CCS and creating a covid secure workplace

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, the Crown Commercial Service received thousands of offers from suppliers across the UK to provide goods and services to the public and third sector. The resulting Covid Catalogue is explored below

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March, organisation across the country from a range of sectors have had to initiate new ways of working. Whether it be hospitals finding new ways to accommodate an increasing number of patients, local councils seeking new ways of coordinating meetings without being able to congregate in person, or construction companies trying to help the government ‘Build Back Better’, despite normal working conditions being off limits.

Crown Commercial Service, the procurement arm of the government, has received thousands of offers from suppliers across the UK to provide goods and services to the public and third sector during the coronavirus outbreak. The consequential catalogue of supplier offers, which is updated daily, categories each of the goods and services offered by what’s on offer and the region it is offered in. This ranges from technology to security solutions, building facilities to consultancy advice.

Speaking at Procurex National at the start of September, Simon Tse, chief executive of the CCS, said that the organisation had received 9,000 offers of support from suppliers to source non-medical common goods and services. This, he announced, had enabled public sector bodies to access goods including clear plastic screens, sanitisers, cleaning products, and office and school supplies.

The outbreak presents an urgent and unique challenge for both commercial and non-commercial colleagues across the public and third sector. One of the challenges for CCS customers is ensuring that they continue to buy compliantly, in line with current procurement regulations. When buying common goods and services, CCS would always recommend that you use existing commercial agreements, which will help ensure your procurement is compliant and that you benefit from our supplier management and pre-agreed terms, while continuing to achieve great commercial outcomes.

Here, we look at some of these areas in detail and how CCS and its suppliers are helping to keep businesses open, public services running and the health sector continue its recovery with winter just around the corner.

Organisations are able to access innovative security solutions through CCS to assist the transition of staff back to the workplace

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The NHS and the immediate future of healthcare

The government led response to the coronavirus pandemic has seen over two billion items of personal protective equipment (PPE) delivered to the frontline, covering acute, community, mental health and ambulance trusts as well as to GPs and social care organisations through the national logistics effort. As of the start of August, this included: over 337 million Type 11R facemasks; over 24 million FFP3 facemasks; and over 325 million aprons.

The urgent demand for PPE at the outbreak of Covid-19 earlier this year was so unprecedented that despite increasing staffing levels and running NHS Supply Chain’s network 24/7, it became clear more capacity was still needed to help ensure that PPE products were delivered to the front line. This led to the Government led initiative to establish the dedicated and totally separate PPE supply channel – set up by NHS England and NHS Improvement, NHS Supply Chain, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Clipper Logistics who are delivering the service. Therefore, the CCS catalogue does not contain offers of PPE.

Working in the office

Following remote working or closure, organisations have been reopening sites - despite contradictory messages from the government. Organisations are able to access innovative security solutions through CCS to assist the transition of staff back to the workplace.

One such product is thermal cameras for temperature screening. Using infrared technology, thermal cameras can detect radiating heat from a body to provide an estimated core body temperature. These cameras are an extremely powerful tool, often deployed by firefighters to track smouldering embers and police to search for out-of-sight suspects. Technology has been developed in several formats from hand-held units to mounted cameras, providing increased safety as they allow measuring of multiple people, without the need for physical contact. Thermal cameras will enable businesses to rapidly check the temperature of staff or visitors as they enter a building without contact. They are suitable for workplaces with high footfalls; for example, there are thermal cameras that can scan more than 120 people per minute.

Organisations are able to access innovative security solutions through CCS to assist the transition of staff back to the workplace. One such product is thermal cameras for temperature screening. Thermal cameras will enable businesses to rapidly check the temperature of staff or visitors as they enter a building without contact

Moreover, personal proximity sensors can provide visible, audible and vibrating alerts when pre-set distancing rules are broken. These can be provided in a number of formats, from a removable sensor that can be attached to a belt or pocket using a hook, to a more advanced sensor that can be incorporated into a badge holder.

