Postal Goods, Services and Solutions

A range of mailroom equipment, inbound and outbound mail services or more complex solutions for digital transformation of mail and communications.

Updates

30/01/2023: Updated statement from Royal Mail below, regarding the recently reported cyber incident:

We continue to make progress in exporting an increasing number of items to a growing number of international destinations. We are using alternative solutions and systems, which were not affected by the recent cyber incident.

Our focus has been on despatching the export parcels and letters which were in our network before the cyber incident. We have also been successfully despatching standard export letters since reinstating those services for customers on 18 January and Tracked and Signed and Signed letters and parcels since 26 January.

As a result of this progress and the further growing capability of our alternative export solutions, we can now announce that today, Monday 30 January, we will be resuming our International Tracked services to all destinations for business customers and consumers buying postage through our online shopping systems.

This reinstatement includes parcel, large letter and letter formats of these services. Online shipping solutions are now enabled to allow customers to select these services, print labels and send items (since 12pm today) for business contract and on account customers and from 7pm today for consumers who buy postage online.

Delivery of International Tracked items posted from Monday 30 January may take slightly longer than usual and customers may notice different tracking information as items leave the UK.

We continue to ask customers not to submit any untracked (Standard/Economy) export parcels into our network for the time being. We plan to provide further updates on these services as soon as possible.

Import operations continue to perform a full service with some minor delays. Domestic services are unaffected.

We would like to sincerely apologise to impacted customers for the disruption this incident is causing. Our teams are continuing to work around the clock to reinstate remaining services for export letters and parcels as quickly as we can.

19/10/2022: We can confirm that DHL Parcel UK Ltd are fully live on lots 3, 4 and 7.

08/08/2022: We have published a Prior Information Notice (PIN) for the future RM6280 Postal Services and Solutions agreement, which will replace RM6017.

To help us get a better understanding of your future postal service needs, complete our survey.

If you are interested in the new RM6280 agreement, or would like to address any concerns on the future of the agreement, email the team. You must include ‘PS&S PIN’ in the subject box of your email.

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05/04/2022: Royal mail price increases came into effect on 4 April 2022. This has increased the price of 1st class stamps by 10p (12%) to 95p and 2nd class stamps by 2p (3%) to 68p.

Take a look at our recent news article to find out how our RM6017 agreement can help you

01/07/2021: Royal Mail have announced the decertification of standard franking machines.

From 1 January 2023, Royal Mail will no longer accept mail franked from standard franking machines. Royal Mail are moving to the Mailmark 2D barcode technology. Customers will need a Mailmark machine from 1 January 2023 or mail will be returned to the sender undelivered.

All franking machines supplied under RM6017 are Mailmark compliant.

For more information, read the Decertification of Standard Franking Machines.

Description

A wide range of postal goods, services and solutions to support your postal requirements and strategy, no matter where you are in that journey. Whether you use traditional mail services or would like to transform your mailroom to digital, we can help.

You will have access to traditional postal goods and services such as security screening, franking machines, mailroom equipment, collection and delivery services for UK and international mail. The agreement also offers audits, efficiency reviews and consultancy services to help you develop your postal services strategy. A range of inbound and outbound services are available to transition from a paper-based mailroom to a digital environment. This includes hybrid mail solutions that incorporate new technologies and innovation, such as e-communications and fully outsourced, innovative managed service options, for a ‘digital by default’ paper-lite strategy.

Please contact us if you would like to:

  • improve document security
  • move to digital solutions
  • reduce costs
  • minimise waste
  • benefit from economies of scale
  • increase efficiency
  • reduce floor space
  • maximise resources

The agreement is open to all UK public sector organisations, including central government departments and their agencies, the wider public sector and the third sector.

It was developed in collaboration with 2 other public sector procurement organisations: YPO (formerly known as Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation) and ESPO (formerly known as Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation).

The duration of the agreement is 4 years. The call-off contract period is flexible and can run beyond the framework expiry date. The maximum call-off periods are as follows:

  • Lots 1 and 2: 6 years
  • Lots 3 to 10 (inclusive): 7 years

If you have any questions contact us on 0345 410 2222 or email us.

Benefits

  •  lot 1 offers a range of quality discounted low to medium volume franking machines through direct award, enabling convenient and fast procurement
  • an enhanced and extensive range of mailroom equipment and software with the latest technologies will increase production, reduce floor space and free up valuable resource
  • aggregating buyer requirements for volume discounts, access to zonal and regional pricing , and commercial benefits and savings
  • introduces new technologies and innovation to reduce your physical mail and integrate paper documents into digital workflows
  • increases security of mail items by using services such as hybrid mail
  • enables SMEs to bid for public sector contracts:
    • supporting the government’s aspiration for £1 in every £3 to be spent with SMEs by 2022
    • 50% of suppliers on the agreement are SMEs
  • buyers can reduce their carbon footprint through digitisation and new energy efficient equipment and services
  • uses the new Public Sector Contract – the shorter and simpler standard template for framework contracts for common goods and services.
  • support and guidance to help buyers optimise their mail processes and achieve savings on their postal services requirements

Carbon Reduction

Some of the suppliers for this agreement have agreed to comply with the Procurement Policy Note 06/21: 'Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts'. If a supplier has published a carbon reduction plan, you can find it on their individual supplier details page.

