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 […]
Sectors Archives:
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). […]
Buyer’s guidance – supporting the procurement of Artificial Intelligence
Download CCS buyer’s guide to Artificial Intelligence.
£3.5 billion of central government spend given to small businesses last year
CCS, the UK’s biggest public procurement organisation, reported £3.52 billion (16.7%) of central government spend directly with 1,525 Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) over the last year, as we continue our goal to support SMEs. CCS publishes accounts for 2023/4 CCS today published its annual report and accounts for 2023/2024, which show the rise of […]
What is a ‘call-off’ contract and how to get the process right
NB: This article was originally published on 24 July 2024. All information was correct at the time of writing, but may not be fully applicable following the introduction of the Procurement Act 2023. What is a call-off? We know that public sector procurement terminology can be confusing. We often get asked by buyers and suppliers […]
CCS becomes the first public sector construction framework provider to achieve Gold Standard status on new government verification scheme
The scheme was launched by Constructing Excellence in late 2023, in partnership with King’s College London, following an independent review commissioned by the Cabinet Office and carried out by Professor David Mosey MBE, of public sector construction frameworks in 2021. The review led to recommendations for a ‘gold standard’ to be introduced against which new […]
CCS announces a new Memorandum of Understanding with Virgin Media O2, providing better value, including social value benefits, for public sector customers
Along with offering attractive discounts, the new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will make it even easier for public sector organisations to buy, consume and manage all their telecom and network requirements. This includes mobile and internet connectivity, equipment and devices, IP telephony, professional technical services and equipment maintenance. It covers all areas of Virgin Media […]
CCS appoints a new Chief Executive Officer
Sam will be known to many at CCS from her prior time as Commercial Director for Buildings, before she left to join Home Office as Chief Commercial Officer in July 2020. During her time at the Home Office, she has led on the many commercial and operational challenges they have faced. Sam is based in […]
Crown Commercial Service marks 10 years of helping the UK public sector achieve value from its procurement
Over the past 10 years we are proud to have gone from strength-to-strength, growing both our team and the commercial solutions we offer – and supporting more and more organisations across the public sector. Notable successes over the last 10 years include: Commercial benefits have increased from £606m in 2017/18 to £3.8 billion in 2023/24* […]
Updated commercial pipeline – Procurement Act 2023
The new Procurement Act 2023 received Royal Assent in October 2023, and the Cabinet Office anticipates that the new regime will go live in February 2025. We are currently considering these timescales as we plan any upcoming procurement activity. Please note that the Procurement Act 2023 is not retroactive. All current live commercial agreements will […]