Discover how the Household Support Fund is helping tackle cost of living challenges

What support is available?

The Household Support Fund is for local councils to support vulnerable households in England with global inflationary challenges and the significantly rising cost of living. The funding covers the period 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. 

What can the funding be used for?

The aim of the fund is to support any costs that directly affect a household’s ability to afford or access energy, food and water. The support will cover both immediate and long-lasting savings for the household. This includes, but is not limited to, insulation of hot water tanks, fitting draft excluders to a door, replacing inefficient light bulbs or providing white goods.

What is the deadline?

Funds should be spent or committed before 31 March 2023. You will need to have submitted a request and paid for the products by this date, but it is important to note that you can receive the products after 31 March 2023.

How our Tail Spend Solution can help 

Our Tail Spend Solution is designed to support you with your ad-hoc, or one off, purchasing requirements. Choose from 2 user-friendly dynamic marketplace platforms to access over 8 million products. You can quickly compare products, vendors, lead times and pricing, helping you make purchases efficiently and cost effectively.

You can also get bulk purchase discounts, which make it an ideal solution to buy suitable goods to support your community through the Household Support Fund.

The platform also provides consolidation and transparency of data, enabling you to get the relevant management information for your reporting needs. For example, information required by DWP for the Household Support Fund. This data can also help you  make future strategic contract management decisions about your low value/tail spend needs.

How did Staffordshire County Council use our Tail Spend Solution to support vulnerable households?

Staffordshire County Council used our agreement, awarding to Mercateo UK Limited, as part of their ‘here to help’ campaign that provides information, advice and support on managing rising bills. Through it they bought 1,400 slow cookers to give to vulnerable households around Newcastle-under-Lyme. This has now been expanded throughout the county, as a result of the successful pilot.

The Tail Spend Solution meant that Staffordshire County Council was able to get a volume based discount, ensuring they procured the goods they needed to support their residents whilst achieving value for money.

Staffordshire County Council says:

“With the cost of living rising, we know that many people are struggling especially during the winter months. Our ‘here to help’ project is targeted at vulnerable families who we feel will benefit from advice, guidance and the supply of suitable goods to help them through these cost of living pressures.

“The CCS Tail Spend Solution was identified as an ideal route to market to buy suitable products, such as slow cookers, in a quick and cost-effective manner.”

Bringing power to your procurement

To find out more about the funding opportunity and how we can help:

contact our category team by emailing info@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Changes to our agreements in January

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 January  

Agreements extended in January

Agreements that expired in January

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.

How to implement innovative virtual wards and remote patient monitoring technology

Increasingly, people across England are benefitting from being treated at home on a virtual ward. This innovative approach is delivering high quality care, safely and conveniently for patients at home – where they would rather be. Virtual wards provide hospital level care and remote monitoring for patients who would otherwise be in hospital, either by preventing admissions or allowing them to return home sooner to continue their treatment at home. 

The pandemic highlighted the importance of being able to provide digital solutions to patients and staff quickly. As integrated care systems (ICSs) continue to focus on staff wellbeing and recovery of health services to pre-pandemic levels, they have learnt to rapidly and consistently adopt new models of care that exploit the full transformation potential of digital technologies and cloud computing, including private, public, hybrid and multi-clouds.

What does the Spark DPS offer?

The Spark DPS is an innovation marketplace where suppliers can join and offer cutting edge technology solutions at any time, rather than having to wait until new agreements are available.

Spark is the approved route to market from NHS England and we have been working closely with them to make sure we have the right supplier, technology and services mix to meet the specific needs of the NHS. Together, we have updated Spark to include 4 new areas:

  1. virtual wards
  2. long term condition (remote monitoring)
  3. continuous monitoring
  4. spot monitoring

This provides digitally enabled clinical care pathways for buyers such as commissioners within NHS England, social care organisations, clinical commissioning groups, primary care networks, NHS trusts and NHS special health authorities.

