An estimated total of between up to £56m plus VAT will be spent through the framework

The Scottish Government has selected a mix of big-name vendors and small local specialists among the eight firms picked for a print and services framework that could be worth close to £70m.

A contract award notice for the government’s Framework Agreement for the provision of Office Equipment and Services revealed that manufacturers Konica Minolta, Canon, Ricoh, and Xerox were all successful in their bids. But a duo of Scottish SME resellers – in the shape of Edinburgh-headquartered Capital Document Solutions and Glaswegian outfit Exsel IT & Communications – have also made the cut, alongside two larger peers from south of the border: Annodata and Danwood. 

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The eight print providers have been tasked with delivering a variety of products and services, ranging from individual low-end devices, up to large rollouts of sophisticated software and monitoring offerings.

“The framework… will include the supply and delivery of a wide portfolio of products, ranging from small, single-function desktop printers, to large print room high-volume products, consisting of mono and colour, network and non-network requirements; and services and solutions up to a fully managed print service,” the award notice said.

Total spending of between £28m and £56m – excluding VAT – is expected to go through the framework. The agreement will run for an initial two-year period, with the government having the option of exercising two further one-year extensions. A vast range of public bodies across the healthcare, local government, education, housing, and emergency services sectors throughout Scotland can buy through the vehicle, which is not divided into lots.

Just one of the nine firms who submitted a bid to land a place on the deal missed out. The criteria involved in deciding to whom to award the contract were geared 60% towards quality and 40% towards price, the award notice said.