A trading arm of the authority, which serves more people than any other local council in the UK, has fired the starting gun on a major new tech commercial agreement
Kent County Council’s specialist procurement unit is inviting bids for a £900m multi-year public-sector framework covering the provision of print hardware and digital tools that can help transform “existing business processes, culture, and customer experiences”.
The authority has created a three-lot arrangement intended to come into effect on 1 June and run for a term of four years, concluding in 2030.
“As product ranges increase with technological advances, it is anticipated that any future innovative goods/services will be made available as part of the framework,” prospective suppliers are advised, in a commercial notice recently published by the council.
The commercial process and the framework will be managed by Procurement Services – which is a unit of the Commercial Services Group company wholly owned by Kent County Council. Once the agreement is live, it will be available for use by organisations throughout the UK public sector.
The first lot – the largest of the three, with an expected value of £420m – will include providers of “multifunctional devices and digital solutions”. These will be offered both for sale and on a leased basis.
The hardware contained in the lot will encompass “A4 and A4/A3 networked and standalone multi-functional devices, printers, high-volume print room devices and wide-format printers, all with the option of CPC (cost-per-copy) maintenance”, according to the notice.
“Digital solutions requirements can include, but will not be limited to, a range of equipment, software and services (including ongoing maintenance, support and managed print) to help control, manage and measure the effectiveness of the print environment,” the document adds.
The second lot, which comes with an estimated value of £300m, will feature providers that can offer the council and other public bodies “digital technologies to create new, or modify existing, business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing customer needs and requirements”.
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“We are seeking suppliers who, in complement to their offering of multi-functional devices, can provide digital solutions to enable customers to transform and improve operating processes by way of multiple solutions with the supplier of their choice,” the notice adds. Individual opportunities will need to be tailored to meet the customer’s requirement to improve efficiency, provide an agile and reliable solution that will transform and meet their business objectives.”
The final segment of the framework solely covers the provision of inkjet printers. This section is valued at £180m.
“This lot covers the supply of heatless inkjet printers designed for energy efficiency, high-quality output, and reduced environmental impact,” the notice adds. “Printers must utilise heatless technology to minimise power consumption and improve sustainability.”
Bids for a spot on the framework are open until 8 April, with the council expecting to make its decision on the successful providers around the second the week of May.
The notice indicates that submissions will be judged approximately 60% on quality, 30% on price and 10% on social value.
Kent’s Commercial Services Group leading the procurement, describes itself as “one of the largest, local authority-owned, trading organisations of its kind in the UK”.
The organisation’s website says: “Since its inception over 90 years ago as the supplies division of Kent County Council, it has grown organically to become one of the leading suppliers of products and services to the education and public sector, serving over 15,000 customers in 85-plus countries.”
With a population of about 1.6 million people, Kent County Council provides services to more citizens than any other local authority in the UK.
As part of the planned reorganisation of local government and elimination of two-tier structures, the authority – along with 12 other district and borough councils in Kent – will be abolished in their current form, to be replaced by one of more unitary authorities.
