Network Services 2 framework goes 'live'

The Crown Commercial Service has announced that the Network Services 2 framework agreement, believed to be worth £5 billion, has gone live.

Telecom service providers, large and small, are now being encouraged by the Crown Commercial Service to compete for a place on a new government framework, which has been designed to drive further technological change across the public sector. As such, Network Services 2 is for central government and wider public sector bodies which require access to various telecommunications services, including internet, Wi-Fi, voice, mobile, and cloud access.

Customers using the previous Network Services agreement, which expires in July, achieved substantial savings and similar savings are also expected under the new agreement.

Network Services 2 includes the provision of Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) services through supporting infrastructure. The agreement’s lots have also been expanded, while retaining ease of use, to allow a broader range of small and medium-sized suppliers on board.

Crown Commercial Service has just completed a major customer and supplier engagement phase. It included key central government IT leads, and workshops, held in conjunction with trade body Innopsis and Tech UK involving more than 100 suppliers.

Ieuan Trigger, Crown Commercial Service’s Category Director for Networks, said: “Network Services 2 is a flagship agreement for Crown Commercial Service, due not only to its financial scale, but also its ambition. This agreement has been designed collaboratively with customers, suppliers and industry bodies; it aims to be a catalyst which will drive transformation within government and the wider public sector.”