Building Stronger Procurement: the National Procurement Policy Statement and Civil Service Reform

Simon Tse discusses the National Procurement Policy Statement and Civil Service Reform

The decisions we make in 2021 will shape the way our public institutions procure goods and services for a generation. 

Even before the findings of the Government’s consultation on transforming public procurement are published, two concise documents published this summer throw down the gauntlet for public sector buyers, and impact the commercial solutions we put in place for them.

Alongside measures to ensure our buying is sustainable and socially responsible come new demands on us all as procurement professionals. 

Buying organisations like the one I lead will need to act decisively and at pace if we’re going to play our part in helping the country to build back better, fairer, and greener.

The National Procurement Policy Statement

The National Procurement Policy Statement brings together half a decade of procurement reform, mostly issued in the form of Procurement Policy Notices – the guidance notes produced regularly by the Cabinet Office to clarify and evolve our buying practices.

It sets out a number of ‘national priority outcomes’ that will feel familiar to anyone who has been following the developing narrative of public sector procurement over the last couple of years – backing new business growth, diversifying supply chains, delivering greater social value, and supporting the achievement of carbon net zero targets. 

These are the outcomes that our public sector customers are already using to drive their buying decisions and are at the heart of our commercial agreements. 

Just as important, but perhaps less glamorous, is the statement’s strong focus on commercial capability. 

As an organisation facilitating and guiding the procurement decisions of public buyers across the entire UK public and third sector, Crown Commercial Service has a responsibility to ensure we’re living those practices. That’s where a second recent announcement comes into play.

The Declaration on Government Reform

The National Procurement Policy Statement arrives in tandem with a renewed emphasis on Civil Service Reform. 

Our commercial colleagues across government will be studying the Declaration on Government Reform extremely closely, and applying its principles to their own organisations.

Across the whole public sector, organisations need to ensure that their strategic workforce plans, their strategies to boost inclusion and diversity, and their decisions on how to balance office, remote and home working put the right people in the right place to deliver on their priorities.

Digital transformation, innovation and evaluation must form the bedrock of strategic planning, and the procurement system needs to be ready to link the public sector up with the technological innovators that will boost our performance.

As we change, we have to be ready to change together, in partnership with ministers, policy leaders, and our colleagues in every corner of our public sector. 

Planning for the future of public procurement

For my part, I’m confident that Crown Commercial Service is making good progress in planning for the future public procurement system that we know is at a crucial, formative stage right now. 

The National Procurement Policy Statement and Declaration on Government Reform, in tandem, speak to the same themes; the continuous improvement of our people, the proper evaluation of our performance, and strengthened partnerships, that will, collectively, enable us to build back better from the disruption of the pandemic.

You can find a full list of Crown Commercial Service commercial agreements and details of how to build policy considerations into your procurement in our interactive digital brochure.

Simon Tse

CEO

Crown Commercial Service

This article was originally published in Public Finance

Changes to our frameworks in February

Welcome to our monthly framework update to help you with your procurement planning. We will publish it online each month and also share it in our newsletters and on our social media channels.

The update provides a brief summary of what has been awarded, extended or expired during the previous month. It also outlines what is due to expire in the next 3 months.

You can also get an overview of our live frameworks with our new interactive digital brochure.

Frameworks awarded in February 

Frameworks extended in February

Frameworks that expired in February

Frameworks due to expire in the next 3 months

Further information

If you need further details about any of these frameworks please get in touch. 

If you don’t currently receive our monthly customer newsletter why not also subscribe to receive these updates and more directly to your inbox? Just fill in this short form.

Changes to our frameworks in January

Welcome to our monthly framework update to help you with your procurement planning. We will publish it online each month and also share it in our newsletters and on our social media channels.

The update provides a brief summary of what has been awarded, extended or expired during the previous month. It also outlines what is due to expire in the next 3 months.

You can also get an overview of our live frameworks with our new interactive digital brochure.

Frameworks awarded in January

Frameworks extended in January

No frameworks were extended in January.

Frameworks that expired in January

No frameworks expired in January.

Frameworks due to expire in the next 3 months

Further information

If you need further details about any of these frameworks please get in touch. 

If you don’t currently receive our monthly customer newsletter why not also subscribe to receive these updates and more directly to your inbox? Just fill in this short form.

Changes to our frameworks in December

Welcome to our monthly framework update to help you with your procurement planning. We will publish it online each month and also share it in our newsletters and on our social media channels.

The update provides a brief summary of what has been awarded, extended or expired during the previous month. It also outlines what is due to expire in the next 3 months.

You can also get an overview of our live frameworks with our new interactive digital brochure.

Frameworks awarded in December

Frameworks extended in December

Please note: the expiry dates on the framework pages will be updated shortly

Frameworks that expired in December

Frameworks due to expire in the next 3 months

Further information

If you need further details about any of these frameworks please get in touch. 

