How to unlock efficiency and consistency through using playbooks in procurement

NB: This article was originally published on 7 December 2023. All information was correct at the time of writing, but may not be fully applicable following the introduction of the Procurement Act 2023.

What are playbooks and why are they important?

Playbooks set out how departments should approach procurement and programmes of activity, and their application is assured through Cabinet Office controls. They also outline the Government’s expectations for how contracting authorities and suppliers should engage with each other.

Playbooks are specifically designed to demystify procurement processes, promote consistency, and ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks.

The proportionate application of Playbooks across the public sector is best practice. Playbooks must be applied to Gold and Silver tiered contracts for Government Departments and their ALBs.

Five reasons to use playbooks

1. Enhance understanding 

Playbooks are an educational tool, helping you grasp the key concepts, terminology, and procedures associated with public sector procurement. By providing clear explanations and examples, playbooks bridge the knowledge gap and enable you to run procurement activities smoothly and effectively even if this doesn’t usually form part of your day to day role.

2. Streamlining processes 

Playbooks offer a structured approach to procurement, breaking it down into easy to understand, manageable steps. This speeds up the process, allowing you to spend more time on what matters most – such as running your school.

They provide detailed guidance on the various stages of procurement, such as needs assessment, supplier selection, contract negotiation, and performance management. By following the guidance contained in playbooks, non-procurement professionals can ensure consistent and efficient procurement practices across different departments and projects.

3. Ensuring compliance 

Procurement in the public sector is subject to strict regulations and guidelines to ensure transparency, fairness, and value for money. Playbooks include relevant legislative requirements and policies, ensuring that non-procurement professionals adhere to the legal framework. This reduces non-compliance risk and promotes ethical procurement practices across the public sector.

4. Mitigating risks 

There can be inherent risks associated with procurement , such as financial mismanagement, vendor bias, or inadequate contract terms. Playbooks provide risk mitigation strategies and highlight potential pitfalls, enabling non-procurement professionals to make informed decisions and minimise vulnerabilities. Following the playbook’s recommendations helps to ensure that you can mitigate risks and safeguard public funds.

5. Collaboration and consistency 

Playbooks enable collaboration between non-procurement professionals and procurement specialists by providing buyers with guidance, instructions and expert advice, encouraging non-procurement professionals to collaborate where possible with procurement professionals. 

As a resource, playbooks encourage cross-functional engagement, allowing professionals from various departments to align their efforts and work towards common procurement goals. By following consistent processes outlined in playbooks, you can achieve uniformity in procurement practices across departments, enhancing transparency and fairness.

What government playbooks are currently available?

Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT)

This playbook sets out key policies and guidance for assessing, procuring and delivering digital projects and programmes.

The 11 key policy reforms set out in the DDaT playbook cover everything from developing and publishing commercial pipelines to effective contracting, open and interoperable data and code, and supplier assurance. CCS can support contracting authorities’ strategic planning in these areas in several ways. 

CCS has access to market intelligence and commercial expertise in technology procurement, including in the specialist fields of cyber security, big data, AI and cloud computing. Our commercial agreements provide firm foundations for meeting the Playbook’s recommended contractual baseline of commercial, technical, security and legal principles.

Read the Digital, Data and Technology Playbook.

Construction

The Construction Playbook sets out key policies and guidance for how public works projects and programmes are assessed, procured and delivered.

Having led the drafting process, covering early supplier engagement, outcome-based specifications, effective contracting, risk management, long-term planning and the overall procurement process, CCS continues to be part of the steering group supporting and overseeing the Construction Playbook’s implementation.

Our construction experts are instrumental in shaping the public sector’s approach in the field, most recently launching our new partnership construction agreement with NHS England, which is both playbook-compliant and meets the new construction Gold Standard. This brings together our construction procurement offer with the next generation of the ProCure agreement – helping to rationalise the number of public sector construction frameworks in operation, as the Playbook recommends.

Read the Construction Playbook.

Consultancy

The Consultancy Playbook sets out key guidance on commissioning and engaging with consultants more effectively to achieve better outcomes and value for money.

The Consultancy Playbook recommends that commercial teams consider whether there is a suitable CCS agreement to go to market through. Using CCS’s consultancy frameworks ‘provides an efficient route to market… allowing users to reduce cost, mitigate risk and maintain delivery assurance.’

