Welsh public sector networking megadeal on offer

Telecoms and networking contract worth up to £420m to supply public sector bodies across Wales up for grabs

A public sector megadeal worth close to half a billion pounds is being dished out by the Welsh government in an effort to overhaul telecoms and networking technology across the region's public sector.

The contract is set to run for seven years – but could be doubled at the authority's discretion – and is set to be worth between £140m and £420m.

The Welsh government hopes between three and 12 suppliers will eventually be awarded slices of the contract. It is seeking suppliers to provide a range of tech including internet, technical support services and a networking operating system.

The deal will see the technology rolled out across some Welsh schools, NHS trusts, higher and further education institutes, the Wales Audit Office, fire and police services, the Care Council for Wales and local offices of public sector departments.

In the tender notice, the Welsh government said it was looking for integrators with experience in network solutions to get in touch, as well as telecoms firms.