£26m courts telephony deal up for grabs

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is putting a £26m telephony outsourcing deal up for grabs when the current contract with Ericsson comes to an end early next year.

Ericsson originally won the multi-million pound seven-year managed telephony services deal with the CPS back in 1998 and has been responsible for modernising the agency’s entire voice and data networks and dealing with Y2K issues.

An advanced wiring infrastructure and state of the art switching system now supports wireless telephony, home working, intranet services, video-conferencing and a sophisticated centralised call routing system for distribution of calls to duty prosecutors.

The new deal up for grabs from March next year will be for managed telephony services for some 8,000 users across the CPS's 100 main sites, which include offices and a number of police stations and courts. The CPS also has a limited presence at a further 500 minor sites.

The successful bidder will be responsible for all voice services, infrastructure and associated contracts and third party supplier management.

The CPS tender document says potential bidders should not be put off by the existing platform of Ericsson MD110 switches.

"The CPS will readily consider bids developed using other platforms and network proposals. In such a circumstance, value for money will need to be demonstrated and any transition from the existing MD110 infrastructure effected largely transparently from a user and more general operational perspective," states the document.

Bidders have until 4 March 2005 to express interest and the CPS expects to issue invitations to up to seven suppliers to tender in April.