Supporting Newham Council’s digital transformation

The requirement

The Council’s 2020 Transformation Team recognised the need to take a more customer-centric approach to transformand redesign how it delivers vital online services to over 300k local residents. They wanted to be more efficient, effective and innovative with a primary focus on creating end-to-end services to help residents at every step of the process.

Using the Digital Marketplace, London Borough of Newham Council used the Digital Outcomes and Specialists (DOS) framework procure a specialist supplier to deliver expertise, working with them to understand and improve the user experience of vital services such as Housing, Homelessness and Children’s Services.

The solution

“Super straightforward” and helpful templates made it quicker and easier to prepare and run the procurement than other frameworks the team had used before. They also found it really beneficial that the suppliers on the framework were so familiar with the system, which helped to make the process easier.

The project was awarded to digital specialists, Unboxed, who were able to provide a team of digital specialists to work on-site at Newham Council over a period of 10 weeks. After a large scoping and research exercise and through regular meetings, workshops and presentations throughout this time, stakeholders were fully engaged in this process, and Unboxed were also able to coach and mentor the internal team. With this collaborative working, council staff were left with the skills to run a Discovery process internally themselves.

The result

Now that Unboxed has helped them to better understand the needs of residents, Newham Council has been able to ensure that the next development stage for this project will build the right end-to-end product for their residents.

This project has helped to secure senior buy-in to a new agile approach to service design, and the budget to go back out to market, via DOS, for other suppliers to provide the additional development for this project.

“This project has been a real journey for our team. It was disruptive, but in a good way! It has enabled me to learn new skillsets and I’m excited to see this Homelessness Online project head forward into the next phase.”

Ikramul Haque – Delivery Lead – Customer Digital Transformation, Newham Council

For further information, view the Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework webpage.

How to ensure data processing contracts comply with the law

The EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 will come into force on 25 May, the aim of which is to protect all EU citizens from privacy and data breaches by putting stricter obligations on those who process personal data. The new regulations apply to all organisations operating in the EU that control and process personal data, both public and private, as well as those operating outside the EU that offer services to individuals in the EU.

What is GDPR?

The GDPR applies to data processing, which includes collecting, keeping, using, passing on and deleting personal data. It requires that individuals be given more information about how their personal data will be used through ‘enhanced privacy notices’, and gives individuals stronger rights to have their personal data updated, deleted or shared with them if they request it. Importantly, the systems used by organisations must be able to honour these rights, and organisations will need to keep a record of all personal data processing activities, and ensure that their contracts with suppliers contain specific clauses governing data processing by third parties.

What action should I take on contracts to ensure they are compliant?

GDPR will apply to new contracts let on or after 25 May and also to existing contracts put in place before May 2018 that continue after 25 May, that involve data processing.

The new regulations state that any processing of personal data by a ‘processor’ (e.g. a supplier which processes personal data on behalf of a customer) must be governed by a contract. This contract must include certain terms as specified in the regulation itself.

We have recently published a Procurement Policy Note (PPN) to inform you of your responsibilities – read the advice in the PPN here.

The PPN contains guidance on how to bring your existing and new contracts into line with these new requirements and provides a standard generic clause that can be inserted into contracts.

Please note the PPN was updated on 17 January to correct an error in clause 1.13.

The main actions to take include:

  • writing to your suppliers to notify them of the changes you intend to make to relevant contracts to make them compliant with the new data protection regulations
  • conducting due diligence on existing contracts to ensure suppliers can implement the appropriate technical and organisational measures to comply with GDPR
  • updating your contract specification and service delivery schedules to set out clearly the roles and responsibilities of the controller and the processor and any sub-processors
  • updating relevant contract terms and conditions, using the standard generic clauses provided in Annex A of PPN 03/17.

What about CCS commercial agreements – will they be updated too?

We are working hard to ensure all relevant existing and new commercial agreements are updated in line with the new regulations, that suppliers are well informed of our plans, and that customers will be able to access GDPR compliant deals as soon as possible.

