Procuring GIS solutions with Buying Solutions

As a leading supplier of GIS solutions and services, Innogistic were awarded a place on the Buying Solutions GISS Framework Agreement in December 2007.

What is Buying Solutions?
Buying Solutions is the name for a set of framework agreements designed to streamline public sector procurement.   Established and managed by OGCbuying.solutions, an executive agency of the Treasury’s Office of Government Commerce, the Framework Agreements provide a choice of pre-approved suppliers with expertise in particular areas – such as GIS.

How can Buying Solutions help you?
Buying Solutions Frameworks are designed to reduce the time and cost of the procurement process.  On average it has been shown that 77 days of effort can be saved procuring via the Buying Solutions route – saving public sector organisations time and money.   Collectively, this saved the public sector an estimated £12 million on IT Frameworks alone in 2006/7.  (Source: OGCbuying.solutions benchmark).

Furthermore OGCbuying.solutions set up the Buying Solutions framework agreements via a competitive process which ensures that only suppliers offering value for money are awarded a place on a Framework.  In 2006/7 the total estimated public sector price savings on IT Frameworks amounted to £43 million.  (Source:  OGCbuying.solutions benchmark).

Who can use Buying Solutions ?
Catalist can be used by any UK Public Sector Contracting Authority, including:

• Central Government Departments and Agencies
• Local Government
• Education
• NHS (including Trusts)
• Non-Departmental Public Bodies
• Prison Service
• Police
• Fire Service
• M.O.D.

Service suppliers acting on behalf of these organisations may also use Buying Solutions.

How can you use Buying Solutions ?
You may either place an order directly with a Buying Solutions supplier, provided that you can determine that the supplier offers the best value for money for your specific requirement using evaluation criteria outlined in the guidance notes of the Framework.  Alternatively you may run a further competition with suppliers on the Framework.

Is Buying Solutions an alternative to OJEU?
OGCbuying.solutions have pre-competed the Catalist frameworks in accordance with EU legislation. Buying Solutions may be used for purchases below and above OJEU thresholds, so you can use it as an alternative procurement route to OJEU.

What Framework is Innogistic on?
Innogistic is on Lot 1 of the Geographic Information Solutions and Services (GISS) Framework, which covers the following:

• End-to-end GI solution provision including consultancy, design, development, implementation, integration, data transfer, maintenance and support 

The framework runs until 13th December, 2011.