Crown Commercial Service has launched a new service dedicated to the procurement of data and analytics services and software. CCS, the UK’s biggest public sector procurement agency, hopes this will support government departments, local authorities and other organisations to improve data use and drive efficiency.
The new big data and analytics agreement will offer “all public sector customers a central route to market, across a range of specialist suppliers,” CCS says. It has been developed in accordance with the government’s National Data Strategy.
What’s in the CCS big data and analytics agreement?
The agreement gives public sector organisations looking to buy big data services access to an evaluated pool of suppliers. CCS says this will help “drive cost reductions and increase value for money through healthy competition.” The framework’s scope will support a variety of customer needs – from niche reporting and analytics projects to complete data service transformations – to enable them to use data more efficiently.
Fifty suppliers have been awarded a place on the framework. Big Data and Analytics will run for two years with the possibility of extending by a further two years. Call-off contract durations can be up to five years, CCS said.
The new agreement aims to make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become suppliers, by enabling tier 1 suppliers to sub-contract, and therefore include SMEs in their supply chain. According to CCS, 46% of the approved suppliers on the framework are SMEs.
Data’s transformative potential for the public sector
The framework is introduced as government departments and other public sector organisations embrace the power of data-driven decision making.
Dr Philip Orumwense, commercial director and chief technology procurement officer at Crown Commercial Service, said: “Data has the potential to transform our public services through enhanced productivity, helping to grow the economy.
“This new framework will support the requirements of the government and the wider public sector as they continue to use data to innovate. It is yet another example of how CCS is helping the public sector to continue on its digital transformation journey.”
- Dr Orumwense will be one of the public sector tech leaders speaking at the New Statesman and Tech Monitor‘s Public Sector Technology Symposium, taking place on Thursday October 6 at etc.venues, Fenchurch, London. The event is free to attend, for more details visit: https://nsmg.live/event/public-sector-symposium/
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