Franking Sense® Approved By Crown Commercial Service

Franking Sense^® is delighted to announce that we have been awarded approved supplier status for Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Framework RM6280 Postal Services and Solutions.

CCS Framework RM6280 Postal Services and Solutions enables all UK public sector organisations, including central and local government, government agencies such as the Police, NHS and MOD and the wider public sector to access a wide range of franking, mailroom, postal goods, services and solutions.

Franking Sense^® Managing Director Julian Gilbert emphasised the strategic importance of this achievement in expanding the company's market presence in the postal services sector. Franking Sense^® has already established a firm foothold within the public sector, and this award enhances its ability to provide service-oriented, cost-effective solutions to a broader range of public sector clients.

"We see this win as strategic in gaining market share in this space. We have good exposure within the public sector already, and this award will create more opportunities for our teams to promote our service-led, cost-reduction strategies. With budget pressures across the board, this framework will allow public sector organisations to access cost reductions without impacting operational effectiveness. We are very excited to be included so we can implement the framework objectives. "

"Approved by Crown Commercial Service" signifies that a company has successfully met the rigorous criteria and requirements set by the UK government's central procurement agency, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS).  

The CCS approval process involves various assessments, including eligibility criteria, competitive bidding, compliance with regulations, quality and capability evaluations, financial stability checks, and reference verifications. Once CCS is approved, companies are recognised as trusted suppliers capable of fulfilling public sector clients' needs. This status opens doors to government contracts and frameworks, providing valuable opportunities for business growth and collaboration within the public sector.

What is the Crown Commercial Service (CCS)?

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is an organisational agency sponsored by the Cabinet Office in the United Kingdom. As a trading fund, CCS is pivotal in consolidating policy, advisory services, and direct procurement within a single organisation. 

CCS is responsible for overseeing the procurement of everyday goods and services, leveraging the collective purchasing power of public sector organisations to maximise cost efficiency. Additionally, it shapes procurement policy on behalf of the UK government, striving to simplify processes and encourage the participation of various fields of suppliers, particularly SMEs, in government contracts. 

CCS's primary objectives include:

• Generating cost savings for customers across central government and the broader public sector.
• Optimising value for the public sector from commercial relationships.
• Enhancing the quality of service delivery for goods and services throughout the government.

Operating from its offices in Liverpool, Norwich, Newport, Leeds, and London, CCS collaborates with a vast network of over 17,000 customer organisations within the public sector. These organisations benefit from the services of more than 5,000 suppliers.

In 2022, Crown Commercial Service published an SME action plan. The SME action plan outlined CCS's commitment to supporting SMEs to level the playing field and generate opportunities for better social value through public procurement. 

As well as defining the Crown Commercial Service's ongoing commitment to take progressive and positive action to ensure that SMEs are well represented in government and public sector agreements, CCS's SME action plan reaffirms the organisation's role in enabling the public sector to increase the proportion of its procurement spend that goes through SMEs.

The SME action plan outlines the methodology by which CCS is simplifying the public sector procurement processes. The aim is to open up the procurement process to more SMEs and make it simpler for a wider range of suppliers to win public sector and government contracts.

A guide for SMEs selling into the public sector called 'Selling to Government Guide' provides information for SMEs on bidding for government contracts.