Since its launch, CCS has worked closely with partners including the Government Consulting Hub, Cabinet Office’s Markets and Suppliers team, and Crown Representatives to increase the Government’s in-house capacity and expertise, boost collaboration, and ensure that, where external expertise is required, the public sector makes better decisions based on firmer data.

It is worth noting that the Consultancy Playbook forms part of the Sourcing Playbook. Therefore, where relevant, the 11 policies and principles of the Sourcing Playbook will also apply to consultancy contracts.

Read the Consultancy Playbook.

Sourcing 

The Sourcing Playbook is focused on choosing the best model for delivering public services. The latest update to the Sourcing Playbook means it now includes updates and renewed focus on themes where consultations with industry and contracting authorities identified updated content would prove most useful, including managing inflation.

The Sourcing Playbook applies to frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems, and these should be set up following the guidelines, rules and principles set out within the Sourcing Playbook. Our customers use CCS as a preferred route to market and as a result, CCS has a responsibility to ensure all our customers can fulfil their policy obligations, either directly under the Playbook or indirectly under the National Procurement Policy Statement.

Earlier this year, guidance was produced on how to effectively use the Sourcing Playbook in conjunction with framework agreements.

Read the Sourcing Playbook. 

Want to know more?

You can now find all of our Procurement Essentials articles in one place.

 

Latest iteration of Cloud Compute agreement awarded for high-volume cloud hosting

Crown Commercial Service is providing public sector organisations with more choice in how they access cloud technology solutions through the award of our Cloud Compute 2 [RM6292] agreement. 

The new agreement builds on the existing Cloud Compute agreement and will continue to allow customers to purchase flexible, high-volume public cloud solutions. 

The new agreement will continue to offer both Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) products, allowing customers the freedom to quickly scale their offering around changes in demand. There will continue to be longer call-off options than other cloud agreements and more flexibility to purchase new service offerings during the contract term as new needs arise.

Philip Orumwense, Commercial Director and Chief Technology Procurement Officer, Crown Commercial Service says: 

The new Cloud Compute framework offers customers more choice and flexibility in fulfilling their cloud technology needs by engaging a diverse range of suppliers, recognising that different customers require different solutions. 

It is another example of how CCS aims to put its customers first and give them access to the solutions they need in the way that works for them.

The Lots will comprise:

  • Lot 1 – Public Cloud 
  • Lot 2 – Value Added Services 
  • Lot 3 – Public Cloud Support Services
  • Lot 4 – Cloud Secure+

Cloud Compute 2 will run for 3 years with the option of a single extension of 1 year. 123 suppliers have been awarded a place on Cloud Compute 2. 

A complementary solution

The new iteration of Cloud Compute will continue to complement current and future iterations of G-Cloud, providing an easy route to market for larger and more complex products while G-Cloud continues to manage smaller value requirements which are more easily purchased off the shelf.

The 2 frameworks will continue to work in tandem to give customers easy access to all the services they need.

Innovations and benefits

  • a greater level of choice of suppliers and additional services than the original Cloud Compute framework
  • supports the adoption and maximisation of cloud by customers through both professional services and value-adding ancillary services, provided by cloud experts and partners
  • expanded scope to encompass the full market offering, including consultancy
  • suppliers will provide proposed ‘social value packages’, which customers can choose from as part of the call-off process
  • Cloud Secure+ facilitates the direct purchase of services within scope of this agreement to handle information at above official security classification, allowing customers handling sensitive data to access secure solutions
  • continues the first Cloud Compute agreement’s access to a large range of public cloud suppliers 

Find out more

To find out more about Cloud Compute 2 visit the agreement webpage or contact the CCS Service Desk at info@gca.gov.uk / 0345 410 2222.

How CCS is supporting SMEs to do business with the public sector

Nearly 6 in 10 of the suppliers on Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) commercial agreements are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

Whilst direct spend with SMEs through CCS agreements has risen year on year since 2017 and the number of SME suppliers winning business through CCS agreements has almost doubled since 2018, we know we need to do more to level the playing field. 

One of the potential changes proposed in the upcoming Procurement Bill is to include a new objective stating that contracting authorities must have due regard for the barriers faced by SMEs throughout the procurement lifecycle, and remove or reduce those barriers where possible. 

As an organisation, understanding those barriers and ensuring we’re doing what we can to remove them is all the more important in order to encourage SMEs to bid for and win contracts.

What are the barriers to SMEs doing business?

