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Procurement Essentials: Aggregations, eAuctions, and how schools can take advantage of the public sector’s national buying power


tender only provides one opportunity. Suppliers compete on price alone during an eAuction. Other criteria, such as quality and services levels, are agreed during earlier stages of the procurement. In some eAuctions a supplier’s quality and technical scores are combined with their bid price to determine the overall result.


During the auction suppliers know their ranking but not who they are bidding against. The eAuction typically lasts between 1 and 3 hours, but can last longer. Once the auction closes a contract is then signed with the winning supplier.


Can your students design a comic strip to show their vision of a future Olympic or Paralympic Games? Aldi, Team GB and ParalympicsGB want to hear from you!


to Eat Fresh Design a Comic Strip competition. School children aged 5–14 are invited to bring to life their vision of a


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MBE, and Team GB diver, Jack Laugher MBE. The athletes will work alongside a judging panel from Aldi, Team GB and ParalympicsGB to select a winner from three different categories: ages 5–7, 7–11 and 11–14 – alongside one overall winner. The panel will be on the lookout for exciting, inventive and fun designs, which showcase a clear vision for the Games and include at least one healthy food! The deadline for all entries is Friday 24 June. To help get students inspired, teachers can download the free competition


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resources from the Get Set to Eat Fresh website. Alongside the entry and cov er sheets, the supporting resources have been created to get children thinking about how the Olympic and Paralympic Games have changed – and remained the same – over time. Students will also be encouraged to discuss the different foods people eat at the Games and how the sport, events and food may change in the future. By entering the competition, students will be challenged to get creative


rocurement Essentials is a series of articles from Crown Commercial Service (CCS), the UK’s biggest public procurement organisation, to help you overcome common hurdles, understand key concepts, and make your life as a buyer of everyday goods and services easier.


What is aggregation?


and incorpo rate feedback to create a truly eye-catching, futuristic design. Enter by Friday 24 June for your chance to win! “Come on, kids! Let’s get creative,” remarked Lauren Rowles MBE. “We


want to see your amazing ideas of what we might be able to see, do or eat at a future Olympic or Paralympic Games. There’s only one rule. Your entry must include one item of food. That can be an athlete’s breakfast or a fruit stall for fans at the stadium. That really is it. Oh, and don’t forget to send your entry by 24 June!” “We can’t wait to see your ideas” added Jack Laugher MBE. “Perhaps you


Aggregation just means ‘collective buying’. It usually involves bringing together more than one organisation with similar needs to buy common goods and services. It helps the public sector achieve savings that would not be possible through individual buying. Aggregation works best when there is no urgent procurement need and timescales are flexible.


How does it work?


think a future Usain Bolt will be breaking records for a 100m sprint on the moon. Or new technology will mean new sports are invented! Or maybe we’ll come together to find more sustainable ways to travel to the Games. There r eally is no limit to your imagination. I’m so excited to see what you come up with. Good luck!” Adam Zavalis, Marketing Director of Aldi UK, said: “We’ve been fuelling


Team GB with healthy food since 2015 and I’m delighted that ParalympicsGB has joined our great Get Set to Eat Fresh programme. The Design a Comic


Suppliers on a suitable framework are given the opportunity to take part in the aggregation, offering their best price for goods and services collectively identified by the group of customers. Any organisation that is eligible to buy through CCS can join an aggregation. Customers can also request that CCS organises aggregations for many additional goods and services, including common technology solutions such as software licences and IT hardware.


June 2022October 2022 eAuctions


An electronic auction (eAuction) is an online procurement tool that allows potential suppliers to compete against each other to win contracts. Suppliers bid against each other, in real time using web-based software, to offer the best price.


eAuctions bring together similar needs from lots of public bodies and encourage suppliers to offer the most competitive pricing to win higher volumes of business. For instance, several schools could sign up to buy laptops through the same eAuction, through a CCS framework. Suppliers have multiple opportunities to bid, whereas a traditional


www.education-today.co.uk www.education-today.co.uk 5


ldi, Team GB and ParalympicsGB are marking the 10th anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by launching the Get Set


What kinds of goods and services can be bought through aggregations? Aggregations work best with common goods or services that will attract more than one customer and supplier.


future Olympic or Paralympic Games in a fun and creative way – creating a comic strip! Winners will receive £1,000 cash for their school, a £100 Aldi voucher and a whole host of Team GB and ParalympicsGB goodies. The overall winner will also have their comic showcased in Aldi stores nationwide! The campaign has been launched by ParalympicsGB rower, Lauren Rowles


When customers with similar needs aggregate their buying power, it encourages a wide range of suppliers to take part, reducing the cost of goods and services that do not require complex, bespoke solutions. There are also time and cost savings for buyers as the aggregation is managed by CCS. For example, we run regular aggregations for technology goods and services. Last summer, two educational establishments joined an IT hardware aggregation. The Academy Trust saved on average 15.3% whilst the Primary School saved just under 30% in comparison to market prices at that time. More complex requirements, such as a contract for architectural services, may not be suitable for aggregation, since each customer will have distinct needs. In that situation, it makes more sense for customers to set out their individual needs to a range of suppliers on a framework.


Strip competition is just one of the ways we hope to inspire children to think about healthy, active lifestyles and explore their best futures. On your marks, get set – draw!" Get Set to Eat Fresh is a nationwide healthy eating initiative from Aldi,


Find out more


Team GB and ParalympicsGB. The programme creates free teaching materials for teachers and families to support young people aged 5–14 in developing their love and curiosity about healthy food and the skills they need to cook nutritious, low-co st meals. Since its launch in 2015, the Get Set to Eat Fresh programme has reached over 2.2 million young people and, with ParalympicsGB joining the programme this year, aims to further expand to reach 3 million by 2024. The programme has been well reviewed by teachers, with 92 per cent of those surveyed saying they would recommend Get Set to Eat Fresh to a colleague. To find out more about the Get Set to Eat Fresh Design a Comic Strip


You can now find all of our Procurement Essentials articles in one place on our website, visit crowncommercial.gov.uk/procurement- essentials.


To find out how CCS can help you make better buying decisions, visit ucrowncommercial.gov.uk/schools


competition, please visit: ugetseteatfresh.co.uk/resources/designacomicstrip


CCS manages eAuctions from start to finish, with a dedicated and experienced team on hand to guide you through the process.


Our aggregation programme We run dozens of aggregations every year, and it is free to take part. For more information on taking part in aggregation opportunities contact our customer services team by emailing info@crowncommercial.gov. uk.


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