NB: This article was originally published on 30 January 2025. All information was correct at the time of writing, but may not be fully applicable following the introduction of the Procurement Act 2023. The UK public sector, from local authorities, hospitals and schools to central government, emergency services and universities, spends more than £393 billion […]
Sectors Archives:
Call for evaluators for our new audit and assurance services agreement
We are calling for volunteers from public sector organisations to support the evaluation of the new Audit and Assurance Services Two (A&AS2) agreement. This agreement will replace Audit and Assurance Services. Evaluators are an important part of the procurement process, in addition to playing an important role within CCS, becoming an evaluator counts towards your […]
New first of its kind CCS agreement for public sector food procurement goes live
The Buying Better Food and Drink [RM6279] commercial agreement will reshape how public sector customers procure their food and drink requirements with a simplified route to market and greater access to an extensive range of reliable and sustainable food and drink suppliers. The agreement will ensure standards of food safety and quality by following the […]
Commercial Pipeline update
The original go-live date for the new procurement regulations has been extended from 28 October 2024 to 24 February 2025, which was a completely unforeseen change. Following an extensive review of our pipeline, we have transitioned some agreements to PCR 2015 and extended others, which we could not have planned for until now, but will […]
G-Cloud 14 agreement goes live
Thousands of small businesses have once again won the chance to supply cloud-based computing services to the public sector. G-Cloud 14 is now live for customers to buy from and they can begin to access tens of thousands of cloud hosting, cloud software and additional support services. The agreement continues to enable suppliers of all […]
Crown Commercial Service announces a new Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft UK, replacing the Digital Transformation Arrangement 21 (DTA21)
SPA24, which replaces the expiring Digital Transformation Arrangement 21 (DTA21) and will take effect on 1 November 2024, offers access to enhanced value across Microsoft’s portfolio of products and services to eligible public sector organisations, regardless of the size of the organisation or the procurement route used. SPA24, which will take effect on 1 November […]
New simplified agreement, providing greater flexibility for travel, accommodation and venue services procurement, goes live
Travel, Transport, Accommodation and Venue Solutions [RM6342] consolidates 2 existing CCS agreements – Travel and Venue Solutions [RM6217], which is due to expire on 13 December 2024, and Public Sector Global Travel and Venue Solutions [RM6164], which expired in June 2024 – creating the first comprehensive CCS agreement within this sector. The agreement will provide […]
Legacy IT or the cloud?: digital transformation in the public sector
What are Legacy IT systems? Legacy IT refers to your organisation’s IT infrastructure and systems, their component software and hardware and related business processes. It becomes ‘legacy’ when the technology becomes: impossible to update expensive and no longer cost effective considered an end-of-life product Across government and the wider public sector, legacy IT systems are […]
Our new CEO, Sam Ulyatt sets out her vision and priorities for CCS
Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your journey to becoming CEO for Crown Commercial Service (CCS)? I started my working career as an apprentice in chemical manufacturing and so I didn’t ‘grow up’ in the civil service. I joined in 2016 – as a Commercial Director for CCS. Because I’d […]
How to remain compliant as a public sector contracting authority
NB: This article was originally published on 30 August 2024. All information was correct at the time of writing, but may not be fully applicable following the introduction of the Procurement Act 2023. In England and Wales, the regulatory framework governing public sector procurement is currently outlined in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015). […]