Government to cut large frameworks following procurement review

The government is to put an end to large ICT frameworks following a review into the efficacy of procurement practices for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Government ICT frameworks will only be agreed where they are shown to deliver against the commercial ICT strategy and can attract businesses of all sizes, said Cabinet Office parliamentary secretary, Chloe Smith.

Following an internal review, there will be far fewer large ICT frameworks. Only those that explicitly deliver against key strategic needs and are shaped to offer a reasonable chance of business for suppliers of all sizes will be agreed, said the Cabinet Office.

Under the plans, government will cease the Application Development, Delivery and Support Service (ADDSS) and Hosting Services procurements and Service Integration & Management Services (SIAM) will not be progressed through the framework route.

Computer Weekly revealed that the frameworks have encountered major problems, with the £1bn ADDSS framework having been put on ice in October due to hardware problems with the tender process; and the SIAM contracts having encountered dramatic supplier drop-out.

Bill Crothers, Government chief procurement officer said: “Frameworks which are already operating effectively and delivering significant change such as the Public Services Network (PSN) and G-Cloud provide a model for success and will continue.”

Affected suppliers have been advised and government procurement service (GPS) will continue to communicate with the market on upcoming procurements and frameworks, said the Cabinet Office.