There are also a suite of physical access control products available. Controls such as pin pads or biometrics should be assessed, especially where direct contact is concerned. For organisations at higher risk, especially where larger footfalls means there is increased difficulty to manage end-to-end security, the implementation of non-contact inspection of ID by guards might work in the short term with a view to transition to more advanced contactless systems (automated turnstiles/doors) in the long term.

Touch-free temperature screening terminal can be used to give staff an easier way to enter a building, record attendance and simultaneously check temperature without having to touch a terminal or gate, using face recognition and thermographic technologies. The touch-free nature of the terminals makes access easier and safer, suitable for long-term temperature screening with access control for any scenarios with a high footfall of people. Systems can also be provided that allow for people to ‘self-check’ their temperature.

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Digital display and signage

In order to enable social distancing, it’s imperative that buildings and facilities limit the number of people allowed inside. Many supermarkets, for instance, have a current maximum of 100 people let in at a time. The security market can provide automated density control solutions, which will automatically provide clear signage and ways to avoid overcrowding.

Digital display solutions are useful for clearly communicating live information to all your staff by combining temperature screening, density control and face mask detection information with digital and video messaging. It lets individuals know when they can enter your building along with displaying any specific messages in real-time.

At the end of May, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy released ‘Covid-19 secure’ guidelines to UK employers to help them get their businesses back up and running and workplaces operating as safely as possible. The guidance covers eight workplace settings which are allowed to be open, including outdoor environments, construction sites and factories.

Simon Tse, chief executive of the Crown Commercial Service, said that the organisation had received 9,000 offers of support from suppliers to source nonmedical common goods and services

Employers have been advised to carry out coronavirus risk assessments in consultation with their workers or trade unions, to establish what controls and guidelines to put in place, and to publish the results on their websites where possible. For the built environment this may include areas such as ensuring any necessary inspections or recommissioning of assets whether these be mechanical (including heating, cooling, ventilation and exhaustion), electrical, plumbing or building fabric related, undertaking repairs, additional FM services or communications with any landlords are assessed before reopening. The CCS Estates Professional Services (EPS) and Facilities Management Marketplace agreements can support in helping you to identify and manage risk, against your own timelines, to current guidance for a compliant and safe reoccupation of your buildings.

Organisations have also had to think about re-designing workspaces to maintain two metre distances between people by

staggering start times, creating one way walk-throughs, opening more entrances and exits, or changing seating layouts in break rooms. The CCS EPS, Furniture and Fit Out frameworks can help you understand the current usage of buildings from deliveries to office traffic, develop control of access measures and deliver occupational solutions to comply with relevant guidelines.

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Where people cannot be two metres apart, employers should look into putting barriers or screens in shared spaces, creating workplace shift patterns or fixed teams minimising the number of people in contact with one another, or ensuring colleagues are facing away from each other. The same EPS and Furniture agreements can help plan social distancing planning, redesign spaces, monitor space usage and provide solutions to meet current guidance and enable future planning to update your Estate Strategy.

The Furniture and Associated Services agreement can support your organisation as you plan to reopen amid the new measures that have been put in place by the government, as well as your more general needs, from secure to recycled furniture. Listed suppliers are offering a range of products including protective screens, hand sanitiser stations and temperature screening booths, as well as consultancy services to help plan space in line with social distancing guidance. There are also temporary solutions available, including working from home and removable furniture for when circumstances change.

Following customer feedback, the new agreement has been developed to provide a wider product offering than the previous iteration, and now includes: security-rated CPNI (Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure) furniture for securing your assets; fitted and bespoke furniture; specific furniture for the education sector; and remanufactured and recycled furniture; a cost-effective and sustainable alternative.

CCS says that 80 per cent of suppliers on this framework are SMEs, supporting the government’s ambition that, by 2022, one third of procurement spending is with small and medium-sized businesses.