There are currently a number of potential barriers for SMEs, including:

  • a lack of awareness of opportunities
  • lack of market engagement leading to a limited understanding of buyer needs
  • requirements that are too specific or too vague leading to SMEs believing they won’t be successful
  • short, unachievable timescales to complete tendering or start working
  • contract risk allocation that is not proportionate to the opportunity
  • complex procurement process that is too resource heavy and time consuming
  • specifications that are too prescriptive and do not allow for innovation

What has CCS done to reduce barriers?

  • established an SME working group – collating best practice, sharing challenges, and presenting successes in the SME space. We offer knowledge and guidance and invite SMEs to share their honest experiences of working with us and the public sector.
  • published our first SME action plan on gov.uk – the plan explains how CCS is simplifying its public procurement processes to make it easier for SMEs to win government contracts (due to be updated later this year)
  • committed to paying 95% of undisputed invoices within 5 days and all within 30 days
  • published all opportunities over £12,000 on Contracts Finder
  • offered training sessions to suppliers to help them understand how to meet the Carbon Reduction Plan requirements outlined in PPN 06/21

What will CCS be doing next?

Once the Procurement Bill is in place, we’ll listen to SME concerns and experience of the new public procurement regime and work within the regime when it lands to reduce the barriers they are facing. 

We’ll continue to work with customers to explain what CCS does to support SMEs and what approaches they can adopt like reviewing financial thresholds, publishing pipelines, undertaking pre-market engagement and setting realistic timescales.

We’ll continue to provide guidance for our customers on how the public sector can continue to work and support SMEs, for example, see our recent Procurement Essentials article. 

Discover more

To learn more about how CCS is levelling the playing field for suppliers of all sizes, download our digital brochure.

We welcome feedback, suggestions or queries. These can be submitted to smefeedback@crowncommercial.gov.uk.

Customer newsletter for November

Welcome to our monthly newsletter.

Read the November issue of our customer newsletter.

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 our latest news stories and case studies, as well as information on upcoming aggregation opportunities, events, webinars and much more.

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.

Changes to our agreements 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 all of our live frameworks in our interactive digital brochure.

Agreements awarded in October

Agreements extended in October

Agreements that expired in October

Agreements due to expire in the next 3 months

Further information

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

You can also find out what new procurements we are working on by exploring our upcoming deals page.

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.

Crown Commercial Service announces partnership with key buying organisations to strengthen procurement of temporary workers in schools

The partnership with Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO), Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO), and North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) marks a significant step forward for the Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing (STaTS) agreement and will contribute to the continued delivery of exceptional support and procurement expertise to the education sector.

The STaTS agreement currently offers the following benefits to your organisation: 

  • background screening of workers and safeguarding that complies with Department for Education (DfE) Keeping Children Safe in Education standards
  • option, after 12 weeks in post, to transfer a temporary worker to a permanent role at no extra cost (subject to 4 weeks notice)
  • compliance with Public Contracts Regulations 2015
  • consistent pre-negotiated terms and conditions
  • transparency of costs: you can see how much the worker is getting paid each day and how much the agency or supplier is charging
  • access to dedicated support from the category teams at CCS, YPO, ESPO and NEPO
  • completely free-to-use service

What does the new partnership mean for schools?

Over the past 5 years, we’ve worked to improve knowledge of the procurement of temporary workers in schools, and this partnership underscores our commitment to its success. By bringing together our collective strengths, we hope to further the impact of the STaTS agreement and provide even more value to the education sector, framework users, and our suppliers.

For example, additional step-by-step support will now be available to all customers to enable them to more easily identify the most cost-effective solution for their school. Further robust and efficient analysis of spend will also be carried out so that we can continue to add considerable commercial value and use our aggregated strength to control market rates.

Clemmie Smith, Deputy Director, Health & Education Workforce at CCS, said:

CCS is committed to supporting its customers across the public sector. We have worked with the education sector to develop an agreement focused on the needs of schools, enabling access to supply teachers and temporary staff with the right skills, qualifications and compliance checks and at transparent rates. This new and innovative partnership with ESPO, YPO and NEPO means that we can provide even better support across the country, ensuring more schools prosper from the excellent benefits the agreement offers.

Agnieszka Gajli MCIPS, Strategic Procurement Manager – Professional Services at YPO, said:

We’re proud of our strategic alliance with CCS, ESPO and NEPO. As public sector buying organisations, we share the same vision of helping support and deliver the best service to the education sector. Recruitment is a high challenge that the sector is currently facing and by collaborating with others we’re able to meet the changing needs of the sector and bring greater flexibility through the solution.

