Guidance

Crown Commercial Service update: November/ December 2016

Updated 9 December 2016

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crown-commercial-service-customer-update-novemberdecember-2016/crown-commercial-service-update-november-december-2016

1. Spread the word that government is open for business

Government is open for business and wants to work with more small businesses across the UK. By 2020, the government plans to spend one third of its goods and services budget with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). If you work with SMEs please help us to spread the word that becoming a government supplier is a great way to make a difference to their business. You can:

Working with SMEs is a ministerial priority and something that we know is important to our customers in both central government and the wider public sector, as working with small businesses drives innovation, achieves better value for money and supports economic growth.

2. New brochures

2.1 Fleet

If you need cars or light commercial vehicles, including minibuses, join one of our regular fleet eAuctions and we can help you make fantastic savings. By combining your requirements with those of other public sector organisations we have helped customers save as much as 40% against manufacturer’s retail price (MRP).

Download a leaflet about eAuctions to share with colleagues

View our new fleet brochure for details of our full range of solutions

You can also email the team at fleet@crowncommercial.gov.uk. The deadline for joining the February 2017 eAuction is 18 January 2017.

2.2 Payment services

Customers using our ePurchasing Card Solution (RM1095) framework have received back more than £10 million in supplier rebates over the past 2 years, and UK police forces have saved over £1.3 million through reduced fees and charges by using our Fuel Card and Associated Services (RM1027) framework. So if you’re looking to improve your processes for buying low value goods and services and paying invoices - or would like to review your existing card programme(s) - we’d encourage you to take a look at how our payment services can help you.

View our new payment services brochure

2.3 Water

From April 2017, over 1.2 million eligible non-household customers in England will be able to choose their supplier of water and wastewater retail services.

View our water deregulation brochure to find out more

View our whole suite of brochures

3. New case study: customers save over £850,000 on mobile voice and data services

7 customers, including 2 NHS trusts, have saved an average of 52% (over £850,000) on their mobile voice and data services.

Read the case study to find out how our aggregation team helped them

View our complete case study collection

4. Customers save £4.3million through aggregation

Did you know that our aggregation team has helped 177 customers save £4.3 million so far this year? If you’re looking at how you can improve the way you buy common goods and services, consider how our aggregation opportunities could help you.

Don’t just take our word for it, see our case studies to find out more about customers already benefitting.

4.1 How it works

We manage the process from start to finish and offer this service completely free of charge, enabling you to release your own local resources.

We collate your requirements and carry out an aggregated national further competition in order to achieve value for money for you and the other customers taking part.

If you would like to join a current opportunity or wish to discuss the great benefits in more detail please email technologyaggregation@crowncommercial.gov.uk

4.2 Current opportunities: integrated telephony services

We’re planning aggregated procurements for managed, integrated IP telephony services, which may be of interest to you if you would like to update your fixed telephony service to a fully-featured, flexible, state-of-the art integrated communications facility.

These procurements will complement our popular mobile telephony aggregations, and are likely to be of interest if you:

  • currently use traditional telephony services
  • have expired or rolling contracts, perhaps paying considerably more than you need
  • would like to upgrade to a hosted, managed telephony service
  • are ready to take advantage of the many benefits of modern integrated telecommunications

Recent procurements have demonstrated savings of between 34% and 73% by replacing traditional telephony with IP telephony as this case study explains. Other benefits include:

  • use smartphones as fixed phones without incurring mobile charges, when within your organisation’s premises
  • a dependable hosted service with lower capital costs
  • ability to redirect, relocate and work anywhere with the same phone number
  • feature-rich service enabling calls to/from PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones, as well as desk phones, with instant messaging, conferencing and other collaborative functions
  • easy to re-configure, add users and scale to match demand, wherever and whenever required

To find out more about taking part please email technologyaggregation@crowncommercial.gov.uk quoting NFC50.

4.3 Future opportunities

It’s not just technology that can be successfully aggregated - the team recently helped 8 customers with their vehicle hire and car share requirements and saved them over 12%. If there is something you are looking to buy, and you would like us to explore the potential to help you achieve savings by bringing your requirement together with other customers, please let us know.

Aggregation is suitable for most common goods and services, and we can use any CCS multi-supplier framework where further competitions can be run.

Please get in touch to discuss your opportunities by emailing technologyaggregation@crowncommercial.gov.uk

5. Relocation services

Did you know that the Ministry of Defence has a relocation services framework (contract no. CTLBC/2077) that can also be used by other government and public sector organisations?

The framework provides access to a single supplier, Cartus, a leading employee relocation company that has been working in partnership with the Ministry of Defence since 1992. Cartus has recently helped Ofsted, the Office for National Statistics and National Air Traffic Services with their moves. Key features of the framework include:

  • a full range of services that can be tailored to your relocation needs
  • supported by a national network of locally based property professionals including surveyors, valuers, removal companies and estate agents
  • the network is managed by field staff to the ISO 9001:2008 quality standard to ensure a consistently high standard

If you are interested in finding out more about the service please email liam.robson@cartus.com or call Liam on 07793 696825, or email jeff.brown@cartus.com or call Jeff on 01793 756241 or 07774 484409.

6. Get involved: share your views

6.1 Market research

The current Market Research agreement, which is managed by UK SBS, is due to expire on 7 April 2018. UK SBS is creating a customer stakeholder group to look at the potential requirements for a replacement framework. If you’re interested in getting involved please email research@uksbs.co.uk marked for the attention of Victoria Clewer in your email subject line.