The role of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

There is a risk the ICO will issue fines to organisations found not to be compliant with GDPR. Commercial teams should work closely with their data protection leads in their organisations to ensure a seamless transition to GDPR compliant data processing.

Got a question? Please get in touch.

Introduction to CCS webinar

If you would like to learn more about how we can help you save time and money please join us for one of our short webinars.

In 2018 we’ll be running a programme of webinars on a wide range of topics, and our Introduction to CCS webinar is aimed at individuals who are not familiar with CCS and would like to understand more about how we work.

It will be ideal if you are new to procurement, new to your organisation or have not used CCS before as we will explain to you:

  • The products and services we can help you buy
  • Deciding on the best way to buy
  • How we can support you
  • What you can expect to save

Our introduction to CCS webinars last 30 minutes.

If you would like to attend we have the following date available:

19 March at 2:30pm – register for the webinar.

If you are unable to attend the above webinars look out for extra dates coming soon!

If you would like to be kept up to date with upcoming webinars, you can sign up to receive our newsletter.

You can also learn more about CCS by exploring the content on this site using the links above.

All your technology product needs with the click of a mouse

Getting all your immediate technology product needs is now as easy as clicking your mouse thanks to the Purchasing Platform from CCS. It gives you online access to great prices on a range of off-the-shelf IT products. Most importantly, using the Purchasing Platform will help you save you both money and time and offers a compliant route to market.

Buying from the Purchasing Platform can mean an average 8% saving and on some products and as high as 30% compared with Amazon. Prices are updated daily to ensure you are always getting best value.

Using the Purchasing Platform means there is no need to hunt around getting 3 quotes. We’ve done all the hard price comparison work already and on most products you will immediately get at least 3 prices and an industry benchmark price indicating a market target  price for that day.

It is totally free to use with pre-agreed terms and conditions with suppliers and if you have any questions CCS is here to help you. You can buy with confidence as we’ve done all the due diligence checks to ensure all suppliers are assured, audited and financially secure. Use your ePCS card and you may even benefit from end of year rebates.

The platform allows you to search and compare all products through an easy-to-use click and buy catalogue. The platform is so flexible it meets different buying scenarios as used by customer organisations. Once you have found your products, you can either pay by card, issues an online purchase order or, hold a fixed price quote for 30 days (should you need approval or use another purchasing system).

When it comes to payment, using the Purchasing Platform could not be easier. There are many ways to pay including using your ePCS card, debit and credit cards. If you need your products really quickly, a next day delivery option is often available.

Using the Purchasing Platform is just one of the many ways that CCS is here to help you with all your technology requirements.

So to start benefiting from the Purchasing Platform sign-up today at purchasingplatform.crowncommercial.gov.uk and start transforming your procurement in a click.

Spend analysis and recovery services framework opens for business

Public sector organisations can recover millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money in overcharges and incorrect payments thanks to our new Spend Analysis & Recovery Services framework.

The new framework will be used to identify areas of spend where public sector organisations have been incorrectly charged or have overpaid a supplier – recovering money for the taxpayer and supporting the delivery of efficient, effective public services.

The 19 suppliers on the framework include accountancy and audit specialists with expertise across areas like utilities, telecoms and VAT. We expect the framework to recover over £220 million over the next four years.

Matthew Sparkes, Deputy Director for Financial Services at CCS said:

“The use of spend recovery services is commonplace in the private sector, not just to identify and recover valuable funds, but also to understand where to make process improvements that ensure errors won’t happen again. By combining our own CCS category expertise with our suppliers’ commercial expertise we can ensure that the public sector pays only for the goods and services it actually receives.”

The suppliers on the framework will work on a contingent “no-win-no-fee” basis to analyse financial transactions and commercial agreements, identifying overpayments, errors, or financial benefits which have not been previously realised.