Where staff are now accessing networks and applications remotely in far greater numbers, perhaps not as largely as in March and April at the height of lockdown, available external network bandwidth to these services still needs to be considered

Reinforcing cleaning processes

Whether you require a deep clean before reopening premises, or you need to consider changing or introducing a new cleaning regime in response to changes in working patterns, ensuring risk of transmission is minimised is essential. Workplaces should be cleaned more frequently, paying close attention to high-contact touch points like door handles and keyboards. Employers should also provide handwashing facilities or hand sanitisers at entry and exit points.

The fairly new Buildings Cleaning dynamic purchasing system (DPS) provides easy access to this, and CCS created guidance on how to navigate your way through the additional requirements you may face. The procurement body is working closely with all of its experienced suppliers, across all relevant frameworks, so that they are set up to offer you the best solutions to ensure your workplace is Covid-19 secure.

Regarding cleaning requirements, you may require a contractor to undertake a one off deep clean before reopening or if you’ve had a confirmed case of coronavirus. Or, you may simply be considering your current cleaning contract and want to introduce a routine cleaning service that will meet your changing demands following the pandemic.

Providing easy to access commercial agreements and industry expertise, the CCS has two agreements in place which have approved suppliers who will be able to provide the services to the standards set out in your specification: Facilities Management Marketplace and Buildings Cleaning Services.

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Linen and laundry

Primarily targeting healthcare organisations, the new and improved Linen and Laundry Services framework is of particular interest to providers, including care homes, that have increased demand due to coronavirus. The framework has been developed to replace two previous frameworks and CCS has made a number of improvements based on feedback from both customers and suppliers: the lot structure has been revised to allow customers to run one procurement for all their linen and laundry needs; a specific lot for cleanroom services which is a new offering unique to CCS; revised evaluation and pricing methodology that promotes value for money; and the introduction of a direct award option (providing the requirement meets the criteria).

The framework is available for use by all public sector organisations including central government, wider public sector, charities and third sector.

Additionally, to help with your additional cleaning needs during the current coronavirus pandemic, the new Building Cleaning Services dynamic purchasing system (DPS) provides access to a range of cleaning services. The agreement provides easy access to a range of internal, external and ad hoc deep cleaning services to ensure that your organisation is safe for reopening and thereafter.

The DPS has been designed to provide flexibility for both customers and suppliers and is available for use by all public sector organisations, including central government, wider public sector, charities and third sector.

When the UK government brought in measures to control the spread of coronavirus in March, a complete lockdown stopped a large amount of research in its tracks, particularly where it involved faceto-face research

The advantage of using the DPS and working with CCS means customers have the opportunity to benefit from: a simpler, quicker process for suppliers means CCS maximise the opportunity for local suppliers to bid for public sector business; a quick and easy automated selection process matches a list of qualifying suppliers that meet the customers’ requirements; as suppliers can join at any time, customers benefit from a constantly updated supplier list; creating their own specifications, in a way that suits their needs, giving flexibility based on the customers individual requirements; preagreed core terms established in line with best commercial practice to provide legal protection for customers and suppliers; access to category expertise and a range of support functions for the life of any contract awarded under the DPS.

The Building Cleaning Services DPS offers public and third sector organisations the opportunity to procure a wide range of cleaning services from regional and national suppliers, through a streamlined procurement process, such as: one-off deep cleans; routine cleaning; exterior building cleaning; window cleaning; and specialist cleaning.

Working from home

Unsurprisingly, many organisations immediately sought support with understanding their technology options as they looked to increase home working options for their employees in response to coronavirus. A number of existing agreements are available that can enable organisations to easily and quickly procure the technology products and services needed to allow employees to work more flexibly at this time. The agreements predominantly cover the following areas: compute; security and access; network; and remote working tools.

