PSN frameworks to be tailored to council needs

The Cabinet Office is working up plans to replace the two main major Public Services Network frameworks to make them more accessible to local government and increase the number of suppliers.

John Stubley, operations director of PSN at Cabinet Office, told delegates at the Socitm Spring conference that the government was working on a procurement notice to replace the PSN connectivity and services framework.

The government hopes to release an OJEU notice and let the framework by the end of this year, he added.

Stubley said: “There will be a couple of new frameworks and we are working on the details to work out how we can encourage more SMEs to get involved and how to respond better to the needs of local authorities.”

Currently, he said, 12 suppliers are on the connectivity framework, with 29 on the services framework, and that it was hoped to raise the total number to more than 70 to provide “a significant increase in choice”.

Currently, he said that 80 per cent of spending through the existing frameworks was by central government, with only 20 per cent from wider government including councils.

The aim of the new frameorks, he said, was to make sure that the wider public sector made up three quarters of spending in future.

Speaking to PublicTechnology.net, Stubley said: “Perhaps the existing frameworks weren’t always appropriate to the way that councils wanted to buy.”

He said that spending through the PSN had already achieved £146 million of savings, and that the total savings were anticipated to be £130 million in 2014/15.

The existing connectivity and services frameworks were established in 2012.

What would make you buy more from PSN services and connectivity frameworks? Let us have your suggestions below:

Colin Marrs

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