Digital Outcomes 6

A route to market to access agile development and user-centred design services to accelerate innovation within the public sector.

Agreement number: RM1043.8

Start date: 28/06/2022

End date: 27/03/2026

Available for: Central government Charities Education Health Local authority Blue light (police, fire, ambulance, search and rescue) Devolved administrations

Updates

04 November 2024: We are extending this agreement for 9 months, until 27 March 2026. The extension will maintain service provision so that customers can continue to buy the services they need. The extension will also facilitate a crossover period to support the movement to a replacement framework that delivers the optimal customer and supplier experience.

Show previous updates

30 July 2024: We have started the development of Digital Outcomes and Specialists 7 (DOS7). Visit DOS7 upcoming agreement page for further updates and future events.

19 October 2023: We are extending this agreement for up to 12 months until 27 June 2025. This extension will allow you to continue to buy the services you need while we develop a replacement agreement.

Contents

At a glance

Find suppliers who can design and build bespoke digital products and services using an agile approach.

These digital services can be provided by 1 person or by a team.

You can also use this agreement to find:

  • studio space to conduct user research
  • users with the appropriate characteristics to test your service

This new agreement will run alongside RM6263 Digital Specialists and Programmes. Together they will replace RM1043.7 Digital Outcomes and Specialists 5.

The agreement will run for 24 months, with an optional 12 month extension.

Procurement activity for Digital Outcomes (DOS)

View DOS 6 opportunities published on Contract Award Service

View all DOS 5 and earlier opportunities published on Digital Marketplace

View DOS spend figures

Products and services that are out of scope include (but are not limited to):

  • standalone hosting, support and maintenance of a live application or website
  • supplementing a temporary shortfall in staff with no clear deliverables (who might work across projects under the direction of the buyer)
  • any non-digital role, or a role where there are no clear deliverables

DOS 6 is not a route to market for contingent labour (contractors or interim staff). 

For contingent labour requirements you will need to use Public Sector Resourcing.

To access management consultancy services, including business, strategy and policy and finance consultancy you will need to use Management Consultancy Framework Three (MCF3).

Where the requirement is for individual DDaT specialists with identified/fixed deliverables or specific pieces of work use Digital Specialists and Programmes lot 2.

For support with the setup and maintenance of cloud software or hosting services use G-Cloud 13.

For the delivery of larger digital transformation programmes or capability based services covering a number of projects under an overarching set of objectives use Digital Specialists and Programmes lot 1.

Where the requirement is for digital capability based services for the public health and social care sectors use Digital Capability for Health.

For major service transformation programmes which require hosting, support and maintenance of new or existing platforms use Technology Services 3.

To provide independent quality assurance and testing (QAT) of a designed solution use Quality Assurance and Testing for IT Systems 2.

For an independent health check of IT systems use Cyber Security Services 3.

This is a further competition only agreement. There is no option to direct award. Each procurement can only be awarded to a single supplier.

You must publish your requirements (Invitation to Tender) on Contract Award Service (CAS). This is a new service from CCS and can be accessed through your Public Procurement Gateway (PPG) account. All suppliers awarded a place on the agreement, and registered on the platform, will be able to view and respond to your requirements.

For lots 1 and 3 you must follow a two-stage further competition process (stage 1: shortlisting and stage 2: further assessment).

For lot 2 you can follow a one-stage further competition process (having first created a supplier shortlist by filtering against the studio attributes required).

The basic steps to run a further competition for this agreement are:

  1. prepare a draft of your requirements
  2. get approval to buy what you need
  3. write and publish your requirements on Contract Award Service
  4. answer supplier questions
  5. review and score ‘essential’ and ‘nice-to-have’ skills and experience to create your shortlist
  6. give feedback to suppliers who are not shortlisted
  7. invite shortlisted suppliers to the further assessment stage
  8. evaluate technical and pricing proposals and your chosen additional assessment methods to find the right supplier for your needs
  9. award a contract and give feedback to unsuccessful suppliers
  10. publish the contract on Contracts Finder
  • offers bespoke services through suppliers with the right capabilities to meet your needs
  • no restriction on the value of an individual call-off contract (the agreement has an overall Find a Tender Service (FTS) value of £813 million)
  • our further competition process allows you to get the best supplier to meet your users needs
  • the agreement terms and conditions follow the Public Sector Contract format, and you have scope to make changes to your call-off contract (depending on the complexity of your needs)
  • you own the intellectual property rights and source code for the bespoke development, so you can share and re-use these with other public sector buyers
  • our suppliers are mostly small and medium sized businesses that use an agile approach when designing your digital products or services

Products and suppliers

You can now buy online with CCS.
Please select a lot to start.