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Compute

Stock levels have been heavily impacted since the Spring and unfortunately large scale requirements are unlikely to be met in short timescales, particularly for brand new devices. Organisations should still be able to access small volumes of new devices, 10’s or possibly even low 100’s - however you should contact some resellers first to check on current stock

levels as they are changing very quickly. If you require thousands of devices then suppliers are advising it will involve a wait of 30 to 40 days. For shorter term requirements you may want to consider refurbished devices and stock is still available.

You can make use of the simplified further competition facility under our Technology Products and Associated Services (TePAS) framework to get quick quotes for stock that is available now. Information on using TePAS and the simplified further competition process can be found in our customer guidance.

As well as off-the-shelf laptops and hardware, our resellers and manufacturers already have a number of bundles available to assist with home working. These range from complete mobility as service options to bundles of screens and peripherals which can be utilised where work desktops are being taken off-site for home working.

Network

Where staff are now accessing networks and applications remotely in far greater numbers, perhaps not as largely as in March and April at the height of lockdown, available external network bandwidth to these services still needs to be considered. This will be dependent on the organisation, service types, and potential number of staff accessing and it is recommended that you contact your existing network provider to check any potential impact.

Good working practices, such as switching off video if not necessary, can also significantly reduce the data flow across your network, therefore revised usage policies should also be considered. Conferencing services are going to play a pivotal role in maintaining business as usual operations, enabling your staff to continue to communicate effectively. There are a number of hosted services available which can be rolled out quickly and in some cases remotely. More on this can also be found below under remote working tools.

Increased remote working, especially if there are any broadband issues, will likely see an increase in use of mobile data, so you need to ensure this is monitored and consider additional data bundles to cater for an increase in demand. In order for this to be effective, it is necessary that staff are able to tether devices so they can access their mobile data via their laptop.

The above networking services and more are available through Network Services 2.

Touch-free temperature screening terminal can be used to give staff an easier way to enter a building, record attendance and simultaneously check temperature without having to touch a terminal or gate, using face recognition and thermographic technologies

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The future of research

When the UK government brought in measures to control the spread of coronavirus in March, a complete lockdown stopped a large amount of research in its tracks, particularly where it involved face-to-face research. The resulting delays to research commissions – from initial discussions with potential providers, right through the procurement process and up to award of contracts – has created uncertainty in the market and will have a continued impact on the continuity of research-related projects. The implications of this can be far-reaching, both in terms of the continuity and quality of data for ongoing programmes, and for the financial health of the research industry as a whole.

Now, as initial restrictions are gradually lifted, CCS wants to look forward, and talk about some of the ways in which you might begin to commission new research programmes, in a way that supports the wider industry as it navigates its way out of a post-pandemic slump.

When setting up new research agreements, think about how you might be able to structure the payment mechanisms more sustainably. Consider if there are ways to reduce the barriers to suppliers bidding for new research commissions – often research projects require the supplier to bear the cost of setting everything up, and carrying out the initial work before raising any invoices. If the pandemic situation E

Organisations have also had to think about re-designing workspaces to maintain two metre distances between people by staggering start times, creating one way walk-throughs, opening more entrances and exits, or changing seating layouts in break rooms has caused research providers to dip into their cash reserves, they may not be able to fund this – so consider how you could reduce the up-front costs for providers, or perhaps bring in earlier staged payments.

While central government organisations are usually prohibited from paying in advance of need without Treasury consent, PPN 04/20 has made some provisions for this to secure continuity of supply of critical services in the medium and long term (until the end of October 2020). If you choose to go down this route, you should make sure that appropriate and proportionate due diligence is undertaken to ensure such payments are necessary for continuity of supply of critical services.

When you are developing your procurement documentation for a new requirement, carefully consider the relative weightings you have placed on price and quality elements of your evaluation.

In a market where a lot of work has paused or stopped, a heavy focus on price rather than quality may push suppliers to offer unsustainable prices in order to fill their order book again. This creates a risk that the supplier could cut corners to reduce costs, or simply run out of money. Both of these situations would ultimately impact the quality and outcomes of the research.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

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