New ‘end-to-end’ outsourced contact centre and business services agreement goes live

The new agreement went live on 10 September, and builds on the success of the existing Contact Centres agreement (RM3815), due to expire in March 2022. It will include significant improvements such as a broader range of suppliers, flexible delivery models, volume discounting for customers, as well as updated terms and conditions reflective of the Government Sourcing Playbook.

For the first time, the public sector will also have access to a brand new scope (Lot 2 – Business Services) providing access to HR, financial accounting, source-to-pay and payroll outsourcing services. The structure of the new contact centre and business services framework, as well as the enhanced specification follows extensive customer and market engagement activity. 

David Skinner, Commercial Director, Crown Commercial Service says: 

The new agreement provides customers with a broader offering, shaping how outsourced contact centres and business services can be provided to the public sector. It enables organisations to buy a multitude of outsourced services at once as opposed to having to do multiple procurements, which will save time and money.

This is another and the latest example of how CCS is putting customers at the heart of everything we do to help support the public sector to improve efficiencies and build back better.

COVID-19 support

Since its launch in 2018 CCS’s Contact Centre’s framework has supported the delivery of  critical, citizen-facing services. It has been crucial in supporting the response to the pandemic, particularly NHS Test and Trace, the Covid-19 Vaccines Helpline and the Covid Vaccination Certification Status Service. 

The new agreement takes into consideration recent market changes including COVID-19 and the prevalence of remote working by including flexible delivery models and specific rate types for home workers. It will also include scope for new technologies in contact centre services to help support self-serve where appropriate.

Contact Centre – improvements

• the number of available suppliers has been increased from 8 to 15 to reflect the growth in demand for customer experience centres, and the need to have a diverse pool of suppliers
• volume discounts have been included in the new agreement to reflect recent market trends for large service centres 
• the commercial model has been improved to increase transparency for customers by including various rate types to allow organisations to understand costs associated with different delivery models 

Business Process Services – benefits

• access to the full range of back office functions in a single procurement, saving time and providing value for money
• access to market-leading suppliers with the capacity to support requirements across the full spectrum of services, from organisations requiring a small payroll service, to large-scale transformation programmes
• input from central government functions including HR and finance to ensure that it is aligned to government priorities and standards, which other public sector organisations can benefit from
• tailored to market trends and innovations supporting the Government’s ‘Digital First’ strategy. Enhanced specification including the latest robotic process automation technology (RPA) 

Find out more

To find out more about the Outsourced Contact Centre and Business Services framework  visit the agreement webpage or contact the CCS Service Desk at info@crowncommercial.gov.uk or 0345 410 2222.

Don’t forget, you can find a full list of all the commercial agreements we offer, alongside details of how we can help you build policy considerations into your procurement, in our interactive digital brochure.