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Print Marketplace – making small prints jobs as easy as online shopping for the education sector Crown Commercial Service (CCS) have launched a new self-service Print Marketplace to make buying printed materials less like procurement and more like online shopping. Dave Duncan, head of document management and logistics at CCS, explains more.
The first public sector Print Marketplace is now live. Developed in response to customer demand, a range of printed materials can now be ordered online quickly, simply, and compliantly. Traditionally, schools, colleges, and universities who want to purchase print must contact three suppliers for a quote before finalising artwork requirements and arranging delivery. Print Marketplace means you can now do all of that - from defining your requirements and comparing prices to selecting a supplier and managing your project - with a few simple clicks. What can I expect? We understand that across the education sector, print is purchased by a variety of professions. Each has different requirements and levels of knowledge, yet all are short on time. For that reason, Print Marketplace has been designed to be user-friendly and intuitive. If you ever need help, sectorspecific support is on hand via a live chat. To access Print Marketplace, you simply need to provide us with a few details, so we can create and verify your account. This means we can ensure only public sector organisations can enjoy the benefits of the system. Minutes later, you’ll receive an email confirming your account has been set up. You’re then free to get started.
journey. In just a few simple steps, you can define your requirements and decide which design option best suits your needs – whether that’s choosing from a range of preloaded templates and uploading your artwork, customising an existing design, or utilising our team of designers. Once you’ve selected the route for you, our instant pricing platform then provides quotes from a wide range of pre-approved suppliers while providing the functionality to retain preferred local suppliers. You can then compare quotes and use the filters to find the best solution for your needs – whether that’s the lowest price, the most local supplier, or the quote with the lowest associated CO2 emissions. Social value It’s incumbent on all educational institutions to lead the way when it comes to promoting social value. As an active member of the National Social Value Taskforce, Crown Commercial Service is working with buyers and suppliers to make it easier for public bodies to measure the social value they are helping to deliver through their procurement. And many schools, colleges, and universities are developing strategies to ensure they do just that. For that reason, Print Marketplace doesn’t just make it easy to order print; it also gives you the power to meet a range of social value obligations when purchasing print.
Supporting SMEs - over 80% of the companies on Print Marketplace are SMEs, helping to level the playing field for smaller businesses. What’s more, if your current supplier is not registered with Print Marketplace, they are also encouraged to join so they can benefit from the opportunities it presents Carbon Net-Zero - our carbon impact calculator recognises the environmental impact of each job and provides the option to offset the carbon product CO2E cost Prompt payment - Every time you pay, you can be sure suppliers get paid promptly - meaning you both meet your obligation to be a prompt payer and help strengthen the UK economy Modern slavery - every supplier on Print Marketplace has to provide a Transparency in Supply Chains statement to CCS along with a yearly report setting out the steps it takes to ensure slavery and human trafficking does not happen in its supply chain Get started If you want to save time and money on every print job while meeting your social value obligations, it couldn’t be simpler to get started - click here to register for your account. Alternatively, if you’d like a demo from one of our expert team, book it here. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.crowncommercial.gov.uk
How it works With nothing to install and no license needed, it’s easy to get started. Once you log in, you will be guided, step-by-step, through the print-buying
Issue 26.2 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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