Guidance

Crown Commercial Service update: August 2017

Published 1 August 2017

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1. Take part in aggregated further competitions

Have you considered joining one of our bulk buying opportunities to make even greater savings? When buying common goods and services, bringing together customers with similar needs has several advantages, including big savings and a simpler tender process:

  • the more customers we can bring together the greater the savings for all
  • collaboration helps ensure consistent application of best practice and opportunities for learning
  • simplification of the tender process reduces procurement costs for buyers and bidding costs for suppliers

Recently 11 NHS trusts saved over £800,000 on their video conferencing contract. More examples of our aggregation success can be found in our case study collection.

Details of our latest opportunities are listed below. Email aggregation@crowncommercial.gov.uk quoting the relevant NFC number to find out more about any of these opportunities:

1.1 Water and wastewater services

Our Water, Wastewater and Ancillary Services (RM3790) framework is the largest public sector water framework in the UK. It gives you access to suppliers for your water supply and waste water services (sewerage), plus additional services to help you make water efficiency savings.

If you would like to make even bigger savings on your water requirements by collaborating with other organisations please get in touch quoting ‘NFC67’.

1.2 Technology hardware and mobile phone handsets

We’re planning our next national aggregated further competition for goods and services from our Technology Products 2 (RM3733) framework. By bringing together organisations to buy technology hardware, including mobile phone handsets (without SIM), we have previously helped customers save an average of 16%.

We are currently working to the following provisional timetable:

  • July-August 2017: gathering expressions of interest and compiling customer requirements
  • September 2017: finalising requirements and publishing invitation to tender
  • September/October 2017: conducting competition, awarding to winning bidder and customers entering into contract

Interested?

Register your interest and find out more by joining one of our introductory webinars:

  • Register for Thursday 3 August at 10:30am

  • Register for Tuesday 8 August at 10:30am

  • Register for Wednesday 9 August at 2:00pm

If you are unable to attend a webinar but would still like to register your interest, please get in touch quoting ‘NFC76’.

1.3 Automatic number plate recognition

We are developing an aggregated national further competition for automatic number plate recognition for both car parks and police forces, with a view to contract award in November 2017. If you are interested in getting involved please get in touch quoting ‘NFC77’.

1.4 Electric taxi infrastructure

We are developing an aggregated national further competition for electric charging points and associated services to support the development of infrastructure for ultra low emission taxi vehicles. If you are interested in getting involved please get in touch quoting ‘NFC79’.

Get in touch about any of these opportunities by emailing aggregation@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Find out more about our latest aggregation opportunities.

2. Fleet eAuction and customer forum

In July our most recent fleet eAuction took place for over 1,900 cars and light commercial vehicles. It helped customers save, on average, an extra 7% on top of the already competitive framework pricing. The next eAuction will take place in October. If you have upcoming vehicle requirements please email fleet@crowncommercial.gov.uk to find out more.

Our Fleet Customer Forum meets 3 times a year and the next forum is taking place on 24 October. The objective of the forum is to discuss best practice in fleet management and share insights into how to obtain real commercial benefits from fleet procurement and whole life cost management. When the forum last met in June the group shared insights and best practice on a number of themes including environmental targets, alternative fuels and accident management.

The forum is a great opportunity to network with other commercial and fleet professionals, so if you are interested in attending the next one please get in touch to find out more.

3. Latest technology webinars

  • G-Cloud 9 August 10.30am:

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

Register

  • Technology Products 18 August 11am:

This overview will explore the different ways you can use the framework for all your IT hardware and commodity software needs, including access to our extensive online catalogue on the Purchasing Platform.

Register

  • Network Services 22 August 1.30pm:

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

Register

4. Latest case study: 3 councils save £335,000 on office supplies

We recently helped 3 councils save 40% when buying office supplies through our Office Supplies for the Wider Public Sector framework (RM3703).