If you don’t currently receive our monthly customer newsletter why not also subscribe to receive these updates and more directly to your inbox? Just fill in this short form.

Changes to our frameworks in November

Welcome to our monthly framework update to help you with your procurement planning. We will publish it online each month and also share it in our newsletters and on our social media channels.

The update provides a brief summary of what has been awarded, extended or expired during the previous month. It also outlines what is due to expire in the next 3 months.

You can also get an overview of our live frameworks with our new interactive digital brochure.

Frameworks awarded in November

Frameworks extended in November

Please note: the expiry dates on the framework pages will be updated shortly

Frameworks that expired in November

No frameworks expired in November.

Frameworks due to expire in the next 3 months

Further information

If you need further details about any of these frameworks please get in touch. 

If you don’t currently receive our monthly customer newsletter why not also subscribe to receive these updates and more directly to your inbox? Just fill in this short form.

Changes to our frameworks in October

Welcome to our monthly framework update to help you with your procurement planning. We will publish it online each month and also share it in our newsletters and on our social media channels.

The update provides a brief summary of what has been awarded, extended or expired during the previous month. It also outlines what is due to expire in the next 3 months.

You can also get an overview of our live frameworks with our new interactive digital brochure.

Frameworks awarded in October

Frameworks extended in October

Please note: the expiry dates on the framework pages will be updated shortly

Frameworks that expired in October

  • Journal Subscriptions (RM3797)
  • Standby and Emergency Generators DPS (RM6063)
  • Utility Management Software, Metering and Ancillary Services (RM3800)

Frameworks due to expire in the next 3 months

Further information

If you need further details about any of these frameworks please get in touch. 

If you don’t currently receive our monthly customer newsletter why not also subscribe to receive these updates and more directly to your inbox? Just fill in this short form.

Changes to our frameworks in September

Welcome to our monthly framework update to help you with your procurement planning. We will publish it online each month and also share it in our newsletters and on our social media channels.

The update provides a brief summary of what has been awarded, extended or expired during the previous month. It also outlines what is due to expire in the next 3 months.

You can also get an overview of our live frameworks with our new interactive digital brochure.

Frameworks awarded in September

Frameworks extended in September

Please note: the expiry dates on the framework pages will be updated shortly

Frameworks that expired in September

  • Office Supplies for the Wider Public Sector (RM3703)
  • Apprenticeships Training and Related Services (RM3823)

Frameworks due to expire in the next 3 months

Further information

If you need further details about any of these frameworks please get in touch. 

If you don’t currently receive our monthly customer newsletter why not also subscribe to receive these updates and more directly to your inbox? Just fill in this short form.

The Contract Management Pioneer Programme – boosting commercial capability across the public sector

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are investing to boost commercial capability across local government through a new contract management training programme.

Over the next 12 months almost 200 local government officers who are required to manage contracts as part of their duties will complete the Contract Management Pioneer Programme.

The training programme supports the Government’s agenda to build back better by ensuring that contracting authorities are able to effectively manage the key stages of commercial delivery.

It is funded by CCS, the UK’s largest public procurement organisation, and the Local Government Commercial Team in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, in collaboration with the Local Government Association. Training is delivered through the Cabinet Office and the Government Commercial College.

Six cohorts of local government officers with contract management responsibilities have begun training, with the first group having started in November 2021.

Simon Tse, CEO of Crown Commercial Service says: 

We are making this investment as part of the Government’s broader strategy to level up the country, boosting commercial capability and ensuring that local government has the tools and expertise it needs to get the best deal for the taxpayer.

With the opportunities presented by public procurement reform on the horizon, we are determined to help our partners across the public sector to play their part in building back better.

Olivia Cooper, Service Manager, Contract Management and Quality Assurance at Warwickshire County Council says:

Warwickshire County Council has been pleased to be part of the Pioneer Programme for the last six months. It combines knowledge and skills development through a structured learning programme with significant networking to drive the sharing of best practice and peer support. 

The stepped approach to learning has allowed us to roll training out to a number of colleagues at a level appropriate to their involvement with contract management, and we are also seeing a number of benefits from increased skills, knowledge, and peer support.

Developing commercial capability

Boosting the commercial capability of the public sector is at the heart of the Government’s National Procurement Policy Statement.

The statement requires all contracting authorities to consider whether they have the right policies and processes in place to manage the key stages of commercial delivery it sets out, where relevant to their procurement portfolio.

During 2020, the Local Government Association identified 32 local authorities most in need of contract management learning and development support – including some that have faced challenges recently over their management of commercial affairs.

These authorities were offered the opportunity to apply for training that would inform and drive organisational change around contract management. Identifying good practice, sharing evidence-led best practice, and embedding stronger behaviours for local authorities that manage contracts worth billions of pounds every year.

The programme

There are four elements to the Contract Management Pioneer Programme. 

