Dear Colleagues,
I have copied below the letter that will go out to schools next week. It recommends that schools stay with LGfL and sign up to the LGfL 2.0 contracts before the 28th March. It also addresses some FAQs that have come my way over the last couple of weeks. If you would like further information or would like me to visit the school to talk through the options in more detail please do let me know.
Finally, if you are ever going to sign up to LGfL do it before 28th March as this will ensure you receive a 10% discount in years 1,2 and 3 –this could be a saving to your school of up to £1800!!
Warm regards
Dan
Dear Colleagues,
The London Grid for Learning Trust (LGfL) is a consortium made up of all the London local authorities. It provides broadband and associated services to almost all Haringey schools. Having re-tendered for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services and in response to the changing funding landscape, LGfL has sent information packs and recorded delivery letters to all schools requesting that they sign new “LGfL 2.0” contracts online at www.lgfl2.lgfl.net by 28th March 2011.
I am aware that some schools have concerns about these contracts and are uncertain about signing up, believing that it might be possible to secure a similar service from an alternative provider at a lesser cost.
This letter explains the service that schools get from LGfL and the aspects of this service that cannot be sourced from alternative providers. It also provides answers to some of the key questions that schools have been asking about the LGfL 2.0 contracts.
What does the LGfL offer schools?
The core services you get from LGfL 2.0 (see LGfL 2.0 booklet for the full list)
· Broadband internet connection: this is a fibre-optic service with a 1:1 (not shared) contention ratio,
· Internet filtering: this is a version of Netsweeper that has been specially tailored for use in schools. All filtering is done before the content arrives at the school so there is no hardware for the school to maintain. Filtering does not slow down the internet service.
· LGfL learning content: LGfL has put together a comprehensive collection of online content to support teaching and learning. There is no way of accessing this content without subscribing to LGfL. To access a content grid of curriculum learning resources, visit www.content.lgfl.net
· Anti-virus protection: SOPHOS with auto-updating for every computer in your school and also for teaching staff’s home computers
· Professional Email and calendar: an industry-standard Microsoft Exchange based system that provides a standardised professional email address for every member of staff, the system also includes spam filtering and content filtering
· Safemail: an email address for the school life for every learner. The system can be configured to restrict access to send and receive either within the class, the year group, the school or unrestricted
· Unified Sign-On (USO): this allows a single username and password to access the LondonMLE, email, content and anti-virus. This is only possible because these services are offered by a single provider
· LondonMLE: a specially configured version of the Fronter Managed Learning Environment (MLE) system that has a range of add-ons and a low price achieved through LGfL’s pan-London tendering
Are there any services that are only available from LGfL?
Yes, the following LGfL services are not available from alternative providers:
· LondonMLE: is the specially-tailored version of the Fronter MLE system. It is only available to LGfL subscriber schools (via USO),
· USO: is the system that provides the login accounts (that end in .309) that are used to access a range of services including LondonMLE, Anti-virus, Email and LGfL Content,
· LGfL Content: this content is only available through LGfL and it would be prohibitively expensive to buy some or all of its elements individually.
Why the five year contract?
Within its tendering for improved pan-London IT infrastructure systems and services, LGfL has secured extremely favourable terms from Virgin Media Business (VMB). VMB will be replacing Synetrix as LGfL’s IT infrastructure partner.
Prompted by the opportunity offered by LGfL, VMB is investing £33m building a new London regional network to serve schools. However, in spite of this huge investment, successful negotiations on behalf of London schools have resulted in no set-up charges, no installation charges, no ‘excess construction charges’, no annual core network fees (currently Synetrix is paid £1.8m pa, by LAs using Harnessing Technology Grant funding, for the regional core network which serves your school), and NO ‘Subject to Survey’ on LGfL’s prices (you would see this phrase on any and every other quote your school might receive).
To avoid schools having to pay these costs ‘up front’, they are spread over a longer term, and the longer the term the lower and more affordable the annual costs, hence five years.
What happens if I don’t sign up by 28th March?