6.2 Contact centres

Do you have a contact centre operation that links you with the public on a daily basis? If so, we would love to talk to you. We’re developing a new commercial solution to provide industry leading, scalable contact centre services, improved customer service and value for money. We want to make sure we understand your needs - now and in the future - so please email contactcentres@crowncommercial.gov.uk to help us shape this exciting new service.

6.3 G-Cloud 9

We’ve completed research for G-Cloud 9, in conjunction with the Government Digital Service, and are now exploring new solutions to resolve the current challenges users are experiencing. Research to better understand where we can further improve the user journey also continues. We rely on users to help make our products better, so if you’d like to help us get this right, please get in touch. Or take part in our buyer survey or our supplier survey.

7. Procurement policy

7.1 Prompt payment code

28 of government’s 33 strategic suppliers have now signed up to the Prompt Payment Code - promising to pay suppliers, including small businesses in their supply chain, promptly and fairly.

View the list of signatories

If you are looking for further public procurement policy guidance please take a look at our public procurement policy page

Looking for a particular procurement policy note? View the collection of all procurement policy notes

7.2 Mystery Shopper scheme

The Mystery Shopper scheme allows suppliers to report public sector tenders they did not understand or instances of what they believe to be poor procurement practice. You can view the latest Mystery Shopper results to see how the scheme is helping to improve procurement practices across the public sector and support our ambition to make doing business with government as easy as possible for small businesses.

8. Crown representatives

The list of Crown representatives and the strategic suppliers they work with has recently been updated.

View the latest list

9. CCS events

9.1 Grants and programme services: customer event

If you’re interested in using the Grants and Programme Services (RM949) framework please come along to our customer event at Aviation House in London at 1pm on 5 December. It will last about 2 hours and will give you a better understanding of how the agreement can support you in awarding grants. Email your details to financial.services@crowncommercial.gov.uk to reserve a place.

9.2 Network Services

We’re hosting a Network Services webinar on 14 December at 10.30am for customers with legacy telephony spend. The webinar will to help you understand how to transition to the latest agreement (RM1045), which will enable you to remain compliant and release savings of up to 25%.

Book your place

9.3 G-Cloud

The next G-Cloud webinar will be on 7 December at 10.30am. The session will last about an hour and include a Q&A session.

The webinar is aimed at all public sector organisations who are looking to buy commodity based, pay-as-you-go cloud services and would like to learn more about G-Cloud, the Digital Marketplace and the buying process.

To register webinar email cloud_digital@crowncommercial.gov.uk

10. Conferences and exhibitions

We’re supporting the Public Sector Procurement Summit in London on 8 December. Our CEO, Malcolm Harrison, is presenting the morning keynote speech and Emma Jones, our SME Crown Representative is presenting the afternoon one. Flora Huskisson, Head of Talent, Government Commercial Function, and Samantha Butler, Head of Commissioning Academies, Office of Civil Society and Innovation, Cabinet Office, will also be presenting a joint session on developing a highly capable commercial profession.

11. New agreements

11.1 Managed Print Services

Lot 3 of Multifunctional Devices, Managed Print and Content Services and Records and Information Management (RM3781) is now live providing you with access to managed print and content management services. Benefit from a flexible commercial model and enhanced services, such as hybrid mail and electronic document and records management systems, to help you realise the efficiency benefits of digitisation - typically customers save 10-30%. The remaining lots are expected to be available shortly.

11.2 Technology Products

Technology Products 2 (RM3733) is now live offering you a flexible and compliant route to market for all your commodity technology product needs - whether it is a single cable or an entire corporate infrastructure. The agreement is a result of unprecedented levels of pre-market engagement with both customers and suppliers. Improvements include:

  • a dynamic direct award catalogue
  • reseller lots for hardware, software and combined solutions
  • simplified terms and conditions for user friendliness
  • direct contracting with manufacturers for aggregated hardware requirements

If you’re interested in using the new agreement, why not come along to one of our customer engagement events to find out more? Register to attend your preferred date and location:

11.3 Traffic Management Technology

Traffic Management Technology 2 (RM1089) is now live giving you access to a range of innovative traffic management solutions, including electrical charging points to support a sustainable transport infrastructure. The agreement also offers an online catalogue of fixed price products and services.

11.4 Business process automation with PEPPOL

Pan European Public Procurement Online (PEPPOL) Access Point Services (RM3784) is now live giving you access to services designed to help you send and receive documents, such purchase orders and invoices, electronically by enabling the automation of processes to increase efficiency and reduce operational costs.

12. New contract notices

The following contract notices have recently been published:

You can view details of all ongoing or planned procurements on our procurement pipeline.

13. Agreements expiring shortly

14. Agreement extensions

15. Recently expired agreements

  • Secure Departmental Car Travel (RM965) expired on 13 November. Government departments requiring secure car services for ministers should use the Government Car Service
  • Technology Products (RM1054) expired on 16 November. It has been replaced by Technology Products 2 (RM3733) which is now live.

16. CCS on social media

We share regular news and updates throughout the month on Twitter and LinkedIn so if you are not already following us why not take a minute to do so now? You can follow us on Twitter and connect with us on LinkedIn

17. Sign up for email alerts

You can sign up for immediate, daily or weekly email alerts which will tell you what we have added or updated on the GOV.UK website. It is a great way to stay up to date with the latest news and information from CCS. Sign up for email alerts by providing your email address and selecting the frequency you wish to receive updates.

eSourcing log on

eMarketplace log on

If you use these tools frequently why not save them to your favourites for easy access? Not yet registered? Find out how to register:

If you need further information about anything in this update please do not hesitate to contact us by email info@crowncommercial.gov.uk or call our helpdesk on 0345 410 2222 You can also follow us on Twitter and connect with us on LinkedIn

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