Telecommunications Framework
Framework Description
Jisc's Telecommunications Framework buys wide-area connectivity for the education and research sector in two lots: managed transmission services and dark fibre. Applications for this framework are closed (it is not a DPS), and it gives buyers a compliant route to fibre and transmission capacity without a separate tender each time. It runs until 27 March 2027 with no extension option, so around five months remain.
Context & Use Case
The buyers are Jisc and contracting authorities in its community that need high-capacity links between sites, for example between campuses, data centres and research facilities. Managed transmission suits buyers who want a provider to run the service end to end; dark fibre suits those who want to light and control their own fibre, often on long-term, high-value circuits.
Scope of Services
Lot 1: Managed transmission services Lot 2: Dark fibre End-to-end managed data transmission Unlit fibre for buyer-managed connectivity
Lots
Lot 1 Managed transmission services; Lot 2 Dark fibre
Who Can Apply
Network operators, fibre owners and managed transmission providers. Applications for this framework are closed, so suppliers not already on it cannot join. With the end date of 27 March 2027 close, a replacement procurement is likely imminent or already under way, and that is the next real chance to get on.
Buyer Benefits
Buyers get pre-tendered access to fibre and transmission providers, so a new inter-site link can be ordered quickly on agreed terms. The choice between managed services and dark fibre lets them balance control against in-house effort, and a sector framework keeps prices competitive for long-term, high-value circuits.
Next Steps
Check Find a Tender and jisc.ac.uk/telecommunications-framework now for the successor procurement, since the current term ends on 27 March 2027 with no extension. Prepare route maps, resilience and service-level evidence, and education or research references for whichever lot you would bid for. Incumbents should check how long their existing call-off contracts can run beyond the framework end date.
How Athena Can Help
Timing is tight here, so Athena would start by confirming whether a re-tender is live or due and give you a quick go/no-go view on each lot. Our bid and proposal writers then build the response, with win themes on resilience and service levels, competitor scoring and pricing for long-term circuits.
If this one comes too soon for you, we'll add the next telecoms routes to a pipeline of framework openings.