  • Each attendee will complete the Government Commercial College Practitioner or Expert Level Accreditation in Contract Management
  • The learners will apply this knowledge to their own local authority – identifying what works, why it works, and how it works, in how they currently manage commercial contracts
  • All delegates will join a learner’s network to support their peers across local government
  • A Senior Responsible Owner from each council will join a network tasked with embedding learning, providing challenge, and helping the findings of the programme to be shared across local government

Following the programme, the Cabinet Office’s Capability team will select a sample of contracts from participating councils, negotiated after its completion, and monitor how closely and successfully processes are being followed.

Want to find out more about the essential elements of effective contract management? Read our Procurement Essentials series.

Bristol City Council finds solution to improve city’s air quality

The requirement

Bristol is the largest city in the South West and one of the 10 ‘core cities’ in Great Britain. Bristol’s population is expected to reach half a million by 2031.

Like many urban areas, traffic congestion within the city contributes to concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a major source of air pollution. There is clear evidence from Public Health England that these emissions are damaging public health.

Regions and cities across the UK have a moral and legal obligation to improve air quality. In Bristol, efforts to improve the city’s air quality started in 2001 with its first air quality management plan. Despite this early intervention, the city’s residents have faced pollution levels that regularly exceed legal limits for NO2.

In 2019, Bristol City Council approached us to seek support in procuring key elements of a clean air zone to achieve compliance with legal NO2 limits.

A clean air zone is a specific location that aims to reduce public exposure to nitrogen dioxide through:

  • restrictions on the highest polluting vehicles
  • encouraging the use of cleaner vehicles
  • encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transports

Solution

Our team of procurement experts supported Bristol City Council with early market engagement and recommended publishing a Request for Information (RfI) to engage with market leading suppliers and identify available solutions. Our Traffic Management Technology 2 framework (TMT2*) was selected. Market engagement through this framework provided council staff with valuable insight into the capability of new clean air zone technology. Information from the RfI, and a public consultation provided the council with the inputs they required to validate their project submissions and proceed with their funding and applications.

Following the conclusion of the RfI and the successful allocation of funding, the council published their Invitation To Tender (ITT). The exercise was conducted through our eSourcing tool, which simplified the customer and supplier experience by managing the ITT documentation.

The competitive process with further competition ensured that quotes provided the best value for money. The rigorous evaluation process led to local Bristol based company, System Engineering Assessment (SEA) Ltd contracted to support implementation of the city’s Clean Air Zone, with deployment of the company’s ROADflow Fusion technology.

*Our Traffic Management Technology 2 (TMT2) framework has been superseded by the Transport Technology & Associated Services framework (RM6099) – this new framework builds on the success of TMT2 with an expanded range of transport technologies and services for the aviation, road, rail and maritime sectors.

Outcome

Bristol’s clean air zone, which will go live later in 2022, will see installation of cameras for number plate recognition and identification of bus lane infringements, complete with an on-site maintenance package and a back-office data management system. The solution will also impact traffic signal timings to improve traffic flows and increase priority for buses at traffic signals.

No vehicles are banned from entering the clean air zone but older and more polluting vehicles have to pay a daily charge for travelling within the zone. Enforcement of restrictions on the highest polluting vehicles will encourage the use of cleaner vehicles and help motivate people to walk, cycle or use public transport more.

Niotia Ferguson, Category Business Partner – Services & Resources (including ICT), Bristol City Council, commented:

The use of the Transport Technology & Associated Services framework (RM1089) enabled us to reduce the timeline that would have been required if we had carried out an open tender process. Having approved suppliers on the framework that have already been robustly evaluated and selected gave us confidence that we would achieve our desired outcome.

James Williams, Head of Business Winning, System Engineering Assessment Ltd, commented:

Bristol City Council utilised the RM1089 framework for the competition. The framework enables a streamlined process to take place as SEA had already pre-qualified. This allowed our staff to focus on designing an innovative solution for the customer across technical and contract delivery, providing real value for money. The use of a common commercial framework (NEC3) meant that SEA were aware of the contract to be used ahead of the competition, which resulted in a smoother contracting process up to contract award.

Let us bring power to your procurement

At a time of rapid change in the transport sector – whether you work in aviation, maritime, rail, or road sectors – we aim to provide you with the insight, and the tools, to meet your organisation’s transport goals.

Our TTAS framework offers class leading suppliers for transport technology and allows customers to conduct the complete end to end procurement cycle in a comprehensive yet flexible way.

To find out how we can help you:

Customer newsletters for May

Welcome to our monthly newsletters. You can read the latest news most relevant to the sector your work in by selecting the appropriate link below:

If you don’t currently receive our monthly customer newsletter, you can sign up by completing this short form. Each month, we’ll send you the newsletter most relevant to you, based on your organisation.

You will also find a full list of all the commercial agreements we offer, alongside details of how we can help you build policy considerations into your procurement, in our interactive digital brochure.