The marketing services company, which has more than 15 years’ experience of working with the public sector, launched the online print buying platform in 2020 alongside CCS and YPO.
APS Group said Print Marketplace has since gained momentum and is now helping hundreds of public sector print buyers save their organisations time and money, while also helping them work towards sustainability and social value goals. One of the aims of the platform is to give SME firms access to public sector work.
The platform has already offset the CO2 equivalent of planting 16,700 trees.
Print Marketplace, which allows for direct award, services sectors including educational institutions, the NHS and blue light departments, and both local and central government organisations.
Ross Buthee, print category commercial lead at Crown Commercial Service, said: “Print Marketplace continues to lead the way with a digital solution for marketing print buying services for the entire public sector.
“Customers can compliantly purchase quality print, including promotional, mailing, exhibition and display products, whilst saving time, money, and meeting their social value obligations.
“APS retaining the contract will provide continuity of service to the existing customer base. We will work closely with APS over the four-year term to continually improve the customer user experience.”
Kim Naylor, executive director at APS, added: “We are delighted to have retained the Print Marketplace for another four years.
“It’s been fantastic to watch how this compliant purchasing route has progressed from being a brand new platform, to now being a staple and cost-effective part of the procurement process for so many public sector organisations.”
APS Group has also recently added a raft of additional kit from Bowe, Ricoh, Xerox and Quadient to its own in-house operation, and made a new senior hire to support the expansion of its secure Customer Communication Management facility in Preston Brook near Runcorn, which included the launch of a new “disaster recovery solution”.
Employee-owned APS Group was founded in 1961 and helps brands with creative and content, customer communications, and customer experiences.
It employs over 1,000 staff globally, with headquarters in Cheadle and a number of regional offices across the UK, Europe, and North America.
Crown Commercial Service, the UK’s biggest public procurement organisation, started approaching the market with the opportunity for the new £22m Print Marketplace contract earlier this year and it was awarded this summer.
