Procurement

Procurement Processes

Previous Public Sector Broadband Projects

During the roll out of first-generation broadband, local authorities were asked to get involved in broadband procurement by central Government. Many public sector schemes were set up, often encouraged by central Government.

Next Generation Broadband Players

There are now three large scale players that have announced significant investment in next-generation broadband – BT, Virgin Media and Fujitsu.

BT

In the private sector BT announced £2.5bn in their roll-out plans mainly for FTTC with some FTTH and other technologies in not-spots (e.g. BET  and satellite). They have also announced that if they win all £830m they will match it with further investment, though some commentators argue that this is what BT are likely to anyway.

Virgin Media

Identifying Market Failure

Notspots, Slowspots & Community Initiatives

Nature and Scale of the Problem

County Councils, local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) and consortia of local authorities are being encouraged to develop local broadband plans and bid into BDUK’s pot of £530m in this parliament (and £300m expected in the following two years) to provide next-generation access coverage in areas outside of those that are attractive to commercial players.

Procurement

Government intervention to help areas with poor broadband services and to support the development of next generation broadband, has put the onus on local authorities to develop local broadband plans, apply for funding and procure services.

These processes are not fixed in stone, consequently this section of the knowledge base (like other sections) is liable to change. However, we hope that it goes some way towards addressing the challenges of developing local broadband plans and procurement processes.

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