Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2020-12-08
Buyer: NHS Wales Informatics Service (hosted by Velindre University NHS Trust)
Country: UK
Contract type: Supplies
Procedure: Contract award without prior publication
CPV classification: 44316400 | 51611100 | 72253200: Computer systems support services | 72315000: Data network management and support services | 72315100: Data network support services
Estimated value: 720000 GBP
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: — adding extra firewalls into the firewall ‘cluster’ at each data centre along with load balancing systems to spread the load onto these,
— support agreement — check point collaborative premium pro maintenance to ensure all check point equipment is covered under a consistent level of support with SEP2 and it is the intention to co-term the support for both agreements up to 30 November 2022.
NWIS currently has two pairs of check point firewalls for internet traffic. One pair at Blaenavon (‘BDC’) and one pair at Newport (‘NDC’). These are rapidly running out of capacity due to the increased use of Office 365 Teams and other Video Consultation solutions as a result of Covid-19. In the event that they run out of capacity, video services will start to degrade and other internet services will slow down. This will have a major impact upon the delivery of national solutions and the ability of staff across Wales to work from home.
As a consequence of the additional requirement for capacity, NWIS is seeking to procure an end-to-end solution covering the following:
— adding extra firewalls into the firewall ‘cluster’ at each data centre along with load balancing systems to spread the load onto these,
— support agreement — check point collaborative premium pro maintenance to ensure there is a consistent level of support for all check point equipment with SEP2 and it is the intention to co-term the support for both agreements up to 30 November 2022.
The additional options will be utilised in the event that further funding is secured to purchase more check point associated sundries and support.
The two pairs of check point firewalls are rapidly running out of capacity due to the increased use of Office 365 Teams and other video consultation solutions as a result of Covid-19. When they run out of capacity, video services will start to degrade and all internet services will slow down or fail completely. The 'live’ risk with this is in the event of a circuit or data centre failure where all internet traffic would go via one pair of firewalls. In addition, the Check Point 23800 firewalls that NWIS need to purchase go end-of-sale at the end of December. Failure to procure by the end of December 2020, will result in NWIS having to purchase complete new sets of firewalls, which result in significant cost increases. Therefore, the time limits for the open or restricted procedures or competitive procedures with negotiation cannot be complied with (even using the shortened time limits available).
NWIS currently has check point 23800 firewalls in its data centres. The option to load-balance across devices requires them to be identical – i.e. the new appliances have to be 23800 models (to match the 4 x 23800 that are already in situ). Therefore, NWIS is restricted to the purchase of additional Check Point 23800 firewalls.
Given the criticality of the solution and the need to deliver national services, it is essential that there is a seamless approach to checkpoint support with a sole supplier only and at the same level of accreditation to ensure that there is no degradation of support – a Check Point Certified Security Masters. Sep 2 has also configured the existing firewall estate in a bespoke manner to maximise performance. This knowledge and expertise will enable the deployment to quickly commence upon delivery of the equipment ensuring NWIS meets the timescales of transitioning to the new data centre.
Moreover given the current environment in which the organisation is operating with the Covid pandemic and the potential of a ‘no deal’ Brexit, Sep2 are uniquely placed to deliver the support firstly:
— they have significant experience of the operating practices of NHS Wales Informatics Services and have well developed and dedicated relationships with NWIS engineers, therefore there will be no time wasted in relationship management. The utilisation of a new support provider would increase the risk of service interruption and add delay,
— the engineers are located within UK, which also further mitigates risk around delivery of key services.


Winner: sep2 Ltd
Award value: 720000