Northern Ambition Academies Trust ICT Managed Service

The Northern Ambition Academies Trust (NAAT) is a Trust of 4 Academies encompassing c.2,093 pupils in and around Castleford.

The current schools are:

Airedale Academy

Airedale Infants Academy

Airedale Juniors Academy

Oyster Park Primary Academy

The Northern Ambition Academies Trust (NAAT) was established in 2014.

Northern Ambition Academies Trust (NAAT) was established in 2014. In tandem with the national strategy the Trust is intending to grow. The aspiration of the Trust is to ensure its' growth plans align with the ambition set out in the recent Government White Paper, with the Trust aiming to serve a minimum of 7500 pupils or to run at least 10 schools by 2030. The current aim would be for these schools to be in broadly the same geographical area. Bidders should make the assumption that this growth could be in the basis of an average of one school per annum or a small group of schools.

This procurement encompasses the items noted below. In essence, this procurement is all about identifying a single supplier to provide a fully outsourced managed service. At the sole discretion of the Trust any future schools that the Trust may incorporate into the Trust will also be added to the ICT contract. Any additional schools will co-terminate to the end same end date of the initial contract.

Further details regarding timescales are noted below but in summary this is advertised as a 60 month contract with a maximum 5 year managed service with start and end dates as follows:

• Service start date - 1st November 2022
• Service end date - 31st October 2027

The new Managed service provider will also deliver a range of technology and change management projects to go ahead as soon as possible. The main focus of these projects is to address technology issues in schools and 'join up' the schools into a single network provision.

A full technical analysis of each school will be provided to shortlisted bidders at the ITT Stage but to provide an idea of the size of the device estate the following table provides a summary.

The companies identified from these shortlisting questions to receive the ITT for the Managed service will then receive a detailed set of requirements. For the purposes of this shortlisting stage bidders should assume that the ITT will include, but not be limited to;

• strategic advice and direction to the Trust regarding ICT
• a term time onsite service
• service desk
• local staffing that bidders deem necessary to deliver the SLA. The SLA will apply 24x7x365
• responsibility for design, specification, installation and management of all ICT infrastructure
• supply of goods and services based on an agreed Best Value (BV) approach
• management of all ICT against an agreed SLA
• management of 3rd parties
• relevant monitoring, management, patching and reporting
• training - technical and curriculum as necessary
• expectation that the provider will drive innovation
• risk registers and inventory management
• collective partnership targets aligned to the Trusts objectives

Bidders should note the following;

• The Trust will provide a standard contract as part of the ITT Pack
• There is expected to be a requirement for TUPE