The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has set up a dynamic purchasing system (DPS) framework for space enabled and geospatial services.
It said it will make it easier for the public sector to procure a broad range of services under a contract that came into operation earlier this week and is set to run for up to four years.
Five suppliers have so far been given places on the framework - Atsun Technology, CGI IT UK, Geocollect, Helyx Secure Information Systems and Spyrosoft - and CCS said another 20 have applied.
It has pointed out that a DPS framework allows them to join for the life of the contract, which the original notice valued at up to £216 million.
It comprises four categories: space enabled/satellite communication and broadcasting; geospatial, remote sensing and PNT (position navigation, timing); unmanned autonomous vehicles; and upstream services (professional consulting).
In its description of the framework, CCS has indicated that it covers products and services including data and voice networks, solutions for capturing, processing and storing relevant data, remote sensing and unmanned aerial and land solutions, and geospatial data.
The Geospatial Commission has expressed its support for the DPS with a blogpost saying a Geospatial Data Market Study by Frontier Economics, published in November 2020, identified a number of points of friction hindering the public sector’s access to geospatial data and services.
It also said the flexible nature of the DPS will make it easier for organisations to procure new products and services as they become available, and emphasised that the contract incorporates net zero emission requirements for suppliers.
Image from iStock, Zhudifeng
Revised to show five suppliers on 14.10.21 after CCS updated the information supplied