These reviews can analyse and recover up to six years after an error or overpayment has occurred.

Lotting structure

The agreement is broken down into seven lots covering the largest areas of government procurement spend:

Lot 1: Statement Transaction Review

Lot 2: End-to-End Review

Lot 3: Contract Compliance — Utilities

Lot 4: Contract Compliance — Telecoms / Mobiles

Lot 5: Contract Compliance — Contingent Labour / Agency Staff

Lot 6: Contract Compliance — VAT

Lot 7: Contract Compliance — Property / Rental Review

Find out more

To find out more, visit our framework page or if you have a specific question fill in our online form.

Crown Commercial Service introduce expanded partnership with Cisco

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) offers a discounted baseline for Meraki and Cisco products, which is exclusively available through CCS frameworks such a Technology Products 2, Network Services and G-Cloud.

The discount will automatically be applied to all orders, and Cisco will be offering free compliance audits to help optimise support and licensing which will create further savings for customers.

This discounted framework is a first for the public sector, and is available for customers to use now.

For further information, please contact Cisco directly: ccsuk@external.cisco.com or to speak to one of the CCS team, please complete this form quoting ‘Cisco Discounted Partnership’ in the comments box. 

Switch energy supplier online with our new School Switch service

School Switch has been developed by Crown Commercial Service, in partnership with GemServ, to allow schools and academies 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.

You asked – we listened

At CCS, our customers are our priority and we’ve been working hard to develop a switching service that meets your needs. We engaged with customers to understand their issues when sourcing energy and this has helped us shape the service with you in mind.

School Switch offers a range of benefits for your organisation, including:

  • Wide choice of suppliers providing competitive rates
  • Multiple quotes for comparison based on your requirements
  • Access to instant energy pricing for singular meters
  • Bespoke pricing for multiple meters
  • Bespoke tariffs based on your individual preferences e.g. green energy
  • Smart system that stores your meter information and quotes, if desired, for quick and easy use

Save money

School Switch operates a ‘Dynamic Purchasing System’ which provides access to a wide range of suppliers. This promotes competition amongst the suppliers which in turn drives down pricing for our customers.

Additionally, the energy market is a volatile industry and the service enables customers to put in place an agreement with their chosen supplier for a term that fits in with their requirements.

Save time

We understand that your time and resource is valuable and sourcing your energy requirements can absorb much of this.

School Switch has been designed to simplify this process and removes much of the administrative burden associated with it. This means it frees up your time to focus on your core priorities, safe in the knowledge that your energy requirements are taken care of.

Get Involved

Get in touch to find out more about how School Switch can benefit you and sign up for the latest updates.

Highways England rollout driverless car tech to enhance data

The requirement

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) will improve gathering and dissemination of data, together with better information provision, leading to better informed drivers and improved journeys. In the longer term, increasing automation will enhance road safety, efficiency and reduce congestion.  The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) have announced £100m of funding for CAV testing environments, of which Highways England is leading two projects – UK CITE and the A2/M2 Connected Corridor. The projects form part of the Department for Transport’s CAV strategy and Highways England’s Innovation Fund to help strengthen the UK as a global centre for the fast-growing intelligent mobility market, estimated to be worth £900 billion per year globally by 2025.

In order to realise the real world CAV testing on the Strategic Road Network, Highways England required a flexible resource pool of skilled and experienced experts in vehicular communications, cyber security, in-vehicle systems, traffic data management, and business models. Highways England also ensured that the contract could be utilised by Transport for London, Department for Transport and Kent County Council (its partners for the A2/M2 Connected Corridor) in order to aggregate demand.

The solution

Highways England ran a competition via Lot 12 (Traffic Management Technology Professional Services) of the Crown Commercial Service Traffic Management Technology 2 (RM1089) framework in 2017.

Highways England conducted pre-market engagement with suppliers on the framework, particularly CAV domain experts, to gain feedback on the requirements. Engineering professional services firm WSP was commissioned by Highways England to drive forward its CAV programme.

