Guidance

Crown Commercial Service update: June 2018

Published 5 June 2018

© Crown copyright 2018

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

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

1. GDPR PPN Update

We have published an updated Procurement Policy Note (PPN) to inform you of your commercial responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This replaces PPN 03/17 which was issued in December 2017.

Read the updated advice, which contains enhanced guidance and clarifications on a number of key areas to bring your existing and new contracts into line with the requirements.

2. CCS at the Public Sector Show

Join us at the Public Sector Show on 26 June at ExCeL London.

The Public Sector Show will provide a range of tools and expertise to meet your needs across 4 key areas:

  • workforce and leadership
  • digital and technology
  • estates and infrastructure
  • finance and corporate

As a key supporter of the show, we will be at stand C11 all day to discuss your procurement challenges, as well as hosting a series of thought-leadership sessions around key themes of public sector procurement, including:

  • Nick Caton, Head of Wider Public Sector, will be discussing simplifying the market for public sector buyers
  • David Gigg, Policy Implementation, will be providing a comprehensive update on everything you need to know about procurement policy
  • Niall Quinn, Strategic Category Director, Technology, will be discussing social value in procurement
  • Sam Ulyatt, Strategic Category Director, Buildings, will be talking about what collaboration really means
  • Maggie Tonge, Workforce Category Director, will be sharing insights into the CCS workforce solutions of the future

If you’ve not yet booked your place there is still time to register for free. Hope to see you there!

3. Our Spend Analysis and Recovery Services framework offers you more

Our Spend Analysis and Recovery Services framework (SARS) offers you more – more specialist suppliers to deliver analysis at a more detailed level to help you recover more savings.

Did you know, it’s estimated that around 1% of transactions (invoices and payments) contain some form of error?

The services available are delivered by experienced professionals using proprietary software and processes to identify errors analytically and recover these for their customers. The process is delivered on a gain share basis with no ‘upfront’ costs.

SARS can help you deliver savings based on the analysis of data, efficiency improvements in your procurement function and recovery of spend from your supply chain.

What are the big benefits of using SARS?:

  • No win, no fee cost structure
  • Minimal internal resource required
  • Process improvements will bring efficiency and fewer errors
  • Cash recoveries
  • Access to specialist suppliers
  • Want to find out more?

We are planning a series of webinars to help you learn more and ask specific questions to our subject matter experts. If you’re interested in a webinar or if you’d like to see how we can help you now, please fill in our contact form or visit our SARS pages.

4. 3 great reasons to choose CCS for your contact centre requirements. Come along to our customer forum to find out more

As we celebrate the 1st anniversary of our Contact Centre Services framework, we’d like to invite you to join us on 19 July at our next Contact Centre Public Sector Customer Forum and share with you some insights from our customers and suppliers over the past year…

3 great reasons to choose a best in class solution from CCS:

  • Dedicated CCS category team support from start to finish

We will work closely with you to help you develop your requirements and find a solution that provides you with end-to-end outstanding customer service tailored to your specific needs – now and in the future.

  • Service improvements and innovation

We’ll help you work with your internal customers and develop strategies to maximise your contact centre services, facilitating market engagement to provide intelligence and insight to inform your thinking. Our market-leading framework suppliers will ensure you achieve service improvements and innovation.

  • Great operational AND commercial outcomes

Our customers have seen greater operational outcomes and commercial savings of between 10% – 50%.

If you are looking to review your contact centre requirements or would like to learn more about the current possibilities, this event is ideal for you.

Taking place in London on 19 July you will have the chance to meet the category team and network with other public sector organisations to share experiences, best practice and the latest thinking.

If you would like to attend the forum on please fill in this form and state ‘contact centre forum’ in the comments box.

Learn more, including what our customers say.

5. Meet our new Utilities & Fuels customer specialist team

We have established a new specialist customer service team that will enhance the current Utilities and Fuels service offering.

The team will provide a proactive customer engagement service in order to ensure our customers remain at the forefront of what we do, work with our customers to understand their needs and to ensure that we are doing what we can to optimise and improve their experience.

Read the full article to find out how the team will bring together knowledge and experience from a variety of roles and sectors.

6. Can we help you with your energy bill validation?

We understand that every penny is precious and identifying savings is a key priority for your organisation. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for your energy bills to be incorrect and difficult to identify and understand why.

A bill validation service has the potential to save your organisation money by identifying and rectifying errors, essentially, offering a thorough review of your utility bills to ensure any inconsistencies are identified, acted upon and resolved. This ensures that you only pay for the energy that you have actually used. Read the full article to find out how we can help you save time and money.

