WIREDGOV

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has awarded 44 suppliers places on its major new Facilities Management and Workplace Services framework.

The new framework supports the principles of the Government’s Sourcing Playbook by heavily weighting ‘quality’ in its contract award criteria, rather than lowest cost – emphasising the importance of social value and optimum pricing methodology for often complex requirements.

It replaces CCS’s Facilities Management Marketplace agreement, which delivered commercial benefits, including savings, of around 10% for public sector customers procuring standard facilities management services. 

Noreen Winhall, Commercial Director, Buildings at Crown Commercial Service says:

The Facilities Management and Workplace Services framework is a key part of our suite of buildings frameworks. We can support our customers through the whole lifecycle of a major project – from inception, through facilities management, to demolition, aggregating public sector buying power to grow the UK economy. 

The new framework has the Government’s latest policy priorities baked in, enabling better outcomes on key social value priorities like modern slavery, providing opportunities for SMEs and VCSEs, and carbon reduction.

Enabling social value

In response to the increased emphasis on social value in public procurement, CCS has developed metrics to support suppliers to report on the social impact of their work.

As well as being required to attend regular, structured meetings with their customers, suppliers will submit quarterly returns to CCS showing how they are adhering to, as a minimum, baseline requirements for social value activities including modern slavery, carbon net zero, SMEs, under-represented groups, apprenticeships and prompt payments. 

9 of the awarded suppliers are SMEs, with more expected to join a ‘sister’ Dynamic Purchasing System when it opens in October.

To find out more, visit the Facilities Management and Workplace Services agreement page.