TYNESIDE technology consultancy Opencast has joined a select group of companies on a new £4bn government framework.
Opencast has been chosen as an approved supplier on the Crown Commercial Service’s new £4bn digital specialist and programmes (DSP) procurement framework – one of only 27 suppliers chosen for work on the two ‘lots’ that make up the framework.
The newly created DSP framework, which goes live this month, offers UK public sector organisations access to suppliers that can provide consultants with the digital, data and technology (DDaT) skills and the capability to deliver whole digital transformation programmes.
The framework, which will run for an initial two years, was created to give public sector organisations access to suppliers that can provide “the full range of digital, data and technology (DDaT) skills needed for a digital transformation/capability project, or to supply individual DDaT staff to work as part of an existing team or new team”.
The framework also provides public sector organisations with a quicker and simpler procurement process, which means suppliers on the specialist framework can be directly awarded work on specific jobs without complex further tendering.
Crown Commercial Service supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2019/20, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits worth over £1bn – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.
For this framework, CCS selected 76 suppliers in total, with 51 in lot 1 (digital programmes) and 52 in lot 2 (digital specialists). Of these, 27 have been selected to work across both lots, including Opencast.
Welcoming the announcement, Opencast’s client experience director Sam Manson said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this major opportunity by the Crown Commercial Service, demonstrating the quality of our work, the strength of our culture and the value for money that we offer for our clients and the communities they serve through social initiatives.
“We’re looking forward to building on the work we’re already doing with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), NHS Business Services Authority, Government Digital Service (GDS) and others in delivering better digital services to UK citizens.”