We are pleased to announce that Managed has been approved to deliver services on the G-Cloud 13 framework. This means we can provide the best possible service to government and public sector organisations operating cloud-based IT.
The new framework will go live on Wednesday 9th November. In this blog post, we talk about the benefits of the framework and why public sector organisations should take advantage of this Framework Agreement.
What is a Framework Agreement?
Framework Agreements like G-Cloud 13 help Public Sector organisations buy products and services from the private sector at reduced risk as well as negating the need for time-consuming research. The agreement provides the baseline work that any customer would have to do which ensures that suppliers are stable and able to deliver the work as part of the initial approvals process. This leaves a shortlist of pre-approved suppliers for almost every requirement.
Public sector organisations can shorten the process by reviewing the list of pre-vetted suppliers. They can directly award services to the suppliers or put out a mini-tender to help select their final supplier.
The benefits of a Framework Agreement
The primary benefit is a significantly shortened procurement timescale, with many processes completed within 7-14 days. And we all know that time equals money, so it really is a win win. When compared to an OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union) style tender process, a framework agreement is mutually beneficial for both customers and suppliers.
The entire process is more streamlined. With no Pre-Qualification Questionnaire stage, there is no need to spend time reviewing responses to select a supplier. This can take 20 – 30 days for most direct tenders.
Suppliers won’t have to complete a PQQ document, submit financial information or review a contract for every opportunity either.
Furthermore, there are no lengthy negotiations. Everything is covered in the Framework Agreements’ “Call off contract”, which vetted suppliers have pre-agreed. The procurement team can focus on getting requirements from internal stakeholders and ask suppliers to respond to those requirements to aid their decision.
If there is no suitable response, the customer can simply re-run the requirement on another Framework Agreement or revert to an open tender. This means they are more likely to find a supplier that meets their exact requirements. The vast majority of capable suppliers will have a presence on one or more Framework Agreements, so the chances of having a failed competition on a Framework are low.
The Further Competition process is also considerably shorter, meaning suppliers can deliver services in a shorter time frame. They may pay a fee to the Public Buying Organisation, but this cost is usually much lower than the cost of reviewing a contract.
Having easier access to Public Sector opportunities creates an ‘economy of scale’ which means the price can be more competitive for their customers.
How can Managed help?
Managed will be on the list of approved G-Cloud 13 suppliers when it goes live on 9th November 2022. We are available to tender for Lot 1 Cloud Hosting (PaaS, IaaS), Lot 2 Cloud Software (SaaS) and Lot 3 Cloud Support.
To find out more about G-Cloud 13 , visit Crown Commercial’s website.
If you’d like to find out more about how Managed can support Public Sector organisations and how to work with us on Framework Agreements, get in touch.