7. Aggregation opportunities

7.1 Fleet

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. If you are interested in finding 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

8. 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 7 June 2:00pm

8.1 G-Cloud

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

Register 13 June 10:30am

Technology Services 2

Covering everything from operational services through to transition and transformation. Join us for this overview of the Tech Services 2 framework covering what you can buy and how you can buy it.

Register 28 June 2:00pm

9. Utilities Switching Service & School Switch webinars

Utilities Switching Service has been developed by Crown Commercial Service, in partnership with GemServ, to allow public sector organisations to switch energy supplier online in a few easy steps.

The first of its kind in the public sector, the service will be provided in the form of a switching website, similar to those used at home, to provide a flexible, simple route for procuring your energy without the need for specialist knowledge.

A bespoke model, School Switch, has been specifically developed for sole use by schools and academies.

To find out more, join one of our dedicated webinars:

Utilities Switching Service - 10:30 on 29 June

School Switch - 14:30 on 22 June

10. Language services webinar

Would you like to know more about how our Language Services framework can save you time and money?

Join us for a webinar at 11am on Thursday 21 June to find out the best way to access a wide range of interpreting and translation services:

  • 250 languages / dialects covered
  • 75% of suppliers are SMEs
  • modern technology solutions
  • 24/7/365 service
  • UK based, security cleared translators available
  • fixed prices for telephone translations
  • translation formats include braille, audio and large print

Book your space now.

11. Upcoming events

11.1 Civil Service Live - registration opened 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.

11.2 Digitech18 – the technology & procurement showcase for the public sector

We are pleased to announce that we have confirmed the following speakers for Digitech18:

  • Niall Quinn, Technology Director, Crown Commercial Service
  • Geoff Connell, Past President, Socitm
  • Ieuan Trigger, Director of Network/Telecommunication Strategy and Procurement for the UK Government.
  • Theo Blackwell, Chief Digital Officer for London, Mayor’s Office
  • Andrew Wilson, Associate Director, Commercial Engagement, NHS Digital
  • Michael Bowyer, Innovation and Knowledge Sharing Director, Innopsis
  • Warren Smith, Digital Marketplace Director, Government Digital Service
  • Emma Jones, Small Business Crown Representative
  • Melinda Johnson, Commercial Director, Department of Health and Social Care

Digitech18 is a new and innovative event aimed at everyone with an interest in technology for the UK public sector. Bringing together a wide range of speakers and workshops, the event will help to demystify the technology landscape and showcase some of the latest technology solutions that are helping to transform the way in which public sector organisations deliver services for citizens.

Timed to reflect the urgent pressures faced by public sector organisations in delivering their digital transformation agendas, including tacking IT disaggregation and transitioning services to the cloud, digitech18 is set to be a must attend event for all public sector organisations.

With speakers and partners from SOCITM, GDS, CCS, Cabinet Office and the Local Government Association and many more there is something to appeal to technology leads and commercial teams from across the entire public sector. Delegates will learn more about how they can procure and deliver transformational change in their own organisation and maximise the benefits that their technology spend can provide.

DigiTech18 is focused on providing you with expert insights in key areas, one of these is Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

RPA is a technology that has come of age and has the potential to greatly improve a wide range of transactional processes and thereby deliver the efficiency gains sought by all public sector organisations. Advances in robotics mean that automation on a large scale is inevitable but clearly this transformation must be managed in such a way as to ensure a smooth transition from one set of processes to another.

Digitech18 will showcase key players from the world of RPA as they explain and demonstrate the way in which this new technology may be applied to combat the effects of headcount reduction, achieve the holy grail of doing more for less, and reducing work backlogs.

The event is free of charge for public sector delegates and will provide you with access to some of the UK’s leading technology experts in our two theatres, covering commercial excellence, the changing technology market, transformation and policy. Spaces are strictly limited so please register today to ensure you don’t miss out.

12. Latest case studies

12.1 Bradfield College is set to save £6,400 on water annually through CCS aggregation

We delivered the UK’s first aggregated further competition for water and wastewater services for public sector customers using our framework (RM3790), which enabled customers to switch supply as early as 1 January 2018.

Bradfield College joined the CCS led aggregation and switched supplier to Castle Water Ltd with effect from 1 January 2018. The college achieved a 4% saving on their first monthly bill.

Read the full case study.

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

13. New framework

14. Frameworks expiring shortly

15. Recently expired frameworks

16. Framework extensions

17.1 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.

17.2 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.

17.3 Procurement tools

18. 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.

Back to top