete their four (4) year relocation programmes. This provides for three (3) years where customers can start and complete relocation within the framework agreement period. The alternate of the more common four (4) year framework agreement period would be insufficient for a large data centre relocation programme to start and finish before the framework agreement had expired.
Other Information
UPDATE to the timetable text in the original VEAT Notice: CCS has revised its timetable and now intends to enter into the contract on 4th October 2022.
Crown Hosting Data Centres Limited (CHDCL) is a joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Ark Data Centres Ltd (Ark).
Change (V.2.1): 3 February 2022 → 4 October 2022