Procurement for Wifi Access Points

L&Q currently operates a large estate of over 230 remote sites supported by legacy Meraki Access Points (APs), many of which are approaching or have already reached end-of-support. Notably, 50 Meraki MR18 devices became unsupported as of 31 March 2024, with the remainder due to expire by July 2026. This presents a significant risk to network reliability, security, and compliance. In response, we have initiated a refresh project to modernise and standardise the AP infrastructure. While Thrive has provided recommendations based on Meraki technology, we are pursuing a vendor-agnostic and supplier-neutral procurement approach to ensure the selected solution aligns with our technical, operational, and commercial requirements. This strategy enables us to evaluate multiple vendors through structured trials and select the best-fit solution via a compliant public sector procurement route, ensuring long-term supportability and value for money.