In March, the UK government brought in measures to control the spread of COVID-19, with a complete lockdown stopping a large amount of research in its tracks, particularly where it involved face-to-face research. The resulting delays to research commissions – from initial discussions with potential providers, right through the procurement process and up to award […]
Sectors Archives:
Researching after COVID-19: how to get your research plans back on track
In March, the UK government brought in measures to control the spread of COVID-19, with a complete lockdown stopping a large amount of research in its tracks. The implications of this can be far-reaching, both in terms of the continuity and quality of data for ongoing programmes and for the financial health of the research […]
Insurance and Related Services 3 – protecting your people and your assets
Securing the right insurance cover, at the right price, is crucial in helping the public sector to protect its people and assets. Our new Insurance and Related Services 3 (IS3) solution is designed to help you do just that. Building on the success of the previous iterations of the framework, we have widened its scope […]
Flexible Resource Pool – Staff Bank rates reduced
The framework is designed to help the NHS and other public sector organisations flexibly manage their workforce through staff bank services. Staff bank rates have been reduced following negotiation with suppliers. Staff bank rates reduced The NHS Workforce Alliance partnership has worked with suppliers to agree further framework efficiencies for the benefit of customers and […]
Crown Commercial Service and IBM launch new MoU for cloud services
The MoU aims to remove barriers to the adoption of cloud based services within the UK public sector and drive innovation that will improve essential public services for UK citizens. It is valid for 3 years (from 22 May 2020) and allows eligible public sector organisations to obtain preferential commercial terms to IBM’s published list […]
Health and education customers achieve average savings of 72% on mobile voice and data services
The requirement Purchasing mobile voice and data services is often a routine purchase for many organisations, regularly resulting in varied contract end dates. This can create a barrier to switching suppliers to gain better value, as potential savings may be reduced or lost due to early termination charges. Through our regular bulk buying opportunities, our […]
Changes to our frameworks during June
We are introducing a new 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 […]
Tackling single use plastics in the workplace this Plastic Free July
Plastic Free July, a global movement to tackle plastic pollution, serves as a reminder of the harmful role plastics play in our increasingly fragile natural environment. The government has stated it is committed to taking appropriate action addressing CSUP waste through a range of initiatives. The 25-year Environment Plan aims to eliminate avoidable plastics by […]
Expert support for your telecoms procurements
With a broad range of services available and many technical complexities, we understand that for buyers with a limited technical background, telecoms can be one of the most complex things to procure. Often, contracts cover a broad range of services with a high level of technical complexities, and it can be challenging to gain an […]
Conducting pre-tender market engagement virtually
Many public sector organisations and suppliers are now working remotely in response to COVID-19 – something that could remain the case for some time. This means that when you’re planning to run a procurement using a GCA agreement, any pre-tender market engagement exercises you do to gain valuable feedback from framework suppliers are more likely […]