Your internet connection will not be just switched off. However, just doing nothing may not be the best course of action for the following reasons:
· The deal that LGfL have secured with VMB is dependent on a minimum of 70% take up of LGfL 2.0 across London. If this isn’t met then the VMB deal will have to be renegotiated and this is likely to mean higher prices for all.
· The existing Synetrix-provided LGfL service will end in June 2012. In order for VMB to put in place the new infrastructure by this date they need to know the details of all the sites by the end of March 2011. LGfL is responsible for securing this information, as part of the process of ensuring best value for schools.
· The LGfL is ‘owned’ by the 33 London LAs and their schools. Its income comprises annual fees from schools plus annual ‘core’ charges equivalent to about £2,000 per school. These have been met to-date from the Harnessing Technology Grant. As this grant will cease to exist from 2011/12 onwards, the ‘core’ charges are built into “LGfL 2.0” prices. If a school contracts with an alternative supplier, it is likely still to be liable for an annual LGfL charge of approximately £6 per FTE student in addition to the alternative supplier’s charge(s)
· The 10% subscription discount for years 1, 2 & 3 of the contract is not available after the LGfL 2.0 contract deadline date of 28th March 2011.
Does the LGfL cost include the charge for LondonMLE?
No. The LGfL 2.0 service does not include the cost of the LondonMLE. To find out the annual subscription charge for your school’s LondonMLE system visit: http://webfronter.com/mlewebsite/mle/menu2/Prices_and_Terms/Prices_and_Terms.html
Can I continue to use LondonMLE if my school no longer subscribes to LGfL?
No. LondonMLE is a specially-bundled version of the Fronter MLE. Fronter may be prepared to offer an off-the-shelf version of their MLE but this will have different functions to LondonMLE and there may be additional associated costs such as set up charges. It would also be necessary to change all staff and pupil MLE usernames and passwords as the current user identification system (called USO) is an LGfL service.
What happens if I want to exit the 5 year contract early?
The school can terminate at any time and the termination penalty is in line with that in place for LGfL services since 2002. The school would be charged for the whole of the current year at full cost plus 50% of the full cost of subscription for the years remaining in the contract. For example, a school that decided to terminate in the middle of year 2 would have to pay the full cost of subscription for whole of year 2 plus 50% of the costs for years 3, 4 & 5.
Is there anything to stop the LGfL increasing the cost each year?
In the first three years of the contract any increase in cost will be capped by the retail price increase (RPI). After this the LGfL has more flexibility, but remember LGfL is owned by you, so any increase would be subject to agreement by the schools and LAs that make up the LGfL board.
Will I get the improved Virgin Media service in April?
No. Although the LGfL 2.0 contract will start in April 2011, there are likely to be over 2,000 schools that need to be connected across London so the upgrade in service will take place over the course of a year. The LGfL have yet to formally release dates for installations, but it is likely that all schools will have the new Virgin Media service by the end of the Synetrix contract in July 2012.
What about multiple quotes or a process of multiple tenders?
To avoid the burden and cost of schools individually having to ask for quotes or run tendering processes, Haringey with other London LAs has undertaken an EU-compliant, fully-legal, procurement process. This is fundamentally why the LAs set up LGFL. The following detail provided by LGfL may be helpful:
"Note for Finance Officers regarding the regional procurement of LGfL 2.0 Services: This order may exceed the value of your school’s tender limits. This order is covered, for EU procurement compliance, by a mini-competition held in October 2010 by LGfL Trust on behalf of London LAs and schools under the Janet Transmissions Framework. Additional services provided as part of the LGfL 2.0 service have been procured through an EU Open Journal Procurement completed by LGfL Trust on behalf of London schools and local authorities in September 2009. The London Grid for Learning Trust is owned collectively by the London councils and authorised to procure services on behalf of LAs and schools."
I recommend that schools renew their subscriptions to LGfL services through signing the “LGfL 2.0” contract on the basis that alternative providers are not able to match the quality or cost of the LGfL offer.
If you have further questions about the LGfL 2.0 service or if you are investigating alternative providers and would like me to look over quotes they have provided then you can contact me on daniel.warner@haringey.gov.uk or on 020 8489 5058.
Letter signed by
Dan Warner Max Riley
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