Education trusts set up £500 million ICT procurement framework

Two education trusts have set up a procurement framework for ICT goods and services that they have estimated could be worth up to £500 million.Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), which oversees a number of secondary academies, and The Elliot Foundation Trust (TEFAT), which specialises in primary academies, have set up the framework the enFrame procurement body for the education sector.The contract notice outlines the two lots – for strategic partnering and support services with the latter having sub-lots for support services and a managed service – and lists 12 companies as winners of places: Sweethaven, Joskos Solutions, Dataspire Solutions, Medhurst Communications, RM Education, Specialist Computer Centres, Savvy IT, Praestatia Technology, Easipc Services, Academia, Turn IT on and Telefónica.It does not make clear the duration of the contract but says it is open beyond education institutions to the wider public sector.It adds that AET and TEFAT intend to find a strategic partner through the framework.“enFrame are focused on ensuring that every procurement is driven by social value and fighting climate change, an ethos that is shared with AET and TEFAT,” the notice states.“As such, the framework asks what social value supplies can offer through delivery of the service that would benefit the trusts, and what they can offer and do to reduce the trusts’ carbon footprint.”