Get in touch

To learn more about how we can support you with virtual wards, you can:

Improve air quality with moving traffic enforcement solutions

Efforts to tackle poor air quality, reduce congestion and encourage sustainable and active travel choices are high on the agenda for local council leaders. Responding to demand, our Transport Technology and Associated Services (TTAS) agreement offers a quick, simple and compliant route to procure a range of transport solutions.

Improving air quality through transport technology

The impact of poor air quality on public health is well known. In recent years, the focus on air quality has shifted from black smoke and sulphur emissions to vehicle tailpipe emissions, including nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. 

In 2015 the Government published plans to improve air quality across the UK through the implementation of ‘Clean Air Zones’ (CAZ) in some of the country’s most polluted cities. We responded to this initiative by providing local councils with commercial agreements offering hardware and services that support CAZ, alongside transport data providers to benchmark and measure the impact of new schemes through real time monitoring.

Many councils are also actively exploring how effective enforcement of existing traffic rules offers a route to improve air quality by tackling behaviour that contributes to congestion. This can deliver wider benefits, including improved journey times for public transport. The approach is also aimed at encouraging a shift towards sustainable travel choices by educating citizens and making roads safer for cyclists and other vulnerable road users. 

The recent consolidation of traffic enforcement legislation in 2022 means that local authorities in England, outside London, can now apply to the Secretary of State for Transport to designate all or part of their network as a civil enforcement area for moving traffic contraventions. The contraventions that can now be enforced include stopping in a box junction, exceeding a maximum indicated weight limit, ignoring a no right, left or U turn, entering a pedestrian zone or route reserved for buses, cycles and taxis, or proceeding past a no entry sign.  

How can we help?

Taking on responsibility for local enforcement of moving traffic offences may seem like a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. The TTAS agreement offers a range of solutions tailored to your needs. Authorities can access specialist consultancy, project management support, the latest ANPR camera technology and back office services. The agreement can also provide you with a complete turn-key solution, including the ability to issue penalty charge notices, through a single procurement contract.   

Our agreement provides access to a range of transport solutions at market leading rates. Suppliers are signed up to public sector contract terms, maximum day rate pricing and are subject to a regular assessment of their financial standing. 

Next steps

For advice or support with the procurement of moving traffic enforcement solutions or solutions that are available on TTAS:

 

The reference to consolidation of traffic enforcement legislation in 2022 refers to The Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022. 

1 https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/networks/brief-history

Digital Outcomes 6: Frequently asked questions for suppliers

Top 10 frequently asked questions

1. How do I create or merge my eSourcing account with Public Procurement Gateway (PPG)?

To create or merge your eSourcing account with PPG you will need to:

  1. sign in to your PPG account
  2. go to the ‘manage organisation’ tile on your PPG dashboard and select ‘add new registry’
  3. select the Dun and Bradstreet option from the drop down menu and then add your company Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) as it is shown in your Digital Marketplace profile
  4. select the ‘eSourcing’ tile (this should open up a separate browser window)

If you can not see an eSourcing tile on your PPG dashboard, this means that your roles have not been set up correctly.

If you are the admin: you can fix this by ensuring that you have allocated the eSourcing tile to your profile.

If you are not the admin: you will need to make sure your organisation’s admin allocates the tile to your profile.

Read question 8 for more information on how to do this.

Once the eSourcing tile is visible in your PPG dashboard you will need to:

  1. click on the eSouring tile (the next screen should prompt you to create your eSourcing account)
  2. select the appropriate option

This is a one time process. After this, you can access the platform by clicking the eSourcing tile on your PPG dashboard.

2. What if we didn’t use a DUNs number as our registry when signing up to PPG?

You will need to add a new registry in PPG which includes a DUNs number. To do this you should:

  1. sign in to your PPG account
  2. go to the ‘manage organisation’ tile on your PPG dashboard and select ‘add new registry’
  3. select the Dun and Bradstreet option from the drop down menu and then add your company DUNS as it is shown in your Digital Marketplace profile

 

3. Where do I view the opportunities for DOS6 that I have been invited to?

There are two ways you can view your DOS6 opportunities. You can:

  1. click on the eSourcing link in your email notification to sign in to your eSourcing account
    1. you will receive an email notification every time you are invited to an opportunity 
  2. view and download the tender documents and respond to or decline the invitation

Or you can:

  1. sign in to your eSourcing account using the tile in your PPG dashboard
  2. select the ‘My ITT’s’ option and view the opportunity
  3. view and download the tender documents and respond to or decline the invitation

 

4. Why are there no DOS 6 opportunities in the eSourcing portal?

You will only be able to see these once a buyer has invited you to take part in a further competition.

