Guidance

Crown Commercial Service update: April 2018

Published 5 April 2018

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crown-commercial-service-update-april-2018/crown-commercial-service-update-april-2018

1. GDPR toolkit

We are currently in the process of finalising our GDPR toolkit for CCS customers which will aid buyers in making the necessary changes to CCS call-offs (and other contracts) to comply with GDPR. The toolkit will be available to download on the CCS website by the end of the w/c 8 April 2018.

For further information regarding GDPR, please get in touch using the contact information below.

2. Help us to find a new name for our Mystery Shopper Service!

CCS provides an important service which offers a route to suppliers to anonymously raise concerns about potential poor practice in public sector procurement.

Currently this is known as the Mystery Shopper service. Feedback has told us that the this name does not describe what we do well and users have experienced difficulty in finding us online.

To help us find a new name, we have put together a short survey to find out what suppliers and buyers like you think about the service. We want to create a new name which:

  • describes the service better,
  • supports users when searching for it,
  • increases awareness of this important service to encourage suppliers to use it

The survey can be accessed here and will take no longer than 10 minutes to complete.

All concerns submitted via the service are investigated by CCS and recommendations are made to the public sector buyer on how to remedy the specific problem. This could mean adjusting a live procurement; recommending a change on a future procurement; or helping ensure suppliers get paid for work they have undertaken.

The service is extremely important as it contributes to shaping public procurement policy allows us identify barriers that prevent SMEs from doing more business with the public sector.

As such, we would be grateful if you could provide your invaluable feedback and appreciate your time.

If you would like to find out more about the Mystery Shopper service click here.

3. Have you had a look at our new website yet?

We are working hard to develop a new website that will be easier for you to use and find the information that is important to you. Phase 1 of the new site features:

  • up to date look and feel based on research among public sector buyers and compatible with GOV.UK design patterns for ease of use and accessibility
  • support articles to help new or less experienced buyers navigate the variety of CCS platforms and routes to market. These also showcase the breadth of CCS’s capability to seasoned buyers without hindering their familiar buying journeys
  • dedicated pages for suppliers with help and useful support and useful content
  • a new look procurement pipeline that brings all stages of the process into a single, intuitive, interactive format
  • news hub featuring the latest news, blogs and case studies from CCS

If you haven’t yet had a look please visit https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk and let us know what you think. Your response to this first phase release will help us shape how we develop the site in the future.

Take a look around and if you have any feedback, please contact us.

In phase 1 the new site complements rather than replaces any of our existing web estate. Contracts Finder and Find an agreement are still there, as is our presence on GOV.UK.

However, over the coming months we’ll be migrating functionality and content iteratively from our existing web properties to the new domain, and we’ll keep you updated with our progress at each stage.

4. Aggregation opportunities

4.1 Mobile voice and data services

If you are interested in joining the next aggregated further competition under our Network Services (RM1045) framework for mobile voice and data services please get in touch before the end of April or sign up to attend our upcoming webinar:

10 April at 11am

It is anticipated that the contract will be in place in July, offering customers a high level of flexibility by:

  • establishing a zero line rental model for basic connections, so you do not incur costs for lines not used
  • structuring services as “bolt-ons” enabling you to build packages to suit your specific requirements and removing the restrictions of a “one size fits all” approach
  • 30-day terms for “bolt-ons” so you can change your mix of services during the contract

Our last competition saved 17 customers over £2.7 million. Read more in this case study.

To find out more about getting involved please get in touch – simply tick the aggregation box and quote mobiles.

4.2 Fleet

If you have requirements to buy or lease vehicles don’t forget the closing date to get involved in the next fleet eAuction is 23 May. By using standardised vehicle specifications and our bulk buying power to make your requirements more attractive to suppliers, we have found our eAuctions can help customers save as much as 40% on manufacturer’s retail price. The eAuction will be held at the start of July and orders will need to be placed within 3 months, with a typical delivery lead time of 12 weeks. To find out more please get in touch – simply tick the aggregation box and quote Fleet eAuctions.

Want to learn more about how our free to use aggregation service works?

Watch our short film

5. Technology webinars

We all know that the technology landscape is fast-paced and constantly evolving. Whether you are an experienced tech buyer or new to this area, our upcoming webinars are a great way to hear from our commercial specialists and ensure that you are getting the best solution for your organisation.

  • Network Services Networks remain fundamental for the successful delivery of public services. Join us for this overview of the Network Services framework, covering how to buy a variety of services, from mobile connections to wide area network connections.

Register 5 April 10:30am

  • Crown Hosting Services Learn all about the benefits of using this agreement to achieve best value for buyers to access co-located physical data centre space.

Register 9 April 11am

  • G-Cloud Find out how to search for and buy cloud computing services like infrastructure, platform, software and specialist cloud services.

