Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) services: FOI release

Information requested

A variety of information regarding the WAN services used by the Scottish Government.
The questions are listed below with the responses directly below each numbered item. Please note, I have copied the numbering from the original request as is, including duplicate numbers.

Response

I enclose a copy of the information you requested in the text below. The questions provided appear below in the exact order with the exact numbering as provided. All of the questions have been types in bold and italics to help differentiate between the questions posed and the answers provided.

15. WAN Provider(s)
Please see the response to question 16, which I believe is the second half to this question.

16. Please confirm the main supplier(s) for your WAN services. If this information is not available, please explain why.
The primary Internet and MPLS provider is the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN), currently operated by BT under the National Services Scotland (NSS) Authority. We are in the final stages of migrating from SWAN 1 (operated by Capita) to SWAN 2, with completion targeted by the end of March 2026 when the SWAN 1 contract expires.

To ensure Internet resilience:

• Commsworld provides additional connectivity under an annual rolling contract.
• Virgin Media circuits are also procured for resilience, renewed annually on a rolling basis

17. Contract Expiry Date
Please see the response to question 18, which I believe is the second half to this question.

18. Please provide the expiry date for each WAN contract (DD/MM/YYYY or MM/YYYY acceptable). If rolling, please state the terms.
SWAN 1: Circuits remain on a rolling monthly contract, with the overall agreement expected to continue until March 2026.
SWAN 2: Each circuit operates under a three-year contract starting from its migration date. The migration began in August 2024 and is scheduled to complete by March 2026.

19. Contract Description
Please see the response to question 20, which I believe is the second half to this question.

20. Please provide a brief summary of the scope of each WAN contract.
SWAN 1 details here: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Contracts/Contracts_View.aspx? id=529896
SWAN 2 details here: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Contracts/Contracts_View.aspx? id=740581

21. Number of Sites Covered
Please see the response to question 22, which I believe is the second half to this question.

22. Please indicate the number of sites supported by the WAN. An approximation is acceptable.
131

23. Annual Average Spend
Please see the response to question 24, which I believe is the second half to this question.

24. What is the annual average spend for WAN services? Please break this down by provider if more than one.
For SWAN 1, the total cost is £462,585.60 per year. This amount will decrease as sites are migrated to SWAN 2.
For SWAN 2, the total cost is £641,236.44 per year. This amount will increase as sites are migrated to SWAN 2.
For Commsworld, the total cost is £115,461.92 per year. For Virgin Media, the total cost is £21,000 per year.

25. Procurement Route
Please see the response to question 26, which I believe is the second half to this question.

26. Please provide details of how each WAN contract was procured. If a framework was used, please include the framework name and reference number.
SWAN 1 and 2 contracts are negotiated by National Service Scotland - Welcome to National Services Scotland.

For Commsworld and Virgin Media, no central contract is currently held with the provider. Individual lines have individual rolling contracts and are used on individual projects.

21. Responsible Contact Person(s)
Please see the response to question 22, which I believe is the second half to this question.

22. Please provide the full contact details for the person(s) responsible for each of the above contracts, including:

• Full name
• Job title
• Direct phone number
• Email address

If full details cannot be provided, the job title alone is acceptable.

Please note, according to FOI policy, personal identifying information for individuals below Senior Civil Servant grade is exempt from being shared. The job title for the individual responsible for the contract is listed below:

Head of Data Centers and Network Services
ITECS, Scottish Government

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