8 December 2020

Crown Commercial Service and APS Group partner to launch digital Print Marketplace

The new platform will provide public sector bodies with greater access to SME suppliers

A new marketplace for printed materials is being developed by Crown Commercial Service (CCS) in partnership with YPO, to connect UK print suppliers with public sector organisations. The contract was awarded to global marketing services provider, APS Group, following a successful government tender earlier this year. 

The Print Marketplace platform will enable all public bodies to compare prices and order printed materials, such as brochures, stationery and leaflets, from local or national print suppliers. Organisations will be able to use pre-designed templates to help confirm their specifications - with purchasers also able to compare the carbon impact of each order.

The platform will streamline procurement processes, help public sector organisations review a range of instant quotations from suppliers, and place orders more efficiently knowing they are receiving a competitive price. The Print Marketplace is ideal for print suppliers of all sizes to increase the geographical spread of their business with minimal administration and enables them to update their pricing at any time. 

Print suppliers will need to register their interest with APS to be included on the platform which is free and simple to sign up to. Once registered this will allow suppliers to gain access to a wide range of public sector opportunities with the guarantee of prompt payment being an additional bonus. 

Dave Duncan, Crown Commercial Service’s Head of Document Management and Logistics said: “Capable of providing real, instant quotes from multiple suppliers, Print Marketplace will be a genuinely market-leading solution. It will allow customers from the entire public sector to purchase quality print products and, in doing so, save time and money while meeting their social value obligations.”

“This solution will also support SMEs in the wake of COVID-19, allowing them to win new business and access customers they may have previously struggled to reach.”

Kim Naylor, Executive Director of APS Group, added: “We are delighted to be helping government, suppliers and public sector organisations develop a game changing online platform with such potential. By connecting supply and demand, we are helping to remove many of the obstacles that have previously prevented the public sector accessing smaller, local suppliers. We welcome the opportunities this will bring to our existing and new roster of print suppliers.”

If you would like to register your interest in becoming an approved supplier to Print Marketplace please access this link here; https://register.print-marketplace.co.uk/