Register for 11 April 10:30am

  • Technology Products Join our customer overview of the different ways you can use our agreement for all your IT hardware and commodity software needs, including access to our extensive online catalogue, the Purchasing Platform.

Register for 27 April 10:30am

6. Upcoming events

6.1 Civil Service Live registration opens on 26 April

Civil Service Live is the government’s annual, cross-department learning event, attracting thousands of civil servants to learn, network and share best practice - with the ultimate goal of providing better public service. The agenda and registration will open for delegates from Wednesday 26 April at www.civilservicelive.com

The conferences offer engaging, interactive and thought provoking sessions, led by dynamic, expert and inspirational speakers, and this year the event is focused on the themes of the Civil Service vision - A Brilliant Civil Service.

It is a great development opportunity, designed to motivate civil servants to continue to adopt the vision and demonstrate leadership so make sure you reserve your place at your chosen venue:

  • Thursday 7 June: SEC Centre, Glasgow
  • Wednesday 13 June: NEC, Birmingham
  • Wednesday 27 June: Winter Gardens, Blackpool
  • Thursday 5 July: City Hall, Cardiff
  • Thursday 12 July: St James’ Park, Newcastle
  • Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 July: QEII Centre, London

If you would like to find out more about the events and sponsorship, speaking or exhibition opportunities please email customer.service@dodsgroup.com or call 020 7593 5500.

6.2 Procurex Live

Join our CEO Malcolm Harrison in the keynote arena at Procurex Live on 24 April at Manchester Central, where he will be discussing transforming government growth. He will also be joining a lunchtime panel debate about marketing procurement and marketing yourself.

Plus, we’ll be hosting a CCS showcase at each event, giving you a chance to hear from:

  • Nick Caton, Commercial Director, Public Sector on understanding sectors, what we’ve learned and how we’ve changed in the last 12 months

  • Niall Quinn, Commercial Director, Technology and Steve Hall, Ark Data Centres on no more excuses for not moving to the cloud. The government’s Cloud First policy has been designed to help drive efficiencies, in both cost and performance. Learn how the partnership between CCS and Crown Hosting Data Centres can help you achieve your goals

  • David Gigg, Policy Implementation will be providing an update on procurement policy and what you need to know. Including how social value has changed the landscape for designing procurements and how we are making CCS frameworks compliant with social value policy; how CCS is tackling issues such as modern slavery, equality and accessibility; and how CCS is getting ready for GDPR – and, importantly, what you need to do

  • Francesca Pomlett, Senior Policy Advisor, on making bidding easier. We’ve all heard our buyers and suppliers complain about the difficulty of working with government contracts as ‘they’re too long, too hard to read, too difficult to use’. Hear how we are changing the way our contracts are written and structured so buyers and suppliers will find them simpler to use, and we will find it easier to build and refine them.

On our stand you will also find an advice bar so you can drop in to discuss your procurement issues with our commercial specialists, and share your thoughts and ideas on how we can best support you.

The event is free for public sector buyers to attend. Register now.

6.3 Digital and technology at the Public Sector Show

Join our CEO Malcolm Harrison in the State of the Public Sector theatre at the Public Sector Show on 26 June at ExCeL London.

As a key supporter of the show, we will be at stand C11 to discuss your procurement needs, as well as hosting a series of thought-leadership sessions around key themes of public sector procurement. The Public Sector Show will provide a range of tools and expertise to meet your digital needs across key areas, including:

  • digital services
  • digital literacy and skills
  • automation and artificial intelligence
  • data and the cloud
  • cyber security
  • smart cities and the internet of things

Register for free

7. Latest case studies

Take a look at all our case studies to see how we have been helping our customers and suppliers.

8. New frameworks

  • The new Fuel Cards and Associated Services (RM6000) framework has recently awarded and will be available for use following the expiry of the current framework. It will offer a card based solution for the purchase of fuel and other vehicle associated services, such as screen wash, car wash, and oil. It will also provide an online management information system to support the effective management of vehicle fleets.

  • Utilities Management Software, Metering and Ancillary Services (RM3800) has recently awarded and will go live shortly, providing full end to end data management solutions for all utilities, including electricity, gas, water, fuels, steam, heat and chilling.

  • Supplier Early Payment Solutions (RM6001) has recently awarded to provide you with the ability to accelerate invoice payments to suppliers in advance of the contracted payment term (e.g. 30 days). The framework offers two options - supply chain finance and a discounting solution.

9. Frameworks expiring shortly

10. Recently expired frameworks

11. Framework extensions

12.1 Mystery Shopper results

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.

12.2 Procurement policy

If you are looking for 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.

12.3 Procurement tools

13. 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.

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 customer service team on 0345 410 2222

You can also follow us on Twitter and connect with us on LinkedIn.

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