New framework for Corporate Software Solutions

Richard Archer, founder of Bramble Hub and procurement framework specialist explains the new Corporate Software Solutions procurement framework

We thought it would be useful to provide a brief explanation of the Corporate Software Solutions procurement framework, which has just been put out for competition by the Crown Commercial Service.  You might immediately spot the opportunity for confusion between these two acronyms.

This new framework is a fairly straight replacement for the Software Applications Solutions framework (2010), which in turn was a fairly straight replacement for Specialist Solutions (2006), which in turn was a replacement for quite a few bits of S-Cat, the Services Catalogue (2002).

This set of procurement frameworks is perhaps the most sensible of all of the ICT frameworks, as it’s based around business problem spaces, which tend to make the most sense to both customers and suppliers.  It’s been reasonably successful over the years too.  It could perhaps be a good starting point for an overall architecture of ICT-related procurement frameworks, although one ought to be careful of such statement without doing all of the man-months of analysis and design that’s necessary first.

There are two other related frameworks in the pipeline, if you have a look at the CCS website: http://ccs.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/i-am-buyer/categories/ict/commodity-hardware-and-software.  Technology Products is supposed to be a non-monopoly replacement for SPRINT2 – perhaps originally mostly about hardware, but now just as much about software it seems.  The development of Transactional IT Procurement Solution (TIPS) seems to be at an earlier stage, with the thinking around an Amazon-type store for the public sector to buy low-value widgets and products.

Doesn’t this all overlap and conflict with G-Cloud?  Well, yes, but then take any two ICT-related procurement frameworks and there’ll be overlaps and conflicts – it’s the inevitable outcome of the lack of overall architecture.  Indeed one might observe that G-Cloud has a particular challenge with overlapping everything else that’s going on, as it’s based around a general technology evolution; over time the overlap of G-Cloud to everything else will be 100%, surely, as everything becomes cloud based.

Divorcing (a) the good procurement ideas of G-Cloud about wider inclusion of SMEs from (b) the technical evolution to cloud technology might start to fix this.  And then G-Cloud could also be iterated (as originally promised) to allowing competitions properly – but that will have to be the subject of a future blog.

To find out more about Bramble Hub visit http://bramblehub.co.uk/ or contact info@bramblehub.co.uk

A new focus

April 2014.  Bramble.cc is now rebranded as Bramble Hub to fully focus on UK Government Framework partnering.  The other group companies have a different focus - Bramble Knowledge will now concentrate on Information Management Consultancy and Bramble People are the IT Recruitment specialists.

Welcome to Bramble Hub

Our ‘partners’ are all best of type SME’s that have the expertise and skills to provide the public sector with the services and professionalism they need. We are an accredited prime contractor on a number of frameworks from the Government Procurement Service.

For public sector organisations we can help secure your purchase from your chosen supplier and for our partners we can provide an opportunity for you to work with the public sector.

To find out more about our services visit www.bramblehub.co.uk or call Roland Cunningham on +44 (0)20 7735 0030