Digital Inclusion and Support DPS launches to help online service users

Designed to help public and third sector organisations educate service users about accessing and using their services online, as well as developing digital skills, the new agreement builds on the existing Digital Training and Support framework. Following reviews of the core service elements required by customers, engaging with suppliers and without overlapping existing CCS frameworks, the new agreement focuses on 2 core areas:

  • assisted digital – providing support to anyone who can’t access government digital services independently to help them find information and complete transactions
  • digital inclusion – helping users gain basic digital skills so that they can access government digital services independently and make the most of the internet

The new DPS will give freedom and flexibility for customers to define their requirements to meet assisted digital and/or digital inclusion users’ needs, providing access to expert suppliers of these services and helping to deliver social value outcomes, particularly inclusion and diversity. 

The DPS allows customers to find and shortlist suppliers who can offer services relating to: 

  • support – this includes the delivery of support to assist users through all or part of a public and third sector digital service
  • design – which covers services relating to the design of a digital inclusion training course, product or intervention for any channel
  • delivery – includes the delivery of digital inclusion training through any channel

Customers can then hold a mini further competition to find the most suitable supplier and will be able to award a contract for up to 5 years.  

Visit the website to find out more, or complete our form to speak to one of the team.

CCS support Leeds City Council’s Clean Air Zone solution

The requirement

In 2015, the government revealed plans to improve air quality in cities, with the introduction of five Clean Air Zones (CAZ), to be operational by 2020. One of these Clean Air Zones was to be introduced in the City of Leeds.

Improving air quality is a government priority; The Royal College of Physicians and of Paediatrics and Child Health estimates that 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK are linked to poor air quality.

The solution

Leeds City Council procured the design, implementation and operation of CAZ monitoring and enforcement solution for the city using the Traffic Management Technology 2 commercial agreement. They received help throughout the procurement process from Danielle Carvell, Commercial Agreement Manager.

The solution will involve the deployment of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at more than 100 junctions.

The cameras will be used to identify and register every vehicle that enters the city’s charging zone. It will query against the government’s planned database of the more heavily polluting vehicles such as taxis, coaches, private hire and heavy goods vehicles. They will then be subject to a charge aimed at discouraging them from entering the area. Private cars, vans and motorcycles will not be charged.

The money raised will only be used to cover the operating costs and for other schemes to improve air quality.

The results

The Clean Air Zone will reduce air pollution and protect the health of everyone in Leeds. Councilor James Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for resources and sustainability, said:

Having received government approval for the clean air charging zone, the council is working hard to ensure the successful and timely introduction of the scheme. Being able to identify and charge non-compliant vehicles driving within the zone’s boundary is essential to encouraging businesses to switch to less polluting vehicles.

For further information

To find out more about the Traffic Management Technology 2 commercial agreement, you can:

View the commercial agreement page

Complete this online form

Call us on 0345 410 2222

Join our apprenticeship training marketplace

If the answer to these 2 questions is yes, and you haven’t signed up to join our apprenticeship training marketplace yet we’d encourage you to do so. 

Why sign up?

There is a great deal of discussion at the moment about the importance of apprenticeships to our economic recovery.

By joining our apprenticeship training marketplace you will have the opportunity to provide apprenticeship standards and end-point assessments to organisations across the whole of the public sector, including central government, local authorities and NHS trusts.

How does the marketplace work?

The marketplace helps public sector organisations access their apprenticeship levy funds to support their workforce planning strategies and meet their statutory apprenticeship targets. 

A digital filtering system makes it simpler for customers to find suitable Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) registered suppliers.

The marketplace also supports localism and social value. Suppliers can join at any time and bid for business either locally, regionally or nationally. You can find out more on the marketplace web page.  

How to sign up

You will need to be ESFA registered and have your DUNS number to hand.

Step 1

First of all, you need to register on the Supplier Registration Service for Government if you are not already. To do this access the Supplier Registration Service for Government, select ‘register as a supplier’ and complete the short online form.  

Step 2

Once you have done this go to the Dynamic Purchasing System Marketplace, select ‘Apprenticeship Training’ and from here you can download the bid pack, which provides full instructions on how to become a supplier on the marketplace. You can then ‘Access as a supplier’ to register to be on the marketplace.

If joining the marketplace is of interest to your university or college and you need any further support please email us and reference ‘RM6102 supplier registration’ in the subject line.

12 customers save £2 million on mobile voice and data services

The requirement

Purchasing mobile voice and data services is often a routine purchase for many organisations and regularly results in multiple contract end dates due to having to acquire individual mobile phones at different times. This can also create a barrier to switching suppliers to gain better value, as potential savings may be reduced or lost due to early termination charges.

We wanted to help customers find a way to aggregate their mobile requirements with other customers, helping to achieve savings which would not be reduced by early termination of existing contracts.

The solution

One of our national further competitions (which are based on a standardised specification), was planned as the aggregated value/volume was expected to attract more interest from suppliers.

Using the Crown Commercial Service Network Services Framework agreement (lot 6), a further competition was run and the best value offer in the market was obtained by taking into consideration both price and quality factors. The further competition was concluded with sealed bids.

