The bumper four-year contract is “for the provision of postal services and solutions to be utilised by central government departments and all other UK public sector bodies, including local authorities, health, police, fire and rescue, education and devolved administrations,” CCS stated in the awarded contract notice on the government’s Contracts Finder service.
“It is intended that this commercial agreement will be the recommended vehicle for meeting the current and future needs for all postal services and solutions required by UK central government,” it added.
The framework contract, numbered RM6280, replaces the existing framework contract (RM6017 Postal Goods, Services and Solutions) and CCS said it includes services “that will capture new technologies and innovations to support buyers in adopting improved communications processes and transforming their mailroom operations to become more digital environments”.
With a total value of £1.6bn, according to the notice, the contract will end in late 2027.
The eight lots included postal services, franking machines, the collection and delivery of letters and parcels both within the UK and to international destinations, audits, business process outsourcing, hybrid mail, and security screening services, among others.
The notice named 33 different suppliers on the framework, with Swiss Post Solutions named on six of the eight lots, and Paragon Customer Communications named on five.
Seven other companies were named on three lots, including Adare SEC, Quadient UK, Ricoh UK, Royal Mail Group, and Xerox UK, while the majority of others were named on one lot, including FDM Document Solutions.
FDM, which secured Lot 6, covering Postal Services and Solutions, was also part of the previous framework that has been replaced.
FDM Document Solutions director Richard Farmer said: “We are very pleased to announce that we have been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s RM6280 agreement. This is testament to the service and solutions that we already deliver for our public sector customers.
“This year has been a momentous one for FDM, underpinned with positive change, and we are pleased to see this continue. As we continue to invest and to extend the services that we offer, we take a further step closer to achieving our ambitions.”
Nationwide Franking Sense, which was named as an approved supplier on Lot 1 of the contract, said it had 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,” said Franking Sense managing director Julian Gilbert.
“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.”