Lot 1 Digital Outcomes
Access teams of 1 or more digital specialists who will provide outcome-based services under clearly defined pieces of work.

Expires: 27/03/2026

Lot 2 User Research Studios
Hire studio space in which to conduct user research activity.

Expires: 27/03/2026

Lot 3 User Research Participants
Find users with the required attributes and characteristics to test a digital product or service.

Expires: 27/03/2026

Documents

Each section below has the links to the documents, what they are for, when to use them and if you need to enter any information into them.

You might not need all the contractual documents to buy the products or services from this agreement.

Buyer guides

Before buying from this agreement you should read the buyer guide and how to use contractual documents.

The buyer guide will help you understand how the agreement works and what you can or can’t use the agreement for.

This section might also include further guides or lists you will need to look at and make selections from, as well as previous webinar slides and Q&A scripts from sessions with buyers and suppliers.

Core terms and conditions

The core terms form part of the framework and call-off contracts and must be used on every contract. They cannot be changed.

The core terms are CCS’s standard commercial terms. They govern the supplier’s relationship with CCS and every customer who has a call-off contract.

The framework award form is the basis of the agreement between the supplier and CCS. It is signed by the supplier and countersigned by CCS to accept them on the DOS 6 agreement. It creates the framework contract and summarises the main features of the procurement. All buyers need to be aware that it contains the Framework Special Terms, which amend the Core Terms.

Framework award form

The core terms form part of the framework and call-off contracts and must be used on every contract. They govern the supplier’s relationship with CCS and every buyer who has a call-off contract. They cannot be changed.

Core Terms

Call-off order form

When a customer decides to buy from a supplier, they’ll complete an order form with important information about the call-off contract.

Customers can change any of their chosen schedules by adding special terms in the call-off order form.

A completed order form will contain:

  • what will be supplied
  • how it will be supplied
  • how much it will cost
  • contact details for suppliers and customers
  • a list of all the call-off and joint schedules

The call-off contract will be created when both parties either agree to:

  • sign a completed order form
  • create a binding electronic purchase order which includes the information in the order form

Joint schedules

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 1 definitions

Essential document

Read only

This defines significant words and phrases used in the core terms and template schedules. You will need to add any new definitions specifically needed for your contract, and add them as special terms in your call-off order form.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 2 variation form

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

Explains the format for formally documenting any contract changes you may need.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 3 insurance requirements

Essential document

Read only

An essential schedule that captures the supplier’s basic obligations for any insurances needed at the framework level, and mandating that the supplier must give you any additional insurances that you specify in your order form.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 4 commercially sensitive information

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

You should ask your supplier to tell you if any of the information they provided as part of their bid is commercially sensitive, such that they would not want it disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Their response will provide the content for this schedule, but it is your decision if the relevant information would be withheld if a relevant FOI request was received.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 5 corporate social responsibility

Essential document

Read only

This is a core schedule that sets out basic corporate social responsibility (CSR) or social value requirements that apply to all suppliers in the agreement. You may have your own CSR or social value requirements to include in your contract and, where you have specified that as part of a competition, these must be satisfied.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 6 key subcontractors

Essential document

Read only

You only need this document if the supplier uses one or more key-subcontractors to fulfil its obligations under your contract.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 7 financial difficulties

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

If a supplier has any financial difficulty when you use your call-off you will need to use this schedule to monitor their financial standing and any consequences of changes to this.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 8 guarantee

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

You can use this schedule when you want assurance provided by a third party guarantor that the supplier’s obligations will be met, because you are concerned about the financial status of your supplier.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 10 rectification plan

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

This explains the format for any rectification plan that your supplier may have to provide in the event that you experience a supplier default.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 11 processing data

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

This schedule addresses the processing of any personal data associated with the performance of your contract. Normally, in terms of data protection rules:

  • the customer will be the controller, specifying the purpose and means of processing personal data
  • the supplier will be the processor, carrying out such processing under the instructions of the controller

In these circumstances you will need to clearly set out what personal data you are authorising the supplier to process, by using the data processing template available in this document.

In certain circumstances the customer and the supplier may decide that they have a joint controller relationship in respect of the processing of certain personal data in relation to an order contract. Where this is the case Annex 2 of the schedule must be used, and the data must be written in the data processing template.

Finally, there may be circumstances under which, for certain personal data, the supplier will maintain that they will be the controller without the customer being either a joint controller or processor. In this instance this should also be written in the data processing template.

