The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has set up a new procurement framework for ad hoc, low volume, low value buying through digital systems.
Named the Tail Spend Solution, it involves two suppliers, OT Group and Mercateo Unite, and is set to go live in January.
A CCS spokesperson said: “The Tail Spend Solution framework offers a simple, compliant way for customers to access an extensive range of products through digital marketplaces, enabling efficient, low value, ad hoc purchases.”
The organisation’s guidance on the framework says it will give public sector bodies the option to curate their user accounts by category or product and through interchangeable approval levels. This will enable them to tailor the services of their chosen platform to meet their needs.
It also supports the management of systems, the supply chain, logistics, buyer registrations and support and information management.
OT Group said it will be supplying its SmartPad procurement platform within the framework, which enables buying of hundreds of thousands of products from tens of thousands of suppliers with pre-agreed pricing.
“Now, more than ever, it’s vital that public sector organisations have complete control and visibility over their supply chain. And, with well over £1 billion of tail spend each year, this expenditure should be better managed, tied into KPIs and, most importantly, reported on,” said Malcolm Brechin, national director of new business at OT Group.
Image from iStock, Dilok Klaisaterporn
