Editing Crown Commercial Service

{{Short description|Executive agency and trading fund in the UK}}
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{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = Crown Commercial Service
| type            = [[Executive agency]]
| seal            = Crown Commercial Service logo.svg
| seal_width      = 149px
| formed          = April 1991 (originally)<br />January 2014 (current name)|
| preceding1      = 
| dissolved       = 
| superseding     = 
| jurisdiction    = [[United Kingdom]]
| headquarters    = [[Liverpool]]
| employees       = 
| budget          = 
| minister1_pfo   = 
| chief1_name     = 
| chief1_position = 
| chief2_name     = 
| chief2_position = 
| child1_agency   = 
| website         = {{url| https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk|crowncommercial.gov.uk}}
| footnotes       = 
}}

The '''Crown Commercial Service''' ('''CCS''') is  an [[executive agency]] and [[trading fund]] of the [[Cabinet Office (United Kingdom)|Cabinet Office]] of the [[UK Government]]. The CCS is responsible for managing the [[government procurement|procurement]] of common goods and services, increasing savings for the taxpayer by centralising buying requirements, and leading on procurement policy on behalf of the government.<ref>Crown Commercial Service, [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/crown-commercial-service/about About us], accessed 12 November 2019</ref>

==History==
CCS was originally created as the '''Buying Agency''' on 1 April 1991. On 1 April 2000, it became part of the newly established [[Office of Government Commerce]] (OGC) within [[HM Treasury]]. On 1 April 2001, the Buying Agency, the [[Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency]], [[Property Advisors to the Civil Estate]] and other units from the Treasury merged to form '''OGCbuying.solutions'''. The agency's name was changed to just '''Buying Solutions''' in April 2009. On 15 June 2010, it moved, along with its parent agency the OGC, to become part of the [[Efficiency and Reform Group]] within the [[Cabinet Office (United Kingdom)|Cabinet Office]]. Its name was changed to the '''Government Procurement Service''' (GPS) in July 2011.<ref>[https://ccs.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about-government-procurement-service/about-government-procurement-service/history Crown Commercial Service History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121054917/http://ccs.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about-government-procurement-service/about-government-procurement-service/history |date=2014-01-21 }}</ref>

In January 2014 the GPS merged with the procurement management from government departments to form the '''Crown Commercial Service''' (CCS).<ref>[http://ccs.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/crown-commercial-service-update Crown Commercial Service update] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114010841/http://ccs.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/crown-commercial-service-update |date=2014-01-14 }}</ref> According to the service's own data, CCS secured commercial benefits of £3.8billion in the financial year 2022/23.<ref>Crown Commercial Service, [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-procurement-department-marks-10th-anniversary-having-saved-taxpayers-38-billion-last-year-alone Government procurement department marks 10th anniversary having saved taxpayers £3.8 billion last year alone], published 15 April 2024, accessed 17 April 2024</ref>

==Operations==
CCS operates as a [[trading fund]] established under the [[Government Trading Funds Act 1973]], as amended in 1990, with offices in [[Liverpool]], [[Norwich]], [[Newport, Wales|Newport]], [[Leeds]] and [[London]].<ref>Crown Commercial Service, [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/crown-commercial-service/about About us], accessed 5 July 2016</ref>

===Procurement services===
CCS provides professional procurement services to the public sector to enable organisations to deliver improved value for money in their commercial activities and provide professional support when it matters, advising on technical issues, energy-saving and environmental improvements.