RM1043.8 Joint schedule 12 supply chain visibility

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

Describes the process to allow the supplier to provide timely, full, accurate and complete Supply Chain Information Report, with Template provided in Annex 1

Call-off schedules

Call-off schedules are used when suppliers sell their goods or services to customers.

You can choose which schedules to include and whether to edit these template schedules when they form a call-off contract.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 1 transparency report

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

Information about the call-off contract you need from the supplier, so that you can meet your public accountability and transparency requirements.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 2 staff transfer

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

To ensure that appropriate provisions are included to deal with staff transfer on both entry and exit of the call-off contract.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 3 continuous improvement

Essential document

Read only

Obligation on the part of the supplier to always strive to identify new or potential improvements to how they meet the needs of the project, including through regular reviews with the customer.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 4 call off tender

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

Add the supplier’s bid into this document, including anything additional they offered that you would like included in the contract.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 5 pricing details and expenses policy

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

This schedule should be used to show more detailed pricing information, in addition to the pricing and reimbursable expenses detailed in the order form.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 6 intellectual property rights and additional terms on digital deliverables

Essential document

Read only

Additional provisions on intellectual property rights for the digital deliverables, to ensure the ongoing operability of the service and ability to publish the solution code as open source.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 7 key supplier staff

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

Sets out the restrictions on a supplier changing staff that are crucial to deliver the call-off contract.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 8 business continuity and disaster recovery

Optional document

Read only

What the supplier must do to make sure the call-off contract can still be delivered even if there’s an unexpected event. Use if:

  • call-off contracts will be critical for the customer’s organisation
  • it would be difficult to replace the supplier if things go wrong

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 9 security

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

What the supplier must do to make sure that customer data and deliverables are kept secure.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 10 exit management

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

What the supplier needs to do at the end of a call-off contract to help the customer continue to deliver public services.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 12 clustering

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

You can use this schedule if other customers (contracting authorities) want to join with you to buy using a single call-off, instead of lots of individual call-off contracts.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 13 implementation plan and testing

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

The agreed plan for when the services will be delivered and tested to ensure they meet your needs.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 14 service levels and balanced scorecard

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

The standards of service required by the customer and what happens when these are not met.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 15 call off contract management

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

How the supplier and customer should work together on the call-off contract.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 16 benchmarking

Optional document

Read only

Mechanism for the buyer to commission an independent assessment of the value for money offered by the supplier in the delivery of the contract.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 17 MOD terms

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

For Ministry of Defence (MOD) customers only. Any additional terms needed by the MOD.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 18 background checks

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

This schedule is used when supplier staff must be vetted before working on the contract.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 19 Scottish law

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

Switches the interpretation of the call-off contract to Scottish law.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 20 call off specification

Essential document

You will need to enter details in this document

The full details of your specification of requirements, which are referenced in the order form.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 21 Northern Ireland law

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

Switches the interpretation of the call-off contract to Northern Ireland law.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 23 HMRC terms

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

Any additional terms needed by HMRC.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 25 ethical walls agreement

Optional document

If you use this schedule, you will need to enter details in this document

To ensure transparency, fairness, non-discrimination and equal treatment in relation to the buyer’s procurement process.

RM1043.8 Call off schedule 26 cyber essentials scheme

Optional document

Read only

Used when the Order Form requires the Supplier to provide a Cyber Essentials Certificate or Cyber Essentials Plus Certificate.

Framework schedules

Framework schedules are used by CCS to set up the agreement with suppliers.

RM1043.8 Framework schedule 1 specification

Read only

What CCS expects the supplier to provide to customers.

RM1043.8 Framework schedule 2 framework tender

Read only

How the supplier proposes to meet the specification requirements.

RM1043.8 Framework schedule 3 framework prices

Read only

The pricing mechanism for buyers and suppliers under the framework contract.

RM1043.8 Framework schedule 4 framework management

Read only

Describes how CCS and the supplier will manage the framework contract.

RM1043.8 Framework schedule 5 management charges and information

Read only

Describes the management charges, and information process and charges, between CCS and the suppliers at framework contract level.

RM1043.8 Framework schedule 6 order form template, statement of work template and call off schedules

You will need to enter details in this document

If you already completed the order form in the Call-off order form section, you won’t need to complete this document, because they are the same.

RM1043.8 Framework schedule 7 call off award procedure

Read only

The process a customer must follow to award a call-off contract, which needs to be clearly stated in your further competition documents.

RM1043.8 Framework schedule 8 self audit certificate

Read only

CCS requires suppliers to provide a self audit certificate following an annual self audit to verify their accounts.

The benefits of using CCS