Innovative contract terms were introduced allowing customers to migrate connections as and when existing contracts expire throughout the first year of the contract.

The results

The competition, which took place December 2018 – January 2019, brought together common mobile voice and data services of 12 customers, totalling over 14,000 connections.

It achieved an average saving of 69% compared to current customer spend, which is the equivalent saving of £2 million for those customers who took part.

These results clearly demonstrate that with aggregated volumes and the adoption of a standard specification for commodity goods or services, significant cost savings can quickly be realised.

Kirklees Council

‘We secured savings of 65% by taking part in the mobile voice and data services aggregation, which was a huge benefit to us as budgets continue to be cut. Not only did we save money, but resource was also freed up as CCS ran the procurement for us, meaning we had more time to spend on other important projects which proved invaluable. We were also able to agree pricing for the data bundle, securing data usage for the future meaning there will be no hidden charges.’

Dundee and Angus College

‘We are very pleased with the savings achieved, which are significantly more than we anticipated and are looking forward to these being realised over the course of the contract.  With ever-tightening budgets, we’d have no hesitation in looking at future aggregation opportunities following this positive experience.’

How can you get involved?

National aggregated further competitions are a tried and tested approach which have delivered significant savings to the public sector.

This is a fully managed service provided and funded by us. We will draft all documentation, build the specification and run the procurement.

If you would like to take part in an upcoming mobile voice and data aggregation, please complete our online form quoting ‘Mobile voice and data aggregation’ and a member of our team will be in touch.

17 customers set to save over £2.7 million on mobile voice and data services

Background

By bringing together customers with similar mobile voice and data service requirements, we are able to run aggregated further competitions to help them achieve more competitive pricing, improved terms and an increased level of savings, compared to direct award or customers conducting individual further competitions.

The solution

Our aggregation team regularly run further competitions for multiple customers based on standard specifications for common goods and services. Combined volumes help attract more interest from suppliers and, therefore, achieve better value and savings for customers.

The competitions are managed by us at no charge to the customer. Customers just need to express their interest, provide details of their requirements before we go to market and we manage the procurement from start to finish.

“The CCS team was very professional throughout, making the process efficient and effective for all involved”. In this instance, customers were provided with an “indicative savings analysis template” to assess the minimum savings they could achieve, by comparing an “indicative tariff” (set as the ceiling price) against their current rates. This meant customers were able to quickly assess the benefits of joining the aggregation and present them as part of their business case.

The further competition was conducted using lot 6 for mobile voice and data services of the Network Services framework. The best value offer in the market was obtained by taking into consideration both price and non-price factors, such as quality. The further competition was concluded with sealed bids.

Innovative contract terms were also used so that customers would be able to move their phone connections, as and when existing contracts expire, throughout the first 2 years of the 3-year contract.

The results

The project brought together the common mobile voice and data requirements of 17 customers – totalling over 21,000 connections.

It resulted in an average indicative saving of 61% compared to the prices customers were paying. This is the equivalent of a saving of £2.7 million over 2 years for the customers who took part.

These results clearly demonstrate that by combining volumes and using a standard specification for a commodity product or service significant cost savings can quickly be realised.

7 members of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) took part and Paul Maynard, AGMA Procurement Manager commented:

“The AGMA Procurement Hub would strongly recommend organisations work with CCS on their mobile and voice data requirements. By aggregating volumes and treating mobile and voice data as a ‘common commodity requirement’.

7 AGMA members will be able to save in the region of £1.24 million. In addition to cashable savings, the group will also benefit from a more flexible solution and improved terms, including an increased choice of tariff rates that can scaled up and down as required every 30 days, shared data bundles and 4G by default.

Achieving these outcomes took less than 3 months. Collaborative working between the hub, CCS and key stakeholders enabled this to happen. The CCS team was very professional throughout, making the process efficient and effective for all involved”.

Get involved

To learn more about how our free to use aggregation services can help you make savings or to discuss any of the current opportunities please fill in our online enquiry form.

We will get in touch to discuss your requirements and recommend the best solution(s) to meet your needs.

If you want to find out more about how we can help you, why not ask one of our customer team to give you a call or sign up to our newsletter?

DfI saves time buying traffic monitoring cameras

The requirement

Belfast Rapid Transit (BRT) is an innovative and ambitious project to create a new and dynamic public transport system for Belfast. BRT uses high-quality buses, known as Gliders, to provide a modern, comfortable environment for passengers. It also incorporates real-time information systems for easier journey planning. The speed, reliability and comfort of the Glider services provide an attractive alternative to the private car.

To support the provision of real-time transport information, CCTV traffic monitoring cameras were required at strategic locations to monitor transport network performance.

The solution

Working to tight timescales, DfI procured the CCTV traffic monitoring cameras from the Government eMarketplace using the Traffic Management Technology 2 framework. The Department conducted pre-market engagement by way of a Request for Information prior to the purchase. Issuing a Request for Information gave the suppliers prior notification of the requirement, helping the service to be delivered on time.

