Data Centre Equipment & Infrastructure 2024
Framework Description
Data Centre Equipment & Infrastructure 2024 (reference ITS2009 NE) is a single-lot framework agreement let by NEUPC (North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium). It covers the supply, installation and management of data centre infrastructure such as UPS, cooling, generators, fire suppression and PDUs, plus design, consultancy and maintenance. The current term ends on 13 February 2027, with an option to extend by 12 months to 13 February 2028. This framework is used by APUC, SUPC, NWUPC and Crescent Purchasing.
Context & Use Case
University IT and estates teams use it when building or upgrading server rooms and data centres, replacing ageing UPS or cooling plant, or adding generator and fire suppression resilience. Because design and consultancy sit alongside supply and maintenance, an institution can take a project from survey to ongoing support through one route, with one contractor responsible from design to maintenance.
Scope of Services
UPS systems Cooling Generators Fire suppression Power distribution units (PDUs) Data centre design and consultancy Installation and management Maintenance services
Lots
Single lot
Who Can Apply
Suits critical power and cooling specialists, data centre design-and-build contractors and maintenance providers. Applications for this framework are closed, so suppliers not already appointed cannot join until NEUPC re-tenders it, likely before 13 February 2027 or a year later if the extension is taken.
Buyer Benefits
Data centre failures take teaching, research and administration offline, so buyers want suppliers already assessed on technical competence and resilience. A single lot covering design, installation and maintenance lets a university compare full-lifecycle offers and avoid splitting responsibility between contractors. Energy efficiency of cooling and power also counts towards carbon targets.
Next Steps
Appointed suppliers should approach member institutions' IT and estates teams with ageing plant before the February 2027 end date. Others should watch NEUPC's tender notices and Find a Tender for the re-let, and prepare evidence on uptime, energy efficiency, maintenance response and university or public sector projects.
How Athena Can Help
Data centre bids turn on technical method, resilience and lifecycle cost. For appointed suppliers, Athena's bid health check finds and fixes weak spots in a draft before each competition, and our whole-life pricing advice helps you price installation and maintenance to win and stay profitable.
If you want a place on NEUPC's next framework, our framework registration consultancy prepares the full application, from case studies to policies and certificates, and checks it for compliance before submission.
