The mega contract for printed matter, digital comms and related services is divided into three lots: Lot 1 Print and Digital Communications and Related Products (Direct Award, including Command and House Papers); and Lot 2 Print and Digital Communications (Further Competition), valued at £930m over four years.

Lot 3 is Print Marketplace 2, valued at £22m.

The original Print Marketplace contract was won my Manchester’s APS Group, and the £200m print buying platform – aimed at giving SME firms access to public sector work – went live in September 2020.

The Print Marketplace 2 contract is described as a “single supplier for the provision of a technology platform for a self-serve print solution.

“This will enable end users in the public sector to access real-time pricing on a dynamic basis from local print suppliers for a wide range of print requirements.”

Of the overall contract, which has procurement reference RM6297, CCS stated: “The agreement shall include multiple routes to market (Direct Award, Further Competition, Click and Buy Digital Platform) for purchasing print products, digital communications and all associated services to provide an end to end print management service.

“The scope shall include all types of print such as operational, transactional, and secure print, and the associated services such as direct mail, storage, fulfilment and distribution, digital asset management, digital solutions, omni channel communications, content creation, pre-production services, media duplication and official papers.”

The contract start date for Print Marketplace 2 is June 2024.

The start date for the Print & Digital Communications lots is mid-December 2024.

Crown Commercial Service is the UK’s biggest public procurement organisation.