The HMRC Print Vendor Partner contract, which went live on 1 July, is available to all Government departments and will replace 140 separate contracts.
It is expected to save £21m on Whitehall print costs and would suggest that the OGC's Pan Government Collaborative Framework, launched in 2007, will not now be renewed.
Cabinet minister Francis Maude told an audience of the top 200 government procurement officials on Wednesday (13 July) that "the most radical changes to procurement are now underway".
He said: "The days when there was no strategy and no coherence to the way the Government bought goods and services are well and truly at an end. Collectively we have made a good start with the savings we have already delivered – but it is only the beginning.
"We need to challenge traditional procurement thinking and make a significant step-up in capability if we are to deliver on the challenges ahead of us. As procurement professionals this is your time, never have you had such a high profile or expectations placed upon you. There is a great deal to do when you leave here today."
Williams Lea has now been named strategic partner to the HMRC and will act as a central manager to the second tier supply chain, in what is anticipated to be the first of many centrally managed government contracts.
Miles Toulson-Clarke, global head of business development and marketing at Williams Lea, said: "We are delighted to have won this prestigious contract. Government procurement was looking for an organisation with a proven record of success and the ability to deliver a transformational solution on a pan-Government scale.
"With this being the first centrally managed contract to be let by Government Procurement, we are delighted to have been selected to work with central government and look forward to engaging with key stakeholders and existing vendors."
Tim Griffiths, group chief executive of Williams Lea, added: "This is a hugely important contract win for the business. It recognises the capabilities of Williams Lea in supporting this first cross-government initiative and we feel very honoured to have been chosen."
According to the original contract notice, the value of the contract is between £150m and £250m, while the duration is for 48 months with an option to extend by two additional periods of 12 months each.
The primary focus of the contract is "to deliver immediate savings whilst identifying opportunities to deliver further benefits year-on-year, in a climate of increasing austerity measures".
PrintWeek has contacted both Williams Lea and the Government for clarification on how the contract will be administered; however, further information was unavailable at the time of writing.