When a buyer invites you to join an opportunity, you will receive an email notification to let you know. You will then be able to view the opportunity in your eSourcing platform under the ‘My ITT’s’ section.

 

5. How do suppliers respond to a published procurement?

Suppliers will respond to published procurements using the eSourcing portal and through the ‘My ITT’s” section.

If you want to find out more information on how to register and respond to tenders and further competitions using the eSourcing tool. Access the eSourcing tool: guidance for suppliers.

 

6. How do I know if I am set up to receive email notifications of opportunities for DOS 6 procurements I am invited to?

If you have followed the steps in question 1, you will receive all emails to notify you of opportunities that you have been invited to.

You can also make sure that the emails are not going to your spam or filter folders by:

  1. instructing your IT team to accept all emails from:
    1. auto-alert@bravosolution.co.uk
    2. help@bravosolution.co.uk
    3. Bravosolution.com
    4. Bravosolution.co.uk
    5. jaggaer.com

 

7. I am receiving an error message that says “Roles are conflicting between PPG and CAS?

You will need to check you have the correct roles assigned to you in ‘Manage my account’.

If you are not your organisation’s admin, you will need to check with them to make sure they have assigned the correct roles to you.

The following roles need to be assigned to your profile in PPG.

Role Name  Required for access to eSourcing
eSourcing Service as a supplier Yes
eSourcing Service – add service  Yes
eSourcing Service – add to dashboard    Yes

8. I am receiving an error message that says “The username or password entered is not valid, please check and try again….. Authentication failed” What do I need to do?

This message appears when you are being asked to merge an existing eSourcing account.

To fix the issue you should check that all the information you have entered is correct.

If you are unsure of your username or password click on the ‘main page’ link at the top of the error message. This will take you to the eSourcing homepage where you can:

  • reset your account
  • ask for a reminder of your username

You can also access the reset account option here if you need to confirm your username or reset your password.

 

9. How do I update my eSourcing supplier profile to change things like the company details and DUNS?

Only the Superuser in your organisation has the access rights needed to make these changes. They will need to:

  1. go to PPG dashboard and click the eSourcing tile
  2. select the ‘manage your profile’ from their user profile section (at the top right of the page)
  3. click on the pen icon (top right) to edit
  4. make the necessary changes and then click ‘save’

 

10. What am I meant to do when I see the screen that says “Your SSO ID isn’t associated with one Username. Use your credentials to bind your ID with your user….bind your ID with an existing user”?

This is where you will need to enter your existing eSourcing sign in credentials.

If you do not know them, read question 8.

Supplier webinars: all questions and answers

After running a number of webinars for suppliers on DOS 6, we have collated all the questions you asked during the sessions and have provided answers.

Download the DOS 6 supplier webinar questions and answers.

Find out how our Assisted Procurement Service could help your organisation

Get the procurement support you need with our assisted procurement service. Tiffany Davies from our Procurement Operations team explains how our Assisted Procurement Service works and whether it’s right for your organisation.

We know that providing high-quality public services requires efficient, well-managed procurement processes. We also understand that many public sector organisations are stretched for time and resources when it comes to buying the goods and services they need.

Your organisation might welcome some extra support with procurement activities. This frees you up to focus on other priorities like contract and supplier management.

GCA can help – the solution

Our end-to-end assisted procurement service (APS) saves public sector customers time and money. 

