IT consultants: your government needs you

06 Jun 2005 15:50

The government wants to sign up computer consultants for contracts with Whitehall, the police, the NHS and even charities

Treasury purchasing agency OCGbuying.solutions is looking for IT consultants to provide services across the public sector and for not-for-profit organisations.

The invitation to tender, published on 2 June, 2005, said that the type of consultancy required will range from one-off knowledge based advice to the delivery of extensive reports. Consultancy will be provided on a 'call off' basis, to Whitehall departments and agencies, the police, NHS, local councils, educational organisations and charities.

The move is part of the Catalist programme, a single purchasing system to replace the government IT catalogues run by OGCbuying.solutions, an executive agency of the Office of Government Commerce.

The contract will be divided into eight categories covering: information systems strategy, consultancy and development; the design of IT architecture, including networking and communications; e-business systems; IT security; telecommunications; application design; emerging technologies; and enterprise resource planning. Suppliers will be able to bid for work in one, a number or all of these categories.

The winning suppliers could face further competition. OCGbuying.solutions will allow contracting bodies to use electronic reverse auctions, which will re-open competition between companies. The process involves registered suppliers bidding online for a piece of work, with the possibility of revising their bid in an effort to win the business

Hugh Barrett, chief executive of OGCbuying.solutions, said that reverse auctions can play an important role in providing value for money in public sector procurement.

"Our challenge is to make e-auctions an integral part of the procurement process toolkit," he said.

Story URL: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,39202007,00.htm