Local Area Network contract

FOI ref: FOI/2022/4159

You asked

​Please can you send me the organisation's Local Area Network (LAN) contract, which may include the following:

• Support and Maintenance- e.g. switches, router, software etc
• Managed- If this includes services than just LAN.

1. Contract Type: Managed or Maintenance

2. Existing Supplier: Who is the current supplier?

3. Annual Spend for each supplier: What is the annual average spending on the supplier above? If there is more than one supplier, please split the annual averages spent for each supplier.

4. Number of Users: Please can you provide me with the number of users this contract covers. Approximate number of users will also be acceptable.

5. Number of Sites: The number of sites, where equipment is supported by each contract.

6. Hardware Brand: What is the hardware brand of the LAN equipment?

7. Contract Description: Please provide me with a brief description of the overall contract.

8. Contract Duration: What is the duration of the contract is and can you please also include any extensions this may include.

9. Contract Expiry Date: When does the contract expire?

10. Contract Review Date: When will the organisation be planning to review the contract?

11. Responsible Officer: Contact details including name, job title, contact number and email address?

If the LAN maintenance is included in-house please include the following information:

1. Hardware Brand: What is the hardware brand of the LAN equipment?

2. Number of Users: Please can you provide me with the number of users this contract covers. Approximate number of users will also be acceptable.

3. Number of Sites: Estimated/Actual number of sites the LAN covers.

4. Responsible Officer: Who within the organisation is responsible for LAN please provide me with contact details including name, job title, contact number and email address?

If the contract is managed by a 3rd party e.g. Can you please provide me with

1. Existing Supplier: Who is the current supplier?

2. Number of Users: Please can you provide me with the number of users this contract covers. Approximate number of users will also be acceptable.

3. Number of Sites: Estimated/Actual number of sites the LAN covers.

4. Contract Type: Managed, Maintenance, Installation, Software

5. Hardware Brand: What is the hardware brand of the LAN equipment?

6. Contract Description: Please provide me with a brief description of the overall contract.

7. Contract Duration: What is the duration of the contract and can you please also include any extensions this may include.

8. Contract Expiry Date: When does the contract expire?

9. Contract Review Date: When will the organisation be planning to review the contract?

10. Responsible Officer: Who within the organisation is responsible for each of these contract(s) please provide me with contact details including name, job title, contact number and email address?

We said

Thank you for your request.

Please see the accompanying download named Comit 2 ONS (Cisco Service Full Coverage)_Redacted (PDF, 1.4MB) , which provides our Local Area Network (LAN) contract.

We have not provided Annexes 1 and 2 accompanying this contract in answer to your request. The details requested, particularly relating to ONS IT assets, could provide insights into specific security vulnerabilities related to these assets and the level of IT protection and would therefore aid anyone wishing to launch a targeted attack on our IT systems. We therefore find s.31(1)(a) to be engaged as the release of the information would prejudice the prevention or detection of crime.

The use of this exemption is subject to a public interest test. Whilst we note there are public interest arguments in favour of transparency and disclosure, we have decided that these are outweighed by other public interest factors in favour of non-disclosure. We consider that the release of the information requested would prejudice our ability to maintain and run a secure and safe IT network. This is an essential function for all government departments and is particularly important for ONS which processes personal and economic information on its systems.

Please see the following answers to your remaining questions:

1. Our contract type is support and maintenance only.
2. Our existing supplier is SCC.
3. Our Annual Spend for each supplier is £246,666 per annum.
4. The number of users is approximately 6000.
5. The number of sites is 6.
6. The hardware brand of the LAN equipment is Cisco.
7. The contract description is support and maintenance.
8. The contract duration is 3 years with no extensions.
9. The contract expires on 31/07/2023.
10. The contract with be reviewed on 04/04/2023.

Person information of individual staff members is exempt from release under Section 40(2) of FOIA. However, our commercial services department have a shared mailbox that you can contact via pu.customer.services@ons.gov.uk.

We do not hold any information in answer to your remaining questions.