Government Puts Proposed IT Procurement Frameworks On Hold

The government has cancelled all new IT procurement frameworks, as it looks into whether processes are competitive enough.

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude (pictured) has launched an offensive on IT procurement since the Coalition came into power in 2010. He wants to end the pandering to big IT players such as HP and IBM, which the previous Labour government was accused of.

Despite this, critics have claimed large vendors are still getting the majority of government deals – and it appears the government is responding.

This latest move was initiated by Bill Crothers, government chief procurement officer, who asked for a review into all Government Procurement Service (GPS) ICT procurements

Gov IT procurement review

The G-Cloud framework, the second iteration of which went online last week, is not affected, neither are other currently running frameworks, a Cabinet Office spokeswoman told TechWeekEurope. It is only those that were planned to go up in the future that have been frozen.

“Our ICT framework agreements already remove excessive procurement procedures, but we want to make sure they are achieving the best savings and are easier and faster for both buyers and suppliers, including SMEs,” said Cabinet Office Parliamentary secretary Chloe Smith.

“That’s sensible for the taxpayer and for businesses. That is why we have paused all currently planned GPS ICT frameworks to review their effectiveness.”

Crothers added: “We want to ensure GPS framework agreements are driving the greatest competition, and achieving a wider range of suppliers, including SMEs, in the ICT market.

“This pause will allow us to look at whether we are getting this right and how we can minimise duplication across government.”

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