Procurement

Commercial and contractual activity is a critical part of building and operating GÉANT2. The network's infrastructure and equipment is leased or purchased according to public procurement procedures. The technologies required by GÉANT2 are well ahead of the market, and hence the network offers suppliers an attractive opportunity to be involved at the leading edge of networking. Furthermore, in terms of scale and reach, GÉANT2 is one of the largest users of very high capacity links in Europe, and hence a major player in the market.

The network has been built using leased IP infrastructure, for which public invitations to tender are published in the Official Journal of the European Commission. Equipment (routers and switches) is usually purchased outright, and upgraded as service and technology advances demand. Points of presence (PoPs) are generally leased co-location spaces, providing ease of interconnection with national research and education networks (NRENs).

The procurement function is performed by DANTE, as the co-ordinating partner, overseen by an evaluation sub-committee of the NREN Policy Committee. Information from the tendering process is matched against the demand identified to produce the network topology.

Since completion of the initial procurement, commercial activity has continued. Besides the day-to-day financial management of the project, contracts will continue to be re-negotiated and managed throughout the network's lifetime. It is anticipated that a certain amount of re-tendering, in particular for connectivity, will take place during the network's lifespan as user demand and networking technologies continue to develop.