End User Services (EUW) - Hosting - Network Services & WAN

Descriptions

In April 2021, Reading Borough Council transitioned to the 'ICT Future Operating Model' (FOM), with 3 external providers delivering 4 'towers' of services, managed and supported by an in-house team. Since then, we have been on a journey to delivering a reliable and robust service, which has been consistently reflected in strong staff satisfaction scores.

Our aim is to take this satisfaction to the next level in the Next Generation Operating Model, that increases customer satisfaction, service reliability and interoperability with associated applications.

1. Our End User Workspace (EUW) & Hosting contract provides services to 2,400 users, located across 66 sites as well as remote workers. This service is responsible for the management of 10 ITIL processes, namely: Service Desk, Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, Configuration Management, Service Level Management, Event Management, Availability Management, Capacity Management, Release & Deployment. The organisation has invested significantly in streamlining ticket handling, adopting a shift-left approach and driving demand through our ITSM tool, ServiceNow.

2. Network Services & WAN The Council currently outsources its network management to a managed service provider. The existing contract encompasses a broad range of services across approximately 55 physical sites, including: - LAN provisioning and management for both End User Computing and On-Premises datacentre environments - Wireless infrastructure support - Public Wi-Fi management, including the Purple Wi-Fi solution - Firewall and DMZ management for on-premises equipment - Microsoft Teams Room hardware support - Provision and support of Cisco Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) and Cisco Email Security (CES) - First-line support for Virgin Media's IP VPN WAN, including initial diagnostics and call logging Our strategic direction is to actively exploring a transition to a SASE: for example, - Zero Trust Network Architecture and SD-WAN to improve our security posture.

Suppliers are encouraged to propose solutions that support this strategic direction, including: - A phased implementation plan to minimize service disruption - Integration with existing systems and services - Enhanced security, visibility, and control across the network Supplier Engagement The Council welcomes innovative proposals that: - Aligning with modern networking standards and security frameworks - Demonstrate scalability, resilience, and cost-effectiveness - Support the Council's digital transformation and sustainability goals

Added Instructions to join the market engagement

You are invited to attend a scheduled meeting taking place via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, 23 July 2025, from 16:00 to 17:00 (BST).

To express your interest in joining, please email ngominfo@reading.gov.uk

Upon registration, you will receive a Teams meeting link with full access details.

This will help us explore and inform Reading's Sourcing Strategy for our Next Generation Operating Model (NGOM) Programme. This is an opportunity to develop strategic partnership relationships with suppliers, to improve services and to encourage Prime, SME's as well as subcontracting partnerships.

Our objective is to gain an understand of the markets interest for this opportunity, through engagement in discussion and to address any potential gaps prior publication. A detailed procurement timeline will be provided at this stage to help suppliers manage expected timeframes