The results

A spokesperson for the Department’s Traffic Information and Control Centre team said:

“The Government eMarketplace website was easy to navigate. The entire process was very straightforward with a quick turnaround time from start to finish. This resulted in significant savings in staff and supplier’s time.”

The Department is now considering using the eMarketplace for Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

For further information

To find out more about the Traffic Management Technology 2 framework, you can:

View the framework page
View the Government eMarketplace
Complete this online form
Call us on 0345 410 2222

Leicestershire County Council enforces school parking scheme with transport technology

The requirement

Back in September 2018, a trial was launched across the county called the School Keep Clear Project, aiming to combat the issue that parents, residents and teachers experienced with inconsiderate parking outside schools during the school run.

Parking outside schools can be dangerous due to increasing traffic congestion as well as inconsiderately parked vehicles which can make crossing roads more difficult. This can have a negative impact on the safety, health and wellbeing of children, as well as their parents, teachers and communities. As a result, Leicestershire County Council decided to tackle this issue head on with the help of the CCS Traffic Management Technology 2 agreement.

The solution

To implement the trial, traffic regulation orders were put in place through upgrading the existing advisory school keep clear markings, with mandatory signs and lines to ensure that the new mandatory zig-zag zones were enforceable.

Enforcement officers aimed to continue with their normal duties, while a patrol vehicle with a camera was used to enforce the mandatory zig-zag zones outside school entrances.

To enable the vehicle to do this, Leicestershire County Council purchased in-car automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) using the Traffic Management Technology 2  agreement, allowing officers to collect the necessary evidence to enable fines to be issued via post to drivers who parked on the zig-zag markings.

The results

Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for environment and transport, said:

“The trial isn’t about catching and fining motorists – we want people to stop parking inconsiderately near schools as it endangers the lives of pedestrians and causes a great deal of concern for schools and parents.

“We work closely with schools and colleges to improve issues around on-street parking which also involves providing help and guidance on school travel plans to help tackle the problem where necessary.”

Since it launched in September 2018, the scheme has seen 154 schools sign up.

For further information

To learn how Traffic Management Technology 2 could support your initiative:

View the framework page

View the Government eMarketplace

Complete this online form

Call us on 0345 410 2222

We have started looking at Traffic Management Technology 2’s replacement. To find out more about this, please take a look at: Smart Cities – Transport Technology Infrastructure.

UPDATED: GSI Convergence Framework

The GSI Convergence Framework (GCF) is not a CCS procurement framework but a Vodafone technology platform sitting at the heart of the Public Service Network. Public bodies use it to send information digitally and securely. 

CCS is leading the project to migrate users from GCF to cutting edge, cost effective replacement services. You can read the very latest in our monthly newsletter (see below).

Regular GCF Customer Working Group conference calls take place at which you can listen to updates and ask questions on all aspects of GCF withdrawal. To be added to the invitation list, please email GCFWithdrawal@crowncommercial.gov.uk

See also

The vision for the Future Networks for Government (FN4G) programme

GCF Exit July Newsletter

GCF Exit June Newsletter

GCF Exit May Newsletter

Note: Due to coronavirus there was no April newsletter

GCF Exit March Newsletter

GCF Exit February Newsletter

GCF Exit January Newsletter

GCF Exit December Newsletter

GCF Exit November Newsletter

GCF Exit October Newsletter

GCF Customer Working Group Call – 011019 – Notes

Buy Facilities Management services online from CCS

Buyers from both central government and the wider public sector can access the online portal to purchase a range of facilities management services, covering everything from maintenance and cleaning to security and catering. 

The portal has been developed to provide a simplified procurement route to save customers time and allow them to focus on the priorities that matter most to their organisation. 

Users of the portal can benefit from: 

  • a compliant route to market for both further competition and direct award
  • easy-to use system that guides you through the process
  • ability to shortlist suppliers, by specific location, ready for further competition 
  • obtain an estimated contract cost 
  • storage of key information about your buildings, enabling easy updates for future procurements

Over the coming months, we will be working with our customers to gain feedback to allow us to improve and develop the portal to meet customer needs. Further details of this will be provided shortly. 

The portal is now available for customers to register and use. Existing users of the Supply Teachers, Management Consultancy or Legal Services digital portals can use the same login details to access the FM Marketplace portal – there is no requirement for an additional account. 

Start seeing the benefits today – visit the portal to get started, or the framework page if you require further guidance.

£105 million to keep rough sleepers safe: how we can help you

An announcement yesterday confirmed the release of further funding and we have developed an integrated solution that can be used in part or in full.

For immediate temporary accommodation suppliers on our accommodation and travel framework will ensure you have 24/7 access to a hotel provider. Read the full details.  

For interim needs there are a number of options. To maximise the funding and provide a long term legacy you can buy modular accommodation blocks providing single or family layouts. There are options to buy and hire through lots 5, 6 and 7 of Modular Buildings Solutions. If you have existing property suitable to repurpose we can support you with any change of use or refit / refurbish works through our Construction framework. 

All these options can be supported by Estates Professional Services Services and Project Management and Full Design Services. Once occupied we can also support you with your regulatory duties by providing total facility management services through our Facilities Management framework.