By choosing Government Commercial Agency (GCA), you’ll be working with the UK’s largest procurement organisation. That means you get access to substantial expertise, extensive knowledge and tailored advice that meets your specific requirements. We’ve already done the hard work behind the scenes with our agreements and services – now you can benefit from that work and make your procurement as smooth and stress-free as possible.

What is the Assisted Procurement Service?

Our APS is free for all public and third sector organisations. We’ve designed it specifically for customers who need support running their procurements, so you can focus your resources on other activities like contract management.

We cover any common goods and services that are available through our GCA agreements. Our experienced professionals have run tenders across all types of procurements and sectors. Whether you’re building a new hospital wing or digitally transforming your organisation, we have the expertise to help.

We’ve already supported customers right across the public sector – from the NHS and police forces to local councils and central government departments. In 2024/25, we helped deliver procurements worth £4 billion in total annual contract value through our Assisted Procurement Service.

When you choose our APS, you’re getting access to all the work we’ve already done behind the scenes. Our agreements and expertise are ready to use, making your procurement process efficient and straightforward. That means less stress for you and more time to focus on delivering great outcomes for the people you serve.

How does APS work?

When you use our APS, we’ll assign you a dedicated procurement lead who becomes your single point of contact throughout the entire process.

Our procurement leads work on a small number of tenders at a time, which means you get a high level of personal service and support. All our procurement leads are experienced professionals, and we match each customer with the right person who has the specific skills to support your needs.

Your procurement lead will:

  • work with you to prepare robust documentation using our proven templates and best practice guidance
  • issue approved documentation to suppliers through our secure eSourcing Platform and handle all supplier questions
  • arrange and lead bid evaluation, including training your evaluators and managing the process with a clear audit trail
  • draft a recommendation report on the successful supplier, with full process details and any risks you need to know about
  • draft and issue all contract documentation, including schedules, letters and supplier feedback

When not to use it

Our procurement support is available through our GCA (formerly CCS) frameworks only. We don’t provide assisted procurement through an open market or Find a Tender Service routes.

We want to make sure our procurement lead and team are genuinely adding value to your project. Sometimes it might be quicker and easier for you to run your own procurement using self-serve across our agreements – particularly when you need goods or services urgently.

Our APS works best when you need commercial advice and guidance for more complex requirements. We’re here to help you decide which route makes most sense for your specific needs.

What do I need to do as a customer?

All customers are responsible for providing a complete Statement of Requirements (SOR), otherwise known as a specification and any supporting materials that suppliers will need to see. If you are a school for example, this could include requirements from central or local government, who will be providing funding for your procurement. 

Additionally, you will need to agree on the timeline at the start of the process and identify and provide evaluations for the bid evaluation process.

How do I access the ASP?

The service can be accessed in 2 ways: either by contacting our team at internal-triage@gca.gov.uk or, if you have one, through your Account Manager. 

Please note: your Account Manager will require high level detail such as timescales, value and a brief description of your procurement. Your procurement lead is allocated when this information has been received. Work will not start on the procurement until the SOR is received on the agreed date. The more notice we have in advance of your requirement, the more likely we will be able to support your procurement.

More information and guidance for public and third sector buyers, as well as full details of all of our commercial agreements, can be found through our assisted procurement webpage.

For further information on using the Assisted Service, please contact your Account Manager or internal-triage@gca.gov.uk

Join our housing customer forum

Housing customer forum

The aim of the quarterly forum is to bring together organisations from across the housing sector to discuss:

  • sector specific market insight
  • best practices and transfer knowledge
  • tender development
  • industry developments and trends
  • lessons learnt
  • thought leadership
  • questions on how to use our agreements

You can also expect support from suppliers and relevant trade bodies. 

The first forum session will focus on our new Housing Maintenance and Repair Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), which launches at the end of January 2023, and how to get the most out of using it. This will help us to ensure it meets your needs and understand how continuous improvements can be made.

What is the Housing Maintenance and Repair DPS?

This new agreement provides housing maintenance and repair services for both tenanted and void/vacant properties. It offers planned and reactive services, including essential compliance services such as fire safety, electrical testing and asbestos management.

