Government launches Creative Choice procurement framework

In 2009 12 founder members, including design consultancies Bell, Bentley Holland and the Domarn Group, formed the Creative Choice consortium in order to bid for a DfE tender which sought a single supplier or manager of creative services, including design.

Creative Choice saw off competition from 39 other bidders to be appointed to the contract, which will run for three-to-four years.

The framework now comprises around 150 small-to-medium-sized businesses, all of whom will be able to tender for work through Creative Choice.

All Government departments and public sector organisations will be able to run tenders through Creative Choice, although they will not be restricted to this framework and will be able to use other options as well.

Neither the Department for Education nor the Government has made a commitment to any level of spend through Creative Choice and the freeze on non-essential Government marketing spend, which was imposed last year by the Cabinet Office, remains in place.

Last month the Cabinet Office announced that it is to scrap the Central Office of Information, which has been the Government’s main procurer of design. There are now plans to establish a centralised Communications Delivery Board, which would work alongside Creative Choice.

Creative Choice was founded by 12 consultancies across design, PR, events and other services. They are: Bentley Holland, Bell, Brass, WCL, Two Four., The Live Group, CDS, Kindred, Crown, Take One Productions, Dorman Group and Scroll.

There are currently around 150 groups who have joined Creative Choice and those who wish to become part of the supply chain can register through the Creative Choice website.

Jonathan Lewis, chairman of Creative Choice, says, ‘Since entering contract negotiations we have made great strides in bringing this offer to the market with a fully operational procurement portal now live. Creative Choice clients should expect a more direct and responsive route to procurement and, as importantly, innovation and value for money.’