Aggregation

Aggregation is also known as collective buying. CCS uses aggregation to bring together customers with similar needs and get savings and favourable terms through their increased buying power.

Aggregated procurements save time and money because CCS runs the procurement, so there is very little administration for buyers to deal with.

Take a look at our current opportunities 

Who can use

Available to all public sector buyers.

How to buy

Give us details about what you need, such as a description of the product and/or service, volumes and timescales.

You can send these details to us by emailing the team directly at aggregation@crowncommercial.gov.uk 

Best for

• most common goods and services
• a specific need that can be combined with other public sector organisations’ needs 
• buyers with no specific deadline as it can take some time to get enough customers together to get the best savings.

Not suitable for

• complex needs
• services unique to a single buyer
• urgent timeline: buying from a direct catalogue may be quicker

Payment methods

This will differ depending on the framework you are using.

Time to supply

Aggregation opportunities are advertised and open for customers to join about 8 weeks before the tender is published

Once the tender is published, it takes about 6-to-8 weeks for the procurement process to be awarded. After this, with support from the aggregation team, your orders can be submitted to the winning supplier. These timelines may vary depending on the size and complexity of the procurement.

Pros

• combined buying power to get the best prices
• simple tender procedure using standard processes and documents that comply with public procurement regulations
• CCS manage the process for you, free of charge
• reduces bidder costs

Cons

• takes time to get a big enough group of customers together to get bigger savings