The DPS features a housing portfolio management service to help you manage your housing stock and handle areas such as move ins/outs, disposals and put in place a centralised service to manage and fulfil repair requests.

It can also help tenants save on their energy bills and enables you to achieve carbon net zero goals with publicly available specification (PAS) 2030/35 certified suppliers offering whole home retrofit services.

Find out more and join the forum

The first forum will take place on Thursday 27 April 10:00 to 11:00am. Register for the event. 

To learn more about the new Housing Maintenance and Repair DPS, you can:

Drone technology for the blue light sector

Today, more and more emergency service providers are turning to drones to deliver essential supplies and care in critical situations. The thought of “ambulance drones” and “flying firefighters” was once inconceivable, but is now very much a reality. Drones enhance capability, mitigate risk significantly and are a cost effective way to provide critical services. For example, ambulance drones are much more affordable and require fewer people to operate.

Many emergency service departments across the country have been using drone technology since 2014. Drones come with a variety of benefits, making them a transformative technology for any emergency response team. These include delivering life saving equipment rapidly to remote access areas, essential medicines to homes and blood and tissue to hospitals for use in major traffic accidents. They are also used to manage fires, fight crime and assist with crowd control at major events. 

Adding drones is a great way to modernise your emergency response fleet and make your organisation more resilient, efficient, and flexible.  

Supporting digital transformation

At Crown Commercial Service (CCS) we’re at the forefront of developing cutting-edge commercial technology agreements and solutions for government departments and the wider public sector. We’re experts in delivering procurement solutions across the full remit of blue light requirements. 

Our Space Enabled and Geospatial Dynamic Purchasing System is a new agreement covering the broad scope of the space-enabled technology market, including the geospatial ecosystem. Through it the public sector can access almost any relevant and commercially available product or service in this area. 

The scope of the agreement includes a range of products and services that will specifically benefit the blue light sector. Examples include remote sensing or monitoring services which enable continuous or specific collection of data, and drones or counter drone technology, that operate in the air, on land, or in water to monitor, photograph or transport items.

Let us add power to your procurement

To find out how CCS can help you with your specific requirements take a look at our Space Enabled and Geospatial Dynamic Purchasing System or contact one of our experts.

Crown Commercial Service announces a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with software provider, ServiceNow

Our new agreement offers all eligible public sector customers access to competitive rates, discounts and a wide variety of commercial benefits across ServiceNow’s platform technology, whilst supporting the digital transformation of the UK’s public sector. 

The MoU covers all of ServiceNow’s software offerings including Service Management (ITSM), Operations Management (ITOM), Strategic Portfolio Management, Asset Management (ITAM) and much more. 

The MoU will also help stimulate skills within government, through guaranteeing places on ServiceNow’s degree apprenticeships and a workplace development programme for those working in government. 

The organisation recently announced RiseUp with ServiceNow – a global initiative designed to train 1 million people on the company’s platform by 2024. This supports the UK’s goal to strengthen its position as a global science and tech superpower, and aligns with the work of the new Digital Skills Council and Government Skills Campus. 

Philip Orumwense CBE, Commercial Director and Chief Technology Procurement Officer at Crown Commercial Service (CCS) said: 

This partnership with ServiceNow will create an environment where agility and flexibility are valued and promoted, improving civil servant and colleagues’ engagement and retention. It will allow government and the wider public sector customers access to a range of competitive rates and discounts. It will also ensure the creation of a government-wide community that will foster greater collaboration for all.

The MoU is not a route to market, however the pricing and discounts are available through any route to market. We recommend using our Back Office Software framework (RM6194) or our Technology Products and Associated Services 2 framework (RM6098) but customers can access the same pricing through competitor frameworks.

Let us bring power to your procurement 

Discover how your organisation can benefit from this new MoU. Register for one of our monthly customer webinars:

You can also speak to one of our technology experts to find out how we can support your specific requirements. Please complete our online form quoting ‘ServiceNow MoU’ and we will be in touch.

Changes to our agreements in December

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 December  

Agreements extended in December

Agreements that expired in December

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 agreements 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.