CCS drops Lot on £3bn framework after 'error' during bidding process

Dedicated IT Lot on framework set to go ahead as planned

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has scrapped a Lot on a £3bn framework following an 'error' during the bidding process.

The eight-lot Management Consultancy framework was set to see Lots 1-3 go live in July, with Lots 4-8 slated to follow in October.

However Lot 1 - which specifically covers business consultancy services - was delayed and did not go live with Lots 2 and 3.

In a notice sent out to bidders, seen by CRN, CCS has now said that Lot 1 will not be awarded after a "construct error" meant that the bidding process "did not adequately assess the bidder's [sic] quality of delivery to the level required".

The framework, initially expected to be worth between £2bn and £3bn, is designed to offer a range of services to government bodies in areas including HR, education, IT and infrastructure.

Confirming the news to CRN, a spokesperson for CCS said: "We can confirm that Lot 1 of the Management Consultancy framework, which covers business consultancy services, has not been awarded.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to companies who had bid, but it is important that we are able to offer a service that would meet all of our customers' needs now and in the future.

"To address this, we are running a further procurement exercise with a broader scope. A new prior information notice - Management Consultancy Framework Two - has now been issued as part of our ongoing engagement with suppliers. The intention is to award this framework in 2018."

Lots 2 and 3 of the framework have gone live as planned, with Lots 4 through to 8 set to go live in October. Suppliers already awarded a spot include Capita and Accenture.

While the Management Consultancy framework is for broader business services, Lot 8 is specifically for IT and digital services.

One public procurement consultant told CRN that larger IT services firms and systems integrators (SI) will have had their eye on Lot 1 as well.

"It's an interesting one," he said.

"There is actually an IT Lot that looks as though it's still going to be awarded, however this [Lot 1] isn't really channel business.

"Larger SIs would have been bidding on it - such as Accenture, TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) and Infosys. I would think that all of these organisations probably would have at least cast their eye over it."

CCS had already extended a separate framework, ConsultancyONE, until 15 December prior to dropping Lot 1, through which similar services can be purchased.

Suppliers on this framework include Atos, Capita, Capgemini and NTT Data.