Crown Commercial Service’s RM6336 Framework allows central government and the wider public sector to access disclosure services for a complete service following the Electronic Discovery Reference Model or by using select elements of this
The framework has been designed with input from government stakeholders, customers and suppliers and provides eDisclosure and eDiscovery services for electronically-stored information. This includes identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, analysis, production, and presentation at trial.
The agreement replaces the previous CCS eDisclosure and Review Services agreement RM6203 and will expire on 6 March 2027.
Buyers can use a complete service or buy component parts of the disclosure procedure.
Lots
The framework has four lots and 13 suppliers.
Lot 1 is for Simple Low Volume Work Service and provides pre-processing, processing, review, production and disclosure services for low volume work. This can include the collection, identification, processing and analysis for electronically stored information (ESI) of no more than 5GB with a security classification of up to and including ‘official’ and ‘official sensitive’ and hardcopy documents of no more than 1,750 pages with a security classification of up to and including ‘official’ and ‘official sensitive’.
Lot 2 covers End to End Service up to ‘Official’ and enables access to end-to-end eDisclosure services for documents and data with a security classification of ‘official’ and ‘official sensitive’ or lower. Services in this lot include strategic oversight, advice and support, document identification, data preservation and collection, document processing, document review, document reviewers, document production, disclosure from other opponent parties, presentation at trial, and security requirements.
The third lot is for Document and Reviewers and is for documents and data with a security classification of up to and including ‘official’ and ‘official sensitive’. This lot allows buyers to access document reviewers to review documents and data, tag or add extra information to documents and data to easily label and categorise them, and redact (adapt) documents and data, for example by obscuring or removing personal or sensitive information.
The final lot is End to End Service ‘Secret’ and ‘Top Secret’ and offers access to end to end eDisclosure services for documents and data with a security classification of ‘secret’ and ‘top secret’. Services covered by this lot include strategic oversight, advice and support, document identification, data preservation and collection, document processing, document review, document reviewers, document production, disclosure from other opponent parties, presentation at trial and security requirements.
Buying
For Lot 1, services can only be bought through direct award. For the remaining lots, either direct award or further competition can be used.
To use direct award, the buyer will need to develop a clear specification of their needs and then award the call-off contract by sending the successful supplier a completed and signed framework schedule 6 (this can be done electronically). Then the buyer will need to then notify CCS of the award.
Further competition has a few more steps, and begins with identifying the suppliers who meet your needs, by considering the expression of interest responses you received from suppliers and reviewing the service document which suppliers created to help with the selection process. The buyer will then need to develop a specification of needs and use framework schedule 6 to refine contract deliverables. Buyers can then develop further competition award criteria and invite identified suppliers to submit a tender. Further information is available from CCS’s website.
Benefits
The framework offers the opportunity to access a range of market-leading suppliers with fixed rates for standard services and the lot structure is better aligned to customer needs to enable fast and responsive action.
There is a more efficient and streamlined call-off process with simplified documents and commoditised pricing for electronically stored information, which provides clarity and easy comparison.
There is a good proportion of SMEs on the framework and all suppliers must agree with high standards of security.
The agreement provides increased access and availability to new technologies to enhance the efficiency of the service and offers reduced time for the customer to contract with suppliers and a reduced time period for disclosure.
The framework also reduces the cost of procurement.
