Updated 16:25 BST with details from the council on existing contract ownership, extension plans and statement on "unmanaged" sites.

Essex County Council Authority is going to market to overhaul its existing network, a new £61.6 million contract notice revealed.

The local authority, one of the UK’s largest, is seeking a managed service provider to consolidate its current network services, migrate from on-prem infrastructure and transition to cloud services, as well as replace the WiFi, LAN and WAN systems for each of the council’s 175 sites.

The tender, published on Tuesday September 2, said that 127 of the council’s sites are grouped under one existing managed services contract, while the remaining 48 “new” sites are "unmanaged services".

A council spokesperson told The Stack that "they are in fact managed with secure connections to the council, just not currently under the NGN [next generation network] contract. This is due to a variety of reasons including legacy contracts and different operational needs, which the new service will aim to unify..."

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Daisy Updata Communications landed its network management in 2012 under a £81 million contract. (A 2023 FOI request showed that the council relies on Cisco LAN and Aruba WiFi hardware.)

"Capta Business Services Ltd. acquired the previous suppliers in 2015 and continues to provide the... NGN services. The 10-year contract signed in 2012 was extended for a further three years and is set to finish at the end of December 2025. The council is looking to extend this by a further 18 months to ensure a smooth transition to the new service," they added.

It plans to contract a provider from March 2026 to March 2033. The winner will be responsible for managing a network that supports 9,000 daily network users, as well as general public users and guest users. 

The tender references the council’s growing hybrid workforce requires an extension of its managed network services outside their buildings. It said this change needs to be reflected in the “security of the network…”

The increased pressure on secure networks comes after ransomware attacks hit Hackney, Gloucester, Redcar, and Cleveland councils in recent years, whilst in May, The Guardian reported NoName057, a pro-Russian hacking group, targeted local councils and the Association for Police and Crime Commissioners with disruptive DDoS attacks. 

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Essex County Council said it wants to ensure it gets a service “wrap,” including data reporting and network insights that will help the authority “reduce costs and carbon emissions while promoting innovation.” 

The council acknowledged the contract could be impacted by the Local Government Reform, a massive overhaul to local council structures in the UK. 

The plan, presented to the public in July, will see all 15 councils in Essex reorganized into “a number of all-purpose ‘unitary’ authorities,” according to the LGR information page on the Essex County Council website. 

The contract states the reorg could impact the legal entity the supplier is contracted by, increase or decrease the value and volume of the work, and change the size or scope of the authority the network covers. It asked prospective suppliers to “adapt to any changes/modifications as required to ensure smooth transition and continuity of services.” 

The timeline of the reorganization is not clear – however, the council suggests the new unitaries wouldn’t be “going live” until April 2028.  

Essex County Council set a £2 billion budget for this financial year. It plans to spend £19 million from its “Technology and Digitisation Reserve” fund this year to “finance investment in innovation and ongoing change across the Council, including our Whole Council Transformation Programme.”

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