Guidance

CCS aggregation

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) aggregation services can help government, public and third sector organisations save time and money when buying common goods and services.

This guidance was withdrawn on

An up to date version of this page is available at: https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/products-and-services/aggregation

What is aggregation?

By combining your requirements with those of other government, public and third sector organisations we can help you make even greater savings when buying the everyday goods and services your organisation needs.

We do this by using our national buying power to bring together customers with the same or similar requirements. This helps make the opportunity more attractive to suppliers. We call this ‘aggregation’.

Our aim is to ensure all our customers get great value for money and benefit from our commercial expertise. The approach we take to each aggregation may vary. The most common routes are national further competitions and eAuctions, or a combination of both.

national further competitions

Joining one of our national further competitions will save you time, as well as money, as we run the procurement for you, so there is very little administration for you to deal with.

eAuctions

eAuctions enable suppliers to compete online, in real time. The auction can be based on price alone or other criteria, such as quality, delivery or service levels, can also be taken into account.

Whilst eAuctions are often used to conclude a national further competition, we also run eAuctions independently too.

Learn more about the eAuction process

Why get involved?

We have seen customers achieve some fantastic savings by taking part:

  • 17 customers set to save £2.7 million on mobile voice and data services
  • 95 schools saved an average of 36% on 2,200 tablets
  • 11 NHS trusts saved over £800,000 on video conferencing - that’s the equivalent of 28 nurses’ salaries
  • 43 police forces saved £250,000 on IT hardware
  • 3 councils saved £335,000 on office supplies via an eAuction - that’s the equivalent of 19 care workers’ salaries
group of people around a round table linking large jigsaw puzzle pieces together

What our customers say

“The eAuction was a great success. CCS was beyond helpful… All of this saved us so much time. As we all know, working for the public sector, time is precious as well as the public purse. We would not have been able to achieve these savings with a conventional procurement process.”

Ruth Grehan, Corporate Procurement Manager, LGSS

“Once we had completed the template with our requirements we were able to sit back and allow the process to happen and were informed each step of the way.”

Ross Crichton, Infrastructure Manager, Ashington Learning Partnership

“…we were very surprised how easy it was for us, and how competitive the end result was. It was far easier than if we had to develop all the business requirements ourselves, and I’m certain that we would not have received such a competitive price had we worked in isolation.”

Tony Deacy, Business & Commercial Manager, IT Services, Bath & North East Somerset Council

Why not also take a look at our aggregation case studies?

How we can help you

Our customer team is here to help you access our aggregation services by providing support to help you join forces with other organisations, groups or networks - whether that is locally, regionally or nationally.

Once we understand your needs and have brought together sufficient customers looking to buy similar goods and/or services, we will help you by:

  • identifying the best CCS framework to use
  • collating all the necessary data
  • developing the procurement documentation
  • running the aggregation
  • providing expert advice and guidance

The process

Taking part is a straightforward process - and it is free of charge:

  • tell us what your requirements are
  • sign a Memorandum of Understanding to confirm your commitment
  • validate the supplier tenders to ensure they meet your requirements
  • sign a contract with the successful supplier

What we can help you buy

We currently run regular aggregations for vehicles, office supplies and a wide range of technology products, such as laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

We are also looking to run aggregated procurements in the following areas, subject to customer interest:

  • Audio conferencing
  • Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR)
  • Building materials
  • Data access / broadband
  • Electric taxi infrastructure
  • Fixed line telephony - conventional
  • Laundry and linen
  • Speed safety cameras
  • Vehicle hire
  • Video conferencing
  • WAN connectivity (BT Netstream corporate)

The proposed timetable for any aggregation opportunity depends on the level of customer interest and the complexity of taking the requirement to market. If there is something you are looking to buy that isn’t on this list, but you think it would be suitable for aggregation, please let us know as we may still be able to help you.

If you have a specific requirement or would like to find out more please get in touch.

Current opportunities

Find out more

To learn more about how our free to use aggregation services can help you make savings or to discuss any of the current opportunities please fill in our online enquiry form.

Simply tick the box to express your interest in aggregation, and quote the reference number (e.g. NFC123) if you are interested in a specific opportunity.

We will get in touch to discuss your requirements and recommend the best solution(s) to meet your needs.

You can also get in touch with our customer service centre:

Tel: 0345 410 2222

Email: info@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Download a brochure to share with your colleagues

Published 21 August 2017
Last updated 9 October 2017 + show all updates
  1. Added details of latest mobile voice and data services competition and removed technology hardware for schools as this opportunity has now closed.

  2. document added

  3. Updated fleet eAuction section as deadline for participation in October eAuction is closed. Next eAuction will be in February 2018.

  4. removed details of webinars that have now taken place.

  5. dates updated under NHS WIFI

  6. Deadline for interest in NHS WiFi Services extended until 22 September

  7. Added details of Fleet eAuctions.

  8. First published.