LGSS brought together the requirements of 3 local authorities - Cambridgeshire County Council, Milton Keynes Council and Northamptonshire County Council - and an eAuction was used to maximise the potential for savings. eAuctions can help improve the already competitive framework pricing by bringing together customers with similar needs to make the contract even more attractive to suppliers through bigger volumes.

The eAuction achieved a saving in excess of £335,000 based on a core basket of stationery products over the 4 year contract period.

To find out more read the full case study.

View all our latest case studies.

5. Upcoming events

5.1 Insurance insight day

Are you up to speed on the recent changes to the personal injury discount rate?

There is still time to attend our insurance insight day, in collaboration with YPO, ESPO and NEPO, on 12 September in Wakefield.

Aimed at customers interested in using the Insurance Services (RM3731) framework, the session will provide you with guidance and support on making decisions around insurance procurement.

Register for free

5.2 Emergency Services Show

We’ll be at the Emergency Services Show on 20-21 September at the NEC in Birmingham. The show will feature over 400 exhibitors and free CPD seminars and workshops.

You will find us on stand W18, where we will be showcasing the Crown Marketplace programme’s purchasing platform for technology products and our range of fleet frameworks, including a new dynamic purchasing platform for vehicle conversion.

Register for free.

5.3 UK Health Show

We’re participating in the UK Health Show at Olympia in London on 27 September. The show will bring healthcare professionals and decision makers together to help the NHS and the wider health sector promote and improve service delivery for better healthcare outcomes. There will be 4 dedicated content areas at the show:

  • Healthcare Efficiency through Technology (HETT)
  • Commissioning in Healthcare
  • Procurement in Healthcare
  • Cyber Security in Healthcare

Procurement in Healthcare will focus on leveraging purchasing power to achieve the best value for goods and services and Will Laing, Account Director for Health, will be speaking at 10.15 about combining resources in the procurement of common goods and services.

Register for free.

6. Brochures

We can help you buy a wide range of products and services to meet both your current and future requirements for information content management and office services. We have frameworks for print, office supplies, multifunctional devices (printers and copiers), network printers, records management, postal goods and services and couriers to help you to address your every business need.

We recognise the need to transform business processes to align with the public sector digital agenda. All our frameworks encompass new technologies and products to support you with achieving best value, standardisation, innovation, future proofing of your office processes, and great savings.

View the brochure.

6.2 National Fuels

Our new National Fuels framework provides a fully EU compliant route to market for all types of fuels and associated services for the public sector. The framework is a new and improved version of our Liquid Fuels framework, which had a 100% customer retention rate. The new framework offers all the fuel types that were provided through the Liquid Fuels framework and much more.

View the brochure.

View our full suite of brochures.

7. New frameworks

  • Demand Side Response Services (RM3972) is now live. Demand Side Response is the term used for a scheme where you are incentivised financially to lower or shift your electricity use at peak times. Benefits include reducing energy bills by using less electricity from the grid during the most expensive times, enhanced asset reliability from regularly running back-up generators and lowering national carbon emissions.

  • Managed Learning Service (RM3822) is now live providing access to a full range of learning and development services. The scope and flexible structure offers you a transparent, competitive and simple ‘pay-for-what-you-use’ pricing structure, ensuring you get the best value for money, and you can choose either a fully end-to-end managed service or select specific service(s) to meet your individual needs.

  • National Fuels (RM3801) is now live giving you access to a wide range of fuel types including liquid petroleum gas (LPG), solid fuel and biomass, plus lubricants and greases.

  • Supply of Electricity and Ancillary Services (RM3791) is now live. This single supplier framework is primarily for the supply of non-half hourly (NHH) electricity, but also offers you a range of ancillary services covering site-works, automated meter reading, consumption reduction services and energy from renewable sources.

8. New contract notices

We have recently published OJEU contract notices for:

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

9. Frameworks expiring shortly

10. Framework extensions

11. Recently expired frameworks

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

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:

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 helpdesk on 0345 410 2222 You can also follow us on Twitter and connect with us on LinkedIn

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