Buying Solutions cans voice, video and data contract

Resellers told to stop working on their bids for £1bn supply contract

The decision to cancel the contract was "not taken lightly" according to Buying Solutions

The upcoming government procurement contract for voice, video and data solutions has been canned just as contenders were preparing to submit their bids.

Bidders were told by government procurement agency Buying Solutions on Friday that its contract for Specialist Communications for Voice, Video and Data had been cancelled. A statement on Buying Solutions’ website said this was due to the “significantly changed landscape for ICT and the complexities surrounding this procurement”.

Some resellers involved understood the pan-government contract could be worth a potential £1bn to £1.2bn over its possible four-year lifespan.

It was due to start this spring and last for two years, with a potential 24-month extension period.

Resellers who made it through the pre-qualification stage had until the end of March to submit their bids.

Scott Nursten, managing director of Cisco Gold partner s2s, said Buying Solutions had sent him a letter on Friday telling him to stop working on his bid. The letter hinted that there was a possible clash between the contract and the government’s recently published ICT strategy, he said.

“The pre-qualifying stage in itself was a fair chunk of work,” Nursten said. “We have invested a lot of time and energy in this.”

A statement on Buying Solutions’ website read: “Unfortunately this procurement has been cancelled. This decision has not been taken lightly but is a necessary action resulting from the significantly changed landscape for ICT and the complexities surrounding this procurement.

“We appreciate this may have a significant impact on your procurement plans and we are currently writing to all our customers with more information. Suppliers have also been informed.”