FOI-03423

Thank you for your request for information about the following: 

##Request 

<p><i>‘I would like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.</i></p>

<p><i>Some or all of the information previously provided may now be out of date, so I would be grateful if you could provide updated responses to the following questions.</i></p>

<p><i>Please address each section individually and, where multiple suppliers exist, provide information separately for each.</i></p>

<p><i>________________________________________ </i></p>

<p><i>Contract 1 – Wide Area Network (WAN) Services (Including HSCN)</i></p>

<p><i>15.       WAN Provider(s)</i></p>

<p><i>Please confirm the main supplier(s) for your WAN services. If this information is not available, please explain why.</i></p>

<p><i>16.       Contract Expiry Date</i></p>

<p><i>Please provide the expiry date for each WAN contract (DD/MM/YYYY or MM/YYYY acceptable). If rolling, please state the terms.</i></p>

<p><i>17.       Contract Description</i></p>

<p><i>Please provide a brief summary of the scope of each WAN contract.</i></p>

<p><i>18.       Number of Sites Covered</i></p>

<p><i>Please indicate the number of sites supported by the WAN. An approximation is acceptable.</i></p>

<p><i>19.       Annual Average Spend</i></p>

<p><i>What is the annual average spend for WAN services? Please break this down by provider if more than one.</i></p>

<p><i>20.       Procurement Route</i></p>

<p><i>Please provide details of how each WAN contract was procured. If a framework was used, please include the framework name and reference number.</i></p>

<p><i>________________________________________ </i></p>

<p><i>Internal Contact</i></p>

<p><i>21.       Responsible Contact Person(s)</i></p>

<p><i>Please provide the full contact details for the person(s) responsible for each of the above contracts, including:</i></p>

<p><i>•           Full name</i></p>
<p><i>•           Job title</i></p>
<p><i>•           Direct phone number</i></p>
<p><i>•           Email address</i></p>

<p><i>If full details cannot be provided, the job title alone is acceptable.’</i></p>

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) received your request on 2 December 2025.  

We have handled your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). 

##Our response 

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested. 

##Question 1 - Please confirm the main supplier(s) for your WAN services. If this information is not available, please explain why. 

VMO2. 

##Question 2 - Please provide the expiry date for each WAN contract (DD/MM/YYYY or MM/YYYY acceptable). If rolling, please state the terms. 

The contract expires in September 2030 with two possible extensions of one year each. 

##Question 3 - Please provide a brief summary of the scope of each WAN contract. 

WAN contract covers the provision, management and support of the Wide-area Network connectivity across nine total sites. This included seven office locations and two data centres. The WAN connection provides NHSBSA with secure, resilient inter-site connectivity with primary and backup lines. 

##Question 4 - Please indicate the number of sites supported by the WAN. An approximation is acceptable. 

There are nine WAN supported sites. This is made up of two Data Centres and seven Office locations. 

##Question 5 - What is the annual average spend for WAN services? Please break this down by provider if more than one. 

The annual spend for WAN Services across all locations is £106,165.93. 

##Question 6 - Please provide details of how each WAN contract was procured. If a framework was used, please include the framework name and reference number. 

Crown Commercial Services Network Services Framework. 

##Question 7 - Please provide the full contact details for the person(s) responsible for each of the above contracts, including: 

##•           Full name: 
##•           Job title: 
##•           Direct phone number 
##•           Email address: 

##If full details cannot be provided, the job title alone is acceptable. 

##Name and email address 

We have considered this request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and we are issuing a refusal notice under section 17 of the FOIA.  

We can confirm that we do hold the requested information, but this information is exempt under section 40(2) of the FOIA (personal information).  

Section 40(2) is an absolute, prejudice-based exemption and therefore is exempt if disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles. In order for disclosure to comply with the lawfulness, fairness, and transparency principle, we either need the consent of the data subject(s) or there must be a legitimate interest in disclosure. In addition, the disclosure must be necessary to meet the legitimate interest and finally, the disclosure must not cause unwarranted harm. 

As we do not have the consent of the data subject(s), the NHSBSA is therefore required to conduct a balancing exercise between legitimate interest of the applicant in disclosure against the rights and freedoms of the data subject(s).  

The NHSBSA acknowledges that you have a legitimate interest in disclosure of the information in order to provide the full picture of the requested data held by the NHSBSA; however, we have concluded that disclosure of the requested information could cause unwarranted harm and therefore, section 40(2) is engaged. 

This is because there is a reasonable expectation that staff data processed by the NHSBSA remains confidential.  

Please see the following link to view the section 40 exemption in full - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/40 

##Job title 

Infrastructure Support Manager. 

##Data Queries 

Please contact <a href=mailto:foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk>foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a> ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data. 

##Reusing the data and copyright 

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact <a href=mailto:communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk>communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a>. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented. 

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at: 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  

Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: “NHSBSA Copyright 2025”. Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence. 

Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information.

Tags: Contract, WAN, Wide Area Network
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log