National Software & Associated Services Framework

Kent County Council (the Council) is the largest local authority in England covering an area of 3,500 square kilometres. It has an annual expenditure of circa £1bn on goods and services and a population of 1.5m. The Council provides a wide range of personal and strategic services on behalf of its residents, operating in partnership with 12 district councils and 289 parish/town councils.

Commercial Services is one of the largest trading organisations of its kind in Europe with a turnover in excess of £600 million and employing over 700 people from its base in Kent. Tracing its roots back to 1902, as an education stores department for Kent County Council, Commercial Services has subsequently grown organically to supply an ever-increasing range of best value goods and services to other publicly funded organisations. These include local government, education establishments, the care sector and the emergency services.

KCS Professional Services, is a trading unit of Commercial Services and provides a purchasing, warehousing and distribution service to a wide ranging customer base within local government and associated public bodies in Kent, neighbouring counties and across the UK.

The Central Buying Consortium (CBC) is a group of County, Borough and City Councils. The purpose of whichis to improve the effectiveness, by co-ordination, of local authority purchasing with the object of effecting savings in public expenditure for the benefit of its members. CBC procures approximately £750m goods and services per annum.

In accordance with best procurement practice, EU and UK Procurement Directives and Regulations, Kent County Council via KCS Professional Services wishes to create a National Framework Agreement (the Agreement) for the supply and delivery of Software Products & Associated Services.

The procurement process adopted by the Contracting Authority is based upon the 'Open' Procedure, as detailed in the 'Public Contract Regulations 2015'.

Additional information: This opportunity will be completed electronically via ProContract, a site run by Due North. Interested organisations should go to

www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk to register and express interest. To express interest select 'Current Opportunities', from the 'Organisation' drop down box select 'Commercial Services', click search and select the appropriate opportunity. Once you have successfully expressed interest via the portal you will be sent an email directing you to the ProContract site from which you will be able to access and download the invitation to tender documentation and any other relevant information. This email should be retained, as it will contain your direct link to the ProContract portal, for information purposes only the link is www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/procontract/supplier.nsf DO NOT USE THIS LINK NOW.

Tenderers should also note that final submissions must be made via ProContract, no other submission route is permitted. Failure to follow this path will result in the tender submission being disregarded.

ALL DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO THIS OPPORTUNITY WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD VIA

THE PROCONTRACT PORTAL FROM THE OUTSET. Please ensure you are able to download all files immediately after accessing the ProContract portal.