Where does Technology Services 3 fit in?

For suppliers selling their technology services to the public sector, TS3 is a great opportunity. Here's where it sits in terms of the market.

The Technology Services 3 framework may have been delayed by a few months, but it’s promise and opportunity hasn’t changed. With £200m+ going through the framework during its second iteration – which is still Live, we might add – there’s a lot of business taking place.

What’s the market like?

In the 2019/2020 financial year, managed services and technology services were a £7bn+ business when it came to the public sector. That’s a lot of solutions bought from a wide range of suppliers. The public sector spent nearly half a billion on consulting services alone!

This is expected to rise, and although Covid-19 has created some uncertainty, frameworks (such as Technology Services 3) are still arriving this year. GlobalData have predicted that the public sector spend on tech services will have risen to around £7.6bn by 2024.

This looks likely as the UK government turns to technology to support the economy and public during its Covid-19 recovery. In fact, we are expecting a new digital strategy in the Autumn too.

Where does Technology Services 3 fit in?

We’ve spoken before about the different ways suppliers of tech services can get involved in the public sector. But why does Technology Services provide such a good route to this market?

Well, quite simply put, Crown Commercial Service run the framework specifically for the provision for the ‘technology services’. The planned Lots for Technology Services 3 (TS3) are:

1. Lot 1 – Technology Strategy & Service Design
2. Lot 2 – Transition and Transformation
3. Lot 3 – Operational Services
   • 3a End user services
   • 3b Operational Management
   • 3c Technical Management
   • 3d Application & Data Management
4. Lot 4 – Major Service Transformation Programmes
5. Lot 5 – Service Integration and Management (SIAM) – a new Lot!

Basically, buyers will be looking to the framework to find services that can help them achieve their required outcomes. It definitely provides a way for suppliers to get involved in the market.

Missed our recent Technology Services 3 webinar? You can watch it now, here!

What can I do?

In one sentence: get on the framework. We’re expecting it to open for applications on 20th October 2020. So watch this space.

However, if you meet the requirements and get listed, the work doesn’t stop there. You still need to put the framework into your public sector strategy. Make sure you’re still marketing yourself, and your presence on the framework, to potential buyers. They’ll want to know what routes to market you’re involved with, so that they know where to post their opportunities. Which leads us on to our next point…

Although there will apparently be some capacity for direct award through TS3, suppliers will still need to make sure they’re all good to go when it comes to bidding. Making sure you can put together strong bids and successfully put yourself forward. That’s the part that counts.

So, that’s where Technology Services sits in the public sector tech market. As the focus on digitalization and transformation increases, with new ways of working and changes to public services, the framework provides a way for suppliers to get involved.