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Abroad range of value for money, software and licences are now available off the shelf to schools and other educational institutions thanks to a new collaborative deal between OGCbuying.solutions and Becta, the government agency leading the drive for effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning.

The deal also includes a range of valueadding support services such as sourcing, installation, technical support and licence management.

The new procurement arrangements came into effect in October 2008 and replace a previous, successful Becta software licensing framework agreement. It is estimated that over the scheduled four year life of the new agreement, in the region of £80 million worth of software could be bought by education sector customers, delivering significant savings over what would be achieved by other, adhoc procurement mechanisms.

Schools, local authorities and colleges now have a quick, EU-compliant route to procure software in the following business areas:

• Operating systems
• Office productivity and databases
• Design, development and testing tools
• Network and security software
• Utilities, data management and storage
• Enterprise resource planning and management information software

Both proprietary and open source options will be available to meet customers' specific needs. The 12 successful suppliers who tendered are Academia, Civica Services, European Electronique, Insight Direct (UK), Joskos Solutions, Pugh Computers, Ramesys (e-business services), RM plc, SCC, Sirius Corporation, Trustmarque Solutions and Viglen.

Recent initiatives, such as Computers for Pupils and learning platform funding, have put local authorities - and Becta - at the forefront of the Government's ICT agenda.

A recent survey carried out by the National Centre for Social Research revealed that the proportion of authorities that used Becta frameworks to procure ICT resources increased from 78% to 89% between 2007 and 2008.

Becta is also a keen supporter of the Government's 14-19 agenda which recognises that ICT-supported learning is a key motivator for the majority of young people.

Buying Solutions also manages a number of other software licence Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Bulk Licence Agreements (BLAs) with a variety of software owners such as Agresso, BEA, Citrix, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and SUN.

Using MoUs and BLAs provides organisations with a number of benefits including significant discounts and improved terms and conditions.

Meanwhile Buying Solutions' diverse ICT products portfolio covers desktops, laptops, notebooks, monitors, computer accessories, components, cables, consumables and devices, servers, scanners, storage, tablet and thin client computers, toners and batteries.

Developed in consultation with existing customers from across the public sector, these procurement arrangements have been structured so that requirements can be quickly and efficiently called off, while standard terms and conditions and a transparent audit trail provide important contractual safeguards.

Meanwhile, NAO approved, independent price benchmarking is used to demonstrate savings and identify areas for
further efficiencies while additional support is provided in the form of customer advice and guidance on procurement issues specific to the public sector. Ongoing monitoring of supplier performance ensures product and service quality.

Commenting on the deal with Becta, Joan Murray, ICT Software Category Director at Buying Solutions, said:

"We're delighted to have worked closely with our partners at Becta to offer education sector customers a convenient, value-for-money vehicle for meeting their software requirements.

"Customers will be able to browse the framework agreements or issue an Invitation to Quote online by logging on to a dedicated area of the Buying Solutions' website www.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk to access all of the information they need for an online procurement."

Dr Stephen Lucey, Executive Director, Strategic Technologies, at Becta added:
"The previous Becta framework agreement proved to be a valuable procurement mechanism for the education sector in delivering cost effective software solutions.

"Over its three and a half year duration, £49.5 million of business was transacted yielding £25.9 million worth of savings.

"We are therefore delighted to see the launch of this Buying Solutions successor framework agreement, the first major procurement project in which Becta has collaborated closely with Buying Solutions.

"It will ensure that our educational users, including those in the FE and Skills sector, continue to have the opportunity of achieving effective choice and value for money."

For more information about software licensing from Buying Solutions, please contact the Software team by calling the Customer Service Desk on 0845 410 2222 or e-mailing custcare@ogcbs.gsi.gov.uk