Through this partnership, we’re not only combining resources but also multiplying our capabilities. Together, CCS, YPO, ESPO, and NEPO are able to offer comprehensive, end to end support to framework users.

Richard Skelton, Procurement Service Manager at ESPO, commented:

ESPO is proud to be part of this collaboration and with four framework providers now joining forces, there will be even more opportunity to provide our customers with more support, helping them to save money and demonstrate spend transparency.

The agreement has already supported almost 3,500 customers, with combined commercial benefits of over £8.6 million – we hope to help even more framework users realise these benefits by using the agreement. With the partnerships in place and resources quadrupled, we’re in a great position to make this ambition a reality.

Joanne Leask, Procurement Manager at NEPO, said:

This is an exciting partnership that will help ensure the education sector continues to benefit from high quality, qualified teaching staff at short turnaround times. This solution will help address the challenges the sector faces whilst delivering benefits across the country. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues at CCS, YPO and ESPO to deliver a solution that works for all our customers.

Find out more

Find out more about the STaTS agreement on our website, or read some real life examples of how the framework has supported schools already.

With the continued growth of the agreement, we’re in a great position to build on the successes of the last 5 years.

Whether you’re an individual school, a Multi-Academy Trust, a local authority or any other educational establishment, we’re keen to discuss how this agreement can help. Together, we can ensure a compliant, robust route to market for schools and academies.

To hear more about the agreement and how it can support your organisation, please register for our free webinar in conjunction with the Department for Education Buying for Schools team, where we’ll be discussing the framework and the partnerships in more detail.

For more information, contact the CCS Service Desk at info@crowncommercial.gov.uk or 0345 410 2222.

How your buying decisions can help put an end to modern slavery

NB: This article was originally published on 3 November 2023. 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 modern slavery?

Around the world, right now, millions of innocent men, women and children are being forced into various forms of modern slavery. Evidence suggests that the risk of modern slavery affects every industry, from electronics to agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and transportation.

There are many different types of modern slavery and it’s often used as an umbrella term. Some of the forms of modern slavery are:

  • human trafficking: the act of recruiting, transporting, or transferring a person through coercive means for the purpose of exploitation
  • forced labour: work or service taken from a person under the menace of a penalty and for which the person has not offered themselves voluntarily
  • debt bondage: a worker pledging their labour or the labour of others under their control as security for a debt; when either the real value of the work undertaken is never applied to repayment of the debt, or the length and nature of the work that must be undertaken is never fully defined or limited
  • sale and exploitation of children: the sale and exploitation of children involves situations where children are transferred by one person to another for remuneration or other consideration

Eradicating modern slavery in public sector supply chains – the challenges

Modern slavery is so pervasive that it is likely to exist in the supply chains of the goods and services purchased by governments across the globe, from the technology we buy to the construction projects we fund.

Within the UK public sector supply network there are tens of thousands of suppliers, many of whom have complex global supply chains, making effective oversight difficult to achieve, especially in the lower tiers of subcontracting. But, with gross spending on public sector procurement totalling £379 billion in 2021/22 across the UK, the public sector can use its extensive buying power to help mitigate the risks of modern slavery occurring in its supply chain.

What the law currently says

Public sector suppliers must comply with all the applicable human rights and employment laws as set out in the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Under the act, procurement regulations have been amended to make certain modern slavery offences, such as child labour and human trafficking, grounds for the mandatory exclusion of bidders from public procurements. Section 54 includes provisions that make suppliers accountable for slavery and labour abuses in their whole operations, including their supply chains.

Suppliers who have a turnover of £36 million (or more) and carry out their business (or part of their business) in the UK are required to publish a modern slavery statement on their website and update it annually. The statement must include details of their organisation’s modern slavery policies and due diligence processes, and provide details of the steps taken to assess and manage any risks in their business and supply chains.

On 13 February 2023, the Cabinet Office published a new Procurement Policy Note (PPN) dealing with modern slavery in Government supply chains. Procurement Policy Note 02/23 looks at how contracting authorities can tackle the issue of modern slavery in their supply chains. Cabinet Office has also published a guidance note to accompany the PPN.