The results

The contract has a maximum contract term of 4 years and an initial contract value of circa £1.5m. Due to the scope of Contracting Authorities permitted to use the framework, Highways England was able to aggregate its demand with its other CAV project partners, resulting in reduced day rates and a reduced contract management overhead.

WSP will work closely with Highways England, the Department for Transport, and other transport authorities such as Transport for London and Kent County Council to rollout a world class ecosystem for connected and autonomous vehicles across the UK.

As part of this project, a team of specialists at WSP, supported by its supply chain partners, will provide a range of services including programme management, design of CAV technology solutions, vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure communications, system architecture design, data and cyber security solutions, trials evaluation, business case development, road safety case development, and data analysis and modelling.

Get involved

To find out more about the Traffic Management Technology 2 framework, you can:

View the framework page
Complete this online form 
Call us on 0345 410 2222

Standby & Portable Generators agreement update

What does the agreement provide?

Provided as part of our construction and workplace provision, our Standby and Portable Generators agreement will allow customers to access diesel generators via a dynamic purchasing system (DPS). A DPS is a wholly electronic system that is designed to provide access to a pool of suppliers which can be constantly refreshed.

Under this agreement there are no lots, however the DPS allows you to filter the services, as below, to allow you to identify the services you need:

The 4 distinct categories comprise of:

  • Location (Overseas & National)
  • Location (Other)
  • Service Types
  • Product(s)

Other sub-filters include:

  • Rental
  • Pre-delivery and installation
  • Delivery
  • Maintenance
  • Training
  • Warranty and aftersales
  • Standards

OJEU notice

CCS published a tender notice in July 2018, inviting suppliers to join the DPS for this agreement. The agreement is intended to run for 4 years, and may be extended by a maximum of 12 months, in which suppliers can join at any time.

The agreement allows customers to enter into a contract period of any length up to a maximum of 5 years.

Timescales

Stage                                                                  Date

Publish of OJEU notice:                                    24th July 2018

DPS assurance phase:                                        July – August 2018

DPS go live:                                                       23rd August 2018

Become a CCS Supplier

So why not become a supplier on our Standby & Portable Generators agreement? Simply register here for access to further information and instructions.

If you are a customer and would like to find out more about buying through this agreement, fill in our contact form and quote ‘Standby Generators’.

Keen to have your say in a Public Procurement award?

We have been developing a new Modular Building framework, which will form part of the CCS Construction team offering due to be awarded in January 2019.

Evaluation

CCS will shortly be issuing the contract notice and are making preparations for the evaluation stage. To enable us to ensure our suppliers meet the needs of our customers, we would like to invite you to get involved in the evaluation process and would greatly appreciate your help and support.

Those who are able to support us in the evaluation will gain a wider understanding of commercial processes and the market responses to government. You will be responsible for evaluating the award stage and we simply ask that volunteers are moderately experienced in the relevant field of Modular / Construction / Estates (minimum 1 years), and are available to participate in the training element and the further process of evaluation as described below.

Please note, to take part, you must be a public sector organisation or end user.

Evaluator Training

1 hour

November 2018 – exact dates TBC

Award process

Evaluation – This is currently planned between December 2018 and January 2019, the exact amount of time and specific dates needed will depend on the number of bidders and final bid period. Based on previous CCS procurements this could be in the region of 16 hours to 1 week. This can be conducted online from any location and will involve reading and scoring alongside making appropriate records. The more evaluators, the less time will be required.

Consensus – A series of all day conference calls or face to face meetings in December 2018, with typically around 2-5 days of meetings needed (depending on variability of responses, collaborative behaviours of evaluators and number of responses received).

The consensus process will bring together all assigned scorers to a question (typically 3) to debate their mark and finalise consensus score.

Get in touch

If you are interested in contributing to this procurement exercise, please contact info@crowncommercial.gov.uk to register your interest.