Make a net zero plan or face public sector exile, framework boss warns IT suppliers

enFrame director John Edwards predicts that more public sector frameworks will mirror its new ICT Framework by compelling suppliers to commit to a decarbonisation plan

Having a decarbonisation or net zero strategy will soon be a pre-requisite for any IT provider wishing to compete for public sector procurements.

That's the prediction of the man behind a new schools IT managed services framework whose goal is for every UK school to be net zero by 2035.

Encompassing 14 Lots spanning everything from hardware and software, to AV, print, networking/comms and services, enFrame's ICT Framework is set to go live in three phases between March and May.

Although new rules introduced in September - known as PPN 06/21 - compell all companies bidding for government contracts worth more than £5m a year to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, enFrame's ICT Framework builds on this by making a net zero commitment a blanket requirement for all applicants.

The framework also encourages suppliers to offer products and services that help the schools who use it to reduce their energy footprint.

Net zero commitment

enFrame's academy customers had urged it to add an ICT managed services framework to its repertoire because the current crop of public sector procurement vehicles did not cater for their needs, enFrame director John Edwards told CRN.

"Academy trusts' IT has become increasingly service led and cloud delivered, and the traditional frameworks out there didn't quite meet their needs," he explained.

"And we also believed there should be a net zero overlay on that," he added.

"Looking around at pretty much all the existing procurement frameworks that are out there for public sector, none of them - until very recently - had any consideration for net zero or decarbonisation.

"We've asked all suppliers who want to become framework members to sign up to the principles within PPN 06/21. This means that they have to have a commitment to achieving net zero at a director level, do some baseline reporting, and do some annual and ongoing reporting, all of which needs to be in the public domain."

Public sector pressure

As a Community Interest Company, 65 per cent of enFrame's profits are dispensed for the good of its community, namely schools, academy trusts and the wider public sector. The ICT Framework has already secured two sponsors who have committed to using the framework in the shape of The Academies Enterprise Trust and The Elliot Foundation Trust.

Recent research from CRN found that 10 per cent of resellers had lost business due to a lack of credentials around sustainability, and Edwards predicted that a net zero requirement for suppliers will soon become a "pre-requisite for most public sector procurements going forward".

The UK government was one of the first to enshrine net zero targets, and to stay on course must hit a "very challenging" 68 per cent reduction by 2030, Edwards stressed.

"We as a nation are a long way off hitting that 2030 target, so I think the pressure will ramp up on all of us, and on the public sector," he explained.

"If as a company you're not engaging with this, and you're not planning for how to respond, you'll find yourself locked out of a lot of procurements."

Listed businesses will adopt a similar approach even more rapidly, Edwards predicted.

"I think the area which will see the most rapid implementation of net zero is B2B - anything that's investor-led," he said. "Investors are becoming very on the ball in terms of wanting to know that the supply chain and projects are helping corporations to achieve net zero."