Crown Commercial Service as the Contracting Authority is putting in place a Pan Government Collaborative Framework Agreement for use by UK public sector bodies identified at VI.2 (and any future successors to these organisations), which include Central Government Departments and their Arm's Length Bodies and Agencies, Non Departmental Public Bodies, NHS bodies and Local Authorities.

The above Public Sector Bodies have a need for educational institutions or a range of procurement authorities or their agents, to obtain ICT solutions and specialist educational ICT goods and services. This framework agreement will replace the Becta ICT services framework let Oct 2010 and subsequently assigned to DfE ownership (contract notice 2010/S 43-063793).

This new framework agreement will provide customers with the capability to obtain ICT goods and services tailored for the specific needs of a diverse range of educational establishments.

The scope of requirements will cover the full range of ICT goods, services and solutions operated by educational institutions including design, specify, supply, integrate, implement and test, training, support and maintenance (all together as a packaged solution or in any combination required by customers).

Overarching requirements (commercial and technical) will be established within the scope of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) and/or Framework Agreement terms. Local customer requirements will be defined at the ‘further competition' stage of procurements within the functional (outcome-based) specifications.

Providers will be capable of supplying a range of delivery models including supply and fit, support and maintenance; systems configuration and management, partial or fully managed ICT service; complete integrated service with other technologies/partners. Within such models, providers must be able to supply a range of ICT solutions

Providers can be expected to supply and integrate solutions into both green field (new build) situations as well as legacy ICT environments requiring integration and repurposing of existing ICT.

In the context of the solutions/services required, ICT solutions can include but not be limited to Hardware (servers and user computing devices); Software (operating systems, office productivity, network, security etc.); Networks (routers, switching, cabling, local area network infrastructures etc.); Peripheral equipment (printers, peripherals to support specialist curriculum provision.); AV equipment); user devices(desktop computers, tablets, high specification devices); Mobile connectivity (as an integrated package within user devices).

Important Note: Fixed line broadband connectivity is NOT within the scope of this procurement. It is expected that prospective customers will provision broadband connectivity separately via specialist providers.

Crown Commercial Service reserves the right for an electronic auction to be held by Public Sector bodies during further competition among the parties to the Framework Agreement(s).