RM6280: Postal Services & Solutions

14/07/2025 – Ofcom have announced significant changes to the Universal Service Obligation (USO) that will impact the service provided by Royal Mail.
The key changes include:

Second Class letters will be delivered on alternate weekdays (Monday to Friday). There will no longer be any Saturday deliveries under this category
First Class letters will remain to be delivered six days a week (Monday to Saturday)
First Class on-time delivery targets will drop from 93% to 90%, and Second Class from 98.5% to 95%

These changes will come into legal effect from 28 July 2025, with new quality targets enforced from 1 April 2026.

For further information please see https://www.ofcom.org.uk/post/royal-mail/reforming-the-postal-service-so-it-delivers-what-people-need?language=en

This agreement will give you access to postal goods and services such as:

mail and parcel collection and delivery services (UK and international)
inbound mail receipt
hybrid mail solutions
security screening
franking machines
mailroom equipment

The agreement also offers audits, efficiency reviews and consultancy services to help you develop your postal services strategy and make sure you are getting the best value for money.

A range of inbound and outbound services are available to help you transition from a paper based mailroom to a digital environment. This includes hybrid mail solutions that incorporate new technologies, such as e-communications and managed service options. Giving you a ‘digital by default’ strategy.

The agreement was developed in collaboration with 2 other public sector procurement organisations: YPO (formerly known as Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation) and ESPO (formerly known as Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation).

The duration of the agreement is 4 years. The call off contract period is flexible and can run beyond the framework expiry date. The maximum call off periods are as follows:

Lot 1: 6 years
Lots 2 to 8 (inclusive): 7 years

This agreement replaces RM6017 Postal Goods, Services and Solutions which expired in November 2023.

If you have any questions contact us on 0345 410 2222 or email us.

lot 1 offers a range of franking machines and mailroom equipment to increase production, reduce floor space and free up resources
access to zonal and regional pricing
introduces new technologies to reduce your physical mail and integrate paper documents into digital workflows
increases security of mail items by using services such as hybrid mail
enables SMEs to bid for public sector contracts:
- supporting the government’s aspiration for £1 in every £3 to be spent with SMEs
- over 50% of suppliers on the agreement are SMEs
buyers can reduce their carbon footprint through digitisation and new energy efficient equipment and services
support and guidance available to help buyers optimise their mail processes and achieve savings on their postal services requirements

Please read the 'How to buy' tab below for detailed instructions on how to find out which suppliers are on this framework.

You can use direct award or further competition. Check your organisation’s internal policies and control processes before engaging with suppliers, to make sure you are following your standard operating procedures.

For more information on further competitions and direct awards, we recommend you read the customer guidance document and ‘Framework schedule 7 (call off award procedure)’ in the documents tab below, before using this agreement.

Further competition

If you want suppliers to propose solutions for your requirements or you need to change parts of the contract (but still follow procurement rules) you will have to hold a further competition.

To award through further competition you should:

develop a statement of requirements identifying the framework suppliers capable of providing the goods and/or services
amend or refine the template call off form and call off terms to reflect the goods and/or services required
develop evaluation criteria and scoring methodology
publish your invitation to the tender pack, along with award criteria and further competition process
invite all capable suppliers under a lot to tender by conducting a further competition in accordance with the regulations
evaluate tenders, score and provide feedback to bidders
you and the successful supplier will need to sign a framework schedule 6: order form template and call off schedule.

Please note that there are separate schedule 6 order forms, depending on whether your contract is on lot 1 or lots 2-8. Make sure your order form includes any extra terms or schedules that you identified in the tender.

Direct award

This is suitable if there is only one supplier that meets your requirements, or you can clearly establish which supplier meets your needs at the lowest price. You cannot use any supplementary terms and conditions with the agreement and you must accept the maximum framework prices if you choose this option.

To direct award under the framework you should:

develop a statement of requirements and determine whether this can be met by the mandatory/core goods and/or services of the framework
confirm that all the terms of the framework and the call off terms do not require amendment or any supplementary terms and conditions
review the price schedule for all capable suppliers under the lot to determine the most cost effective solution
award to the successful framework supplier and sign a framework schedule 6: order form template and call off schedule. Please note that there are separate schedule 6 order forms, depending on whether your contract is on lot 1 or lots 2-8

For support in accessing the agreement, contact us.

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) became Government Commercial Agency (GCA) on 1 April 2026. Documents published before this date may still refer to CCS. All contract documents remain valid for existing and new contracts, and there are no changes to how you work with us.

Postal Services & Solutions

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Benefits

Products and suppliers

How to buy

Documents