The PPN applies to all central government departments and their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies and NHS bodies (In-Scope Organisations). All In-Scope Organisations must apply the actions set out in the PPN to both existing contracts and new procurement activities from 1 April this year. Other public sector contracting authorities are also encouraged to apply the approach set out in the PPN.

PPN 02/23 sets out 4 key areas of activity for buyers to prevent modern slavery in supply chains: identifying and managing risks in new procurements; assessing existing contracts; taking action when victims of modern slavery are identified; and training.

Identifying and managing risks in new procurements

A robust approach to pre-procurement activity will ensure that modern slavery risks are appropriately identified and mitigated at the earliest stage.

As a starting point, organisations should consider which category of risk their procurement falls under, using the PPN 02/23 guidance note. For example, certain industry areas, including construction, manufacturing and electronics, and healthcare and social care, are identified as being high-risk. To better understand where your organisation may be at particular risk The Responsible Sourcing Tool is a good first step.

Using the example of construction, local authorities undertake a significant volume of construction work ranging from repair and maintenance programmes to major refurbishment and new build projects across various sectors including schools, social care, housing, infrastructure and highways. Construction workers, particularly those provided by agencies, can be vulnerable through a range of factors, such as the absence of proper contracts or terms and conditions. This can sometimes result in non-payment of minimum wage or holiday pay and a general lack of employment protections. To add an extra layer of complexity and risk, for the majority of construction contracts procured across the public sector, buyers are often not directly involved in the procurement of subcontractors. These are carried out by the prime contractors and the supply chain tiers beneath them, potentially exposing workers to unethical practices.

In the case of a new, high risk construction procurement, considerations at specification, evaluation and award stage could include:

  • have the Social Value Model Themes and Outcomes been considered? Have you tested this with the market to ensure it is not burdensome or likely to deter SMEs/VCSEs from bidding?
  • have bidders been asked more detailed questions on how they will address the requirements set out in the specification. For example, where subcontractors are used, bidders should be asked how the supply chain will be managed and monitored for modern slavery supply chain risks (such as paying workers below minimum wage) and their action plans for tackling cases as they arise.
  • how will you verify that there are no offences or evidence of modern slavery which give rise to grounds for exclusion from the procurement? For example, have you carried out your supplier due diligence? Crown Commercial Service (CCS – now GCA) has worked with Home Office and Cabinet Office to develop a dedicated modern slavery assessment tool (MSAT), which provides a focused and detailed question set that asks organisations to provide answers and evidence relating to the due diligence processes that are in place within the organisation and its supply chain.

Assess existing contracts

At this stage it’s crucial to check if the terms and conditions of the contract have been set out. Do they meet your needs to address risks of modern slavery? Again, using the example of a local authority construction project, where relevant, you should set out your rights to conduct site visits, audits and/or receive management information. Other considerations include:

  • agree KPIs including actions to identify modern slavery
  • contract management meetings: review performance and embed continuous improvement, using tools such as the MSAT to assist.

Taking action

Action should always be taken by public sector buyers when instances of modern slavery and human rights abuses have been uncovered in the supply chain, but contracting authorities should work openly and proactively with suppliers to try to resolve issues and change working practices collaboratively.

Terminating a contract is often not the best course of action as it can leave victims more vulnerable.

Training

All commercial staff involved in managing contracts should be given appropriate training. This will help to raise awareness of the issues and identify risks and ensure that suspected instances of modern slavery are handled correctly.

As part of Government’s efforts to tackling modern slavery in global supply chains, the Home Office’s Modern Slavery Unit and Joint Security and Resilience Centre have produced an e-learning course, available on the Government Commercial College website, for public sector commercial staff on the practical steps they can take throughout the commercial lifecycle to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks.

How GCA is helping tackle modern slavery

At GCA (formerly CCS) we want our customers to be able to use our commercial agreements with the assurance that we use the best due diligence methods available to us. Find out more about how we’re helping customers tackle the modern slavery risk in their supply chains.

CCS provides a further £2 million of funding to enable the continued development of the Contract Management Pioneer Programme to support local government

Working in collaboration with Local Partnerships, the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Government Commercial Function (GCF), we’ve provided a further £2 million to the wider programme, which supports the Government’s agenda of investing in capability by ensuring that contracting authorities are able to effectively manage the key stages of commercial delivery.

Since it was launched in November 2021, approximately 400 learners from 56 councils who are required to manage contracts as part of their duties have commenced training on the programme. CCS support will enable many more commercial procurement colleagues to receive training over the coming year. 

