ESPO Adds Insurance To Public Sector Procurement Portfolio

LEICESTER, U.K. - March 11, 2013 - PRLog -- ESPO, one of the UK's largest public sector professional buying organisations, has added a new EU-compliant insurance framework to its portfolio of professional procurement solutions.  Developed in partnership with Government Procurement Service (GPS), this is the first national agreement for the provision of non-life insurance and is estimated to be worth around £850 million over the next four years.  It will deliver significant cost and time savings to the public sector by providing access to brokerage services, insurance underwriting, claims and risk management without having to go through lengthy EU procurement processes.  

“This framework will be particularly relevant for academies and schools undertaking the conversion process with limited experience of buying insurance,” commented Kevin Willsher, Assistant Director at ESPO.   “It includes a single source brokerage and support service that provides impartial advice and guidance to help select and procure the most appropriate policy whilst ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements.  A wide range of policies are available including liability, property and construction, travel, personal accident and motor insurance.”

An innovative eAuction was conducted for this element of the new framework resulting in the successful supplier bid being 31% lower than the lowest opening bid.  This demonstrates how public sector costs can be driven down to deliver better value for money.

“ESPO played a key role in the development of this national framework working with stakeholders to help with contract documentation, specification and evaluation methods,” continued Kevin Willsher.  “As a founding member of the Pro5 group, ESPO has taken the lead on many national frameworks and is recognised as a truly independent procurement specialist that delivers the same level of support previously provided by local authorities.”

The new insurance framework will form an important part of ESPO’s portfolio of professional procurement solutions that include consultancy, banking, HR, advertising and recruitment, catering, grounds maintenance and cleaning, all of which have been subject to rigorous and fully compliant tendering processes.

The framework allows access to over 40 insurers and brokers, offering buyers real choice and competition.  Options available include:

·         Lot 1 – multi supplier lot covering the provision of insurance and support services

·         Lot 2 – multi supplier lot covering the provision of insurance brokerage and support services

·         Lot 3 – single supplier lot covering the provision of insurance brokerage and support services for organisations requiring additional support, guidance and knowledge

Further information is available at www.espodealingdirect.org

About ESPO

Established in 1981, Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) is one of the UK's largest public sector professional buying organisations.  ESPO provides a comprehensive procurement service to enable customers to acquire a wide range of products and services at the best possible price in compliance with current UK and EU procurement rules and regulations.  ESPO is also a member of the Pro5 collaborative procurement group and has been the lead authority on a number of national procurement projects.  For further information, please visit www.espo.org