The ins and outs of Crown Commercial Service contracts

Are you curious about Crown Commercial Service contracts? Do you want to learn more about these contracts and what it could mean for your business? In this blog, we’ll tell you everything you need to know! 

What is the Crown Commercial Service?

Before you learn about Crown Commercial Service contracts, you need to know what the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) actually is.

The Crown Commercial Service is responsible for:

• Managing the procurement of goods and/or services in the public sector. As a result, organisations with similar needs can achieve value by buying as a single customer.
• Increasing savings for the taxpayer by centralizing buying requirements for common goods and/or services.
• Leading public procurement in the UK.

What are the different types of Crown Commercial Service contracts? 

These contracts can cover many services, across a wide range of industries. However, there are four main categories, including:

1. Buildings 

• Construction
• Energy
• Workplace.

2. Corporate solutions

• Document management
• Logistics
• Fleet
• Research
• Marketing and communications
• Travel.

3. People

• Contract centers
• People services
• Professional services
• Workforce health and education
• Recruitment.

4. Technology 

• Digital future
• Network services
• Software and cyber
• Technology products and services.

How to win Crown Commercial Service contracts 

So, how can you actually secure Crown Commercial Service contracts for your business?

Before you respond to any RFP opportunities, you need to register on the CCS eSourcing tool. You need the following information to register:

• Name of your organization
• DUNS number
• Information that describes your organization and the size of your business.

Once your registration is complete, you can start bidding for contracts.

In summary

The Crown Commercial Service is responsible for managing procurement activities on behalf of the UK government. It also strives to increase savings for the taxpayer and centralize buying requirements in the UK.

Crown Commercial Service contracts cover a wide range of services and industries. However, the main four categories are buildings, corporate solutions, people, and technology.

Finally, to win Crown Commercial Service RFPs for your organization, you need to register on the CCS eSourcing tool. To register, you’ll need the name of your business, your DUNS number, and information regarding the size of your business.

How can Hudson Outsourcing help?

Now you know about Crown Commercial Service RFPs, you may be wondering how we can help you.

At Hudson Outsourcing, we’re bid writing specialists. If you’re looking for an outsourced approach to bid writing, we’re here to help.

Our Hudson Succeed Division can help you with full bid management.

The team have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – they can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

·       RFP Writing

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. They’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

·       RFP Mentor

RFP Mentor can give your bid response a once over before you submit. The Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors prior to submission.

·       RFP Ready

A 4-week program for those who have never tendered before. The program will develop your branded corporate literature and case studies. Our team will advise you on what bidding opportunities you should go for and guide you through your bidding response.

·       RFP Improvement

The RFP Improvement package can help those who have bid before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Need help searching for bids?

You may be wondering where you can find public sector contracts for your business. There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads. Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities.

At Hudson Discover, we house 11 sector-specific RFP-tracking portals.  One centralized and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

These consist of:

• Creative RFPs & Bids
• Healthcare RFPs & Bids
• Facilities RFPs & Bids
• Construction RFPs & Bids
• Technology RFPs & Bids
• Logistics RFPs & Bids
• Research RFPs & Bids
• Consultancy RFPs & Bids
• HR RFPs & Bids
• Finance RFPs & Bids
• Hospitality RFPs & Bids

Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about public sector contracts. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant contracts are uploaded to your sector.

A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include:

• Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See the hundreds of opportunities that are available, intuitively categorized and easily accessible.
• A daily email bulletin. When you sign up to a portal, you can choose the specific areas in which you’d like to tender. Then, a daily bulletin is created for you. It includes all the relevant opportunities that have been posted to the portal that day, straight to your inbox.
• A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
• A free 20-minutes phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert bid consultants will chat with you for 20-minutes about anything RFP related.

What opportunities can I expect from a bid search on one of the above portals?

We host all kinds of bids in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:

• Open RFPs
• Restricted procedures
• Competitive dialogs
• Negotiated bidding procedures
• Innovation partnerships
• Single supplier contracts
• Framework agreements
• Dynamic Purchasing Systems

Vocal

Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.

The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro businesses to large organizations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.

Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. Our team specialize in six areas, including:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration.

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!

Contact us today to find out more.

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• The outsourcing process
• Advantages to outsourcing work
• How to find the best tender websites
• Bidding on government contacts in the UK
• United Kingdom tenders
• Blue light tenders
• Public procurement in the UK
• Government tenders
• Public contracts in England
• e-Tender websites
• And many more.