The Contract Management Pioneer Programme (CMPP) is managed in collaboration with Local Partnerships,  Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the LGA. Training is delivered through the Cabinet Office and the GCF.

From October 2023, the CMPP will be co-delivered by DLUHC and Local Partnerships, a public sector consultancy owned by the LGA, Welsh government and HM Treasury.

The councils and learners already on the CMPP will continue to work towards their accreditation, attend networks and support transformation work as normal.

Local Partnerships will be responsible for onboarding new councils and new learners onto the programme and DLUHC will continue to manage the progress of councils and learners onboarded onto the programme before July 2023.

David Bemrose, Crown Commercial Service’s Head of Account Strategy for Local Government says: 

We are delighted to continue our collaborative work with Local Partnerships, the Cabinet Office and the LGA to invest in and build commercial capability across the sector. We look forward to continuing the expansion of this programme in the coming years to further help councils build and retain skills and capability to drive better outcomes.

Emily Chomicz, Corporate Procurement Manager, Procurement & Contracts | Directorate of Resources at Reading Borough Council says:

The CMPP has been an excellent CPD opportunity for Reading Borough Council as part of our evolution of the procurement and contract management activity across all categories of spend. The different levels in the programme have allowed us to support different grades of officers to develop their own knowledge and understanding of the importance and practice of good contract management, helping us to deliver better value from our contracts and improve governance council wide

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.

The 56 councils with learners currently on the programme have benefitted from training that helps 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

The aim of this programme is to enhance skills and capabilities across the sector through:

  • offering funded training opportunities for commercial colleagues on the practitioner-level accreditation course
  • inviting each council to take part in a Learners Network and an SRO Network to build a community of practice for both learners and senior managers
  • a commitment to applying the principles learned and knowledge of good practice gained by the local authorities engaged in the programme back in the workplace, so as to make demonstrable improvements across the sector
  • direct contract management transformation support and organisational development from commercial specialists at Local Partnerships
  • evaluating the critical success factors of, and improvements made through, participation in the programme

You can find more resources about our work to support local government on our website. To speak to a member of our expert team, please call us on 0345 410 2222.

Digital Outcomes 6 framework extension

What is happening?

The Digital Outcomes 6 (DOS 6) framework agreement is going to be extended.  The DOS 6 framework will now expire on 27 June 2025. 

Why is the DOS 6 agreement being extended?

The extension will maintain service provision so customers can continue buying the services they need.  The extension will also facilitate the development of a replacement framework that delivers the optimal customer and supplier experience.

When will the replacement agreement for DOS 6 go live?

In due course, we will provide further updates on the replacement framework, including anticipated go-live dates.

Advice for customers 

What should current/prospective customers of DOS 6 do now?

DOS 6 will be available until 27 June 2025 therefore, no further action is required. 

When and how will CCS communicate further on this?

Further updates will be posted on the relevant agreement web pages and through CCS’ usual channels, including customer newsletters.

Advice for suppliers

What should current suppliers of DOS 6 do now?

CCS will issue a contract variation through Gov.Notify to all DOS 6 suppliers. The variation notice is issued for information only therefore, no further action is required.   Unless we hear otherwise, we assume that suppliers are content with the variation.

When and how will CCS communicate further on this?

Further updates will be posted on the relevant agreement web pages.

Digital Specialists and Programmes framework extension

The Digital Specialists and Programmes (DSP) framework agreement will be extended.  The DSP framework will now expire on 07 March 2025. 

Why is the DSP agreement being extended?

The extension will maintain service provision so customers can continue buying the services they need.  The extension will also facilitate development of a replacement framework that delivers the optimal customer and supplier experience.

When will the replacement agreement for DSP go live?

In due course, we will provide further updates on the replacement framework, including anticipated go-live dates.

Advice for customers 

What should current/prospective customers of DSP do now?

DSP will be available until 7 March 2025 therefore, no further action is required. 

When and how will CCS communicate further on this?

Further updates will be posted on the relevant agreement web pages and through CCS’ usual channels, including customer newsletters. 

Advice for suppliers

What should current suppliers of DSP do now?

CCS will issue a contract variation through Gov.Notify to all DSP suppliers. The variation notice is issued for information only therefore, no further action is required.   Unless we hear otherwise, we assume that suppliers are content with the variation.

When and how will CCS communicate further on this?

Further updates will be posted on the relevant agreement web pages.