Closure of the Release 1B Public Review RFI Consultation
Updated 16 May 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/uk-gigabit-programme-shropshire-public-review/closure-of-the-release-1b-public-review-rfi-consultation
The Public Review (PR) process for the Project Gigabit Programme in the Release 1B areas concluded on Monday 20 September 2021 at 5pm.
Building Digital UK (BDUK) requested evidence from all stakeholders - including the public, businesses, internet service providers and broadband infrastructure providers in relation to the proposed mapped eligible areas and associated postcode list, which has now closed to responses.
The Public Review covered the following geographical areas and began on Thursday 19th August 2021:
- Suffolk (Lot 2)
- Norfolk (Lot 7)
- Shropshire & Telford (Lot 25)
- Hampshire & Isle Of Wight (Lot 27)
This Public Review aimed to validate the outcome of the recent Open Market Review (OMR) and BDUK’s mapping to ensure that it correctly represents the information provided by suppliers in the course of the OMR and to ensure that the right areas are targeted for government investment.
The OMR was publicised through a notification on the DCMS government portal on Thursday 25 March 2021 and ended on Thursday 22 April 2021.
Next steps
Following the completion of the evaluation of all responses received through this Public Review, BDUK will then proceed to finalise the intervention area within the Release 1B areas along with publishing a finalised report highlighting our findings which will be made available on gov.uk.
Once this has been completed, BDUK will begin formal procurement activities. This will involve BDUK proceeding to issue an Invitation to Tender (ITT) via a procurement portal, for suppliers to bid for the opportunity to deliver extended gigabit-capable broadband coverage within the Release 1B areas.
If you are a supplier, and would like to know more about specifically the forthcoming procurement for any of the Release 1B areas, please contact the BDUK Supplier Relationship team via bduksuppliers@dcms.gov.uk
In the interim, if you require any information, please don’t hesitate to contact us on ukgigabit@bduk.zendesk.com