Products and suppliers

There are 36 suppliers on this agreement

Lot 1: Low To Medium Volume Franking Machines And Associated Consumables

Expires:

1 suppliers

Lot 2: Franking Machines, Mailroom Equipment And Associated Consumables

Expires:

6 suppliers

Lot 3: Collection And Delivery Of Letters, Large Letters, And Parcels

Expires:

8 suppliers

Lot 4: Collection And Delivery Of Letters, Large Letters And Parcels: International

Expires:

8 suppliers

Lot 5: Audits, Efficiency Reviews And Niche Consultancy

Expires:

1 suppliers

Lot 6: Business Process Outsourcing, Mailroom, Document And Data Managed Service

Expires:

8 suppliers

Lot 7: Hybrid Mail, Digital And Transformational Communications

Expires:

23 suppliers

Lot 8: Inbound Delivery Services

Expires:

1 suppliers

Lot 9: Mail Opening And Digital Scanning Services

Expires:

10 suppliers

Lot 10: Security Screening Services

Expires:

2 suppliers

How to buy

Buyers have the ability to direct award or undertake a further competition. Check your organisation’s internal policies and controls processes before engaging with suppliers to make sure you are following your standard operating procedures.

For more information on further competitions and direct awards, we recommend that you read the customer guidance document in the documents tab below before using this agreement.

Further competition

In the majority of cases you will need to run a further competition for your requirements to ensure best value for money. If you want to allow suppliers to develop proposals or a solution in respect of your requirement; and/or you need to amend or refine the terms of the call-off contract to reflect your requirements (to the extent permitted by and in accordance with the procurement regulations), you will need to undertake a further competition.

To award a call-off contract under the framework through a further competition you should:

  1. develop a statement of requirements identifying the framework suppliers capable of providing the goods and/or services.
  2. amend or refine the template call-off form and call-off terms to reflect the goods and/or services required.
  3. develop evaluation criteria and scoring methodology.
  4. publish invitation to tender pack, along with award criteria and further competition process.
  5. invite all capable suppliers under a Lot to tender by conducting a further competition in accordance with the regulations.
  6. evaluate tenders, score and provide feedback to bidders.
  7. you and the successful supplier will need to sign one of the following:
    1. framework schedule 6: order form template and call-off schedules (for lots 1 and 2)
    2. framework schedule 6: order form template and call-off schedules (for lots 3 to 10)

Make sure your order form includes any extra terms or schedules that you identified in the tender.

Direct award

Suitable if there is only one supplier that meets your requirements, or you can clearly establish which supplier meets your needs at the lowest price. You cannot use any supplementary terms and conditions with the agreement and you must accept the maximum framework prices if you choose this option.

To direct award under the framework without holding a further competition you should:

  1. develop a statement of requirements and determine whether this can be met by the mandatory/core goods and/or services of the framework.
  2. confirm that all the terms of the framework and the call-off terms do not require amendment or any supplementary terms and conditions.
  3. review the price schedule for all capable suppliers under the Lot to determine the most economically advantageous solution.
  4. award to the successful framework supplier and sign one of the following:
    1. framework schedule 6: order form template and call-off schedules (for lots 1 and 2)
    2. framework schedule 6: order form template and call-off schedules (for lots 3 to 10)

For support in accessing the agreement, contact us.

Aggregation and eAuctions:

You could get a better deal by aggregating your needs with other public sector organisations that need the same thing and/or competing price using an eAuction.

Read more about eAuctions

Read guidance on eAuctions

Or, if you would prefer to discuss your needs in more detail, you can contact our customer service centre by:

Phone: 0345 410 2222

Email: info@crowncommercial.gov.uk

Framework pricing:

Framework prices are accessible by specific request.

Lot 1 provides a pre-discounted list of franking machines, consumables and additional options available from a single supplier.

Prices for lots 2 to 10 (inclusive) are maximum prices payable under the agreement. In a further competition, suppliers should offer prices that are equal to or less than the agreement prices.

*The pricing for this agreement is considered to be commercially sensitive and could prejudice the commercial interests of suppliers if the information was made publicly available.

Sourcing tools:

We have a choice of eSourcing tools available for buyers to run and manage their further competitions under this agreement. It is not mandatory to use these tools and we recommend that buyers check their organisation’s internal policies and procedures.

CCS

YPO

ESPO

Pay for these services using your procurement card and increase rebate earning potential for your organisation.  If you do not have a procurement card, you can set one up using RM6248 Payment Solutions 2.

Documents