CCS's operations, and formerly those of GPS, include a range of [[Framework agreement (procurement)|framework agreements]], which are a set of pre-tendered agreements with a range of suppliers from whom public sector customers can purchase goods and services. In the field of IT, historical examples of framework agreements include CITHS frameworks ([[commoditised]] IT hardware and software), ITHS (IT hardware and solutions), SPRINT II, Software Application Solutions,<ref>[[Softcat]], [https://www.softcat.com/ie/news/important-changes-being-made-to-public-sector-procurement-ahead-of-year-end The Softcat News Team], published 2014, accessed 10 September 2023</ref> and Desktop21 for [[desktop computer]] services.<ref>Best, J., [https://www.theguardian.com/government-computing-network/2012/jan/20/dwp-hp-desktop-21 DWP hands £316m Desktop21 deal to HP], published 20 January 2012, accessed 10 September 2023</ref> The SPRINT II agreement offered pre-negotiated deals on computer hardware and software.<ref>[[Belfast City Council]], [https://minutes.belfastcity.gov.uk/documents/s35400/ICT%20Procurements.pdf ICT Procurements], 24 January 2014, accessed 10 September 2023</ref> Its use was mandated from 4 March 2011, amidst some controversy,<ref>Kunert, P., [https://www.theregister.com/2011/07/07/home_office_to_review_sprintii/ Home Office to review future of Sprint ii framework], ''The Register'', published 7 July 2011, accessed 2 October 2023</ref> for purchases by [[List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories#England and Wales|police authorities in England and Wales]] of commoditised ICT hardware and off-the-shelf software under government regulations issued in 2011.<ref>UK Legislation, [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/300/schedule/made The Police Act 1996 (Equipment) Regulations 2011], Schedule, made 9 February 2011, accessed 10 September 2023</ref> Claims were put forward during the currency of the agreement that supplies were more expensive via the Sprint ii route than through other sales channels, although the claims were later retracted.<ref>Kunert, P., [https://www.theregister.com/2011/09/21/wmpa_sprint_ii_procurement/ Police authority loves Sprint ii buying regime], ''The Register'', published 21 September 2011, accessed 2 October 2023</ref> A current ({{asof|2023|September|lc=y}}) example is the Crown Hosting Data Centres framework, which can be accessed by all central government departments, [[arm's length body|arm's length bodies]] and the [[wider public sector]].<ref>Crown Commercial Service, [https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/crown-hosting Physical datacentre space], accessed 10 September 2023</ref> A small [[commission (remuneration)|commission]] (typically less than 1%){{cn|date=September 2023}} is collected from the suppliers for each sale they make under these frameworks agreements.

===Procurement policy===
UK Government ''Procurement Policy Notes'' were in the past issued by CCS.<ref>For example, CCS, [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/531813/Procurement_Policy_Note___Armed_Forces_Covenant_.pdf Procurement Policy Note – Armed Forces Covenant, Information Note 06/16 25 June 2016]</ref> These are now issued in the name of the Cabinet Office, but the CCS Helpdesk acts as the contact point for any queries.<ref>Cabinet Office, [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/958211/PPN-01_21-Procurement-in-an-Emergency.pdf Procurement Policy Note – Procurement in an Emergency, Information Note PPN 01/21], published 4 February 2021, accessed 6 February 2021</ref> A separate series of ''Scottish Procurement Policy Notes'', and a parallel series of ''Construction Policy Notes'' issued since 2017 aiming to alert Scottish contracting authorities "to new policy, guidance and other matters relating to public sector [[construction]]", are published by the [[Scottish Government]].<ref>Scottish Government, [https://www.gov.scot/collections/scottish-procurement-policy-notes-sppns/ Scottish Procurement Policy Notes (SPPNs)], accessed 18 March 2022</ref><ref>Scottish Government, [https://www.gov.scot/collections/construction-policy-notes-cpns/ Construction policy notes (CPNs)], issued by the "Construction Procurement Policy Unit", accessed 26 November 2023</ref>

===Management of the Government Secure Intranet (GSi)===
As part of its support of the national government Internet infrastructure, CCS manages the UK's [[Government Secure Intranet]] (GSi), including the entire third-level government domain '''.gsi.gov.uk''' and its [[Subdomain|sub-domain]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/resources/handbook/html/1-9-2.asp |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-10-12 |archive-date=2012-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227173906/http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/resources/handbook/html/1-9-2.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
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==External links==
* {{official website|https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/crown-commercial-service}}
*Cabinet Office, Efficiency and Reform Group, and Crown Commercial Service, [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/procurement-policy-notes Procurement policy notes], see also [https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20140714055318/https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/procurement-policy-notes Procurement policy notes] archived by the [[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|National Archives]] on 14 July 2014, and [https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20110405225311/http://www.ogc.gov.uk/procurement_policy_and_application_of_eu_rules_procurement_policy_notes.asp Procurement Policy Notes] archived on 5 April 2011 and dating back to 2006.

{{Cabinet Office}}

[[Category:Executive agencies of the United Kingdom government]]
[[Category:Cabinet Office (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Trading funds of the United Kingdom government]]
[[Category:Government procurement in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1991]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Liverpool]]