There are communications circulating in the market at present that paint all framework providers with the same brush, particularly regarding transparency and fee structures. While it is true not all frameworks have the same levels of transparency, equally not all framework providers are the same.

In the case of Cirrus Purchasing, our frameworks are free to use for consortium members, with no upfront or ongoing costs associated with membership of the Cirrus Consortium.

We do however charge our framework suppliers 0.5% of invoiced turnover from call-off contracts issued via our frameworks which cover our framework management costs. We have always been open and honest about this fee which has always been publicly available, and is stated across all of our framework literature and website.

While our framework fees are not charged to consortium members directly, all or part of this cost may be recouped from members through the costs of materials and/or services purchased. To minimise this potential cost impact for our consortium members Cirrus has always kept our fees low, and to the best of our knowledge, our materials supply framework fee is the lowest fee charged by a framework provider in the UK, and has been since our first framework agreement in 2009.

For more information about Cirrus Consortium frameworks please contact Claire Paton on cpaton@cirruspurchasing.co.uk or 07828 143935.

Rexel are available to trade through Lot 3 (Electrical materials) of the Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework and have asked us to showcase their new Van Stock and Smartstores brochure.

Rexel’s Smart Stock Solutions are cloud-based inventory and asset management systems powered by market leading technology.

Click here to view the full brochure.

These solutions are currently being rolled out nationally to a number of public sector clients, if you are interested in utilising this service through the Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework please contact Claire Paton on cpaton@cirruspurchasing.co.uk or 07828 143935.

Rexel are more than happy to arrange face to face demos and webinars of this service, if you are interested please let us know.

As we continue to celebrate our tenth year of remaining a completely carbon negative company, we have chosen an incredible local initiative to support. The Mersey Forest Foundation is a growing network of woodlands and green spaces across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Mersey Forest helps support the work of the Mersey Forest Partnership, who over the last 25 years, have planted over 9 million trees across Merseyside and North Cheshire. Trees are planted on a range of sites including hospitals, schools, along roadsides, in city centres, and on public and private land.

The trees provide a wide range of benefits to both the environment and to local people including:

• Better air quality
• Increased biodiversity
• Health and well-being benefits
• Flood risk mitigation
• Better, greener neighbourhoods


Alongside tree planting the Mersey Forest partnership also coordinate and deliver a wide range of projects which benefit local communities, including the Natural Health Service and Forest Education Programme.

In the Knowsley area alone they have worked with residents, local businesses, housing associations, local authorities and funding bodies to plant over 300 trees. This has helped to brighten residential areas, making them more wildlife friendly and resilient to climate change and has boosted health and well being in the area.

Cirrus is proud to have donated towards such an important and impactful scheme. To view our recognition certificate please click here. For more information on The Mersey Forest visit their website here.

We are celebrating 1 year of the latest Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework! We’d like to say a big thank you to all of our valued suppliers and clients for a great year of trading though this framework. We hope to continue building on the successes and partnerships created this year, throughout the duration of the framework.

Both our clients and suppliers have dealt with unprecedented circumstances this year through the COVID-19 pandemic and have adapted very well, we hope business returns to usual for you all as soon as it is safe and possible to do so.

For more information on the Cirrus Consortium frameworks please click here.

As you may know, we are celebrating our 10th consecutive year as a carbon negative company. As well as supporting our carbon offsetting programs, we actively promote initiatives to reduce carbon emissions within our business practices.

This includes remote working, going paper-free where possible and targeting a large portion of our business travel to be by public transport.

Collectively as a small team, we have been on 2,251 public transport business trips to clients since the company began. A recent study found that a bus with just 7 passengers is more fuel efficient than the average single vehicle used for commuting. Using public transport not only reduces the number of vehicles on the road and therefore emissions produced but it also helps to reduce smog and improves air quality for local residents.

With that in mind, using public transport as much as possible will remain a core value to us as a business. However, in light of the current circumstances surrounding COVID-19 we have made a decision to refrain from using public transport in the short term until it is safe to do so; for both our staff and our clients.

We are continuing to take our meetings online until further notice and hope all of our clients and stakeholders stay safe and keep in good health at this time.

Take a look at our new case studies here featuring three of the successful partnerships that have been established through our frameworks and outsourced consultancy offering.

We will be adding more case studies to our website in the coming months so keep your eyes peeled!

Cirrus are proud to announce that we have remained a completely carbon negative company for the 10th consecutive year.

Over the last ten years we have planted over 150 trees in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya through a verified carbon reduction programme. As we celebrate our tenth year of remaining carbon negative, we have chosen a completely new initiative to support and also plan to support local green projects throughout the rest of the year (stay tuned!).

This year we are supporting a hydro power project in Himachal Pradesh, India. We have offset our environmental impact well beyond our calculated emissions through the United Nations carbon offset platform. Their certified projects reduce, avoid or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

This particular project produces renewable energy by using hydro power to supply electricity to the local grid. The project also generates employment for locals, contributes to basic amenities to the community and invests in local infrastructure in an area that is close to one of our employee’s hearts.

To view our 19/20 certificate click here. To read more about the UN carbon offsetting platform click here.

City Plumbing Supplies are available to trade through Lot 2 (Plumbing and heating materials) and Lot 3 (Electrical materials) of the Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework.

The Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework provides quick and flexible access to the full range of building materials required by consortium members in full compliance with the relevant public procurement legislation.

The current framework (CCMF5) runs from August 2019 to August 2023.

City Plumbing have said:

"Branch Coverage
Operating through 370 branches nationwide we provide plumbing, heating, electrical and renewable products across the United Kingdom.

Ensuring Product Availability
Our branch network is supported by an internal supply chain..."

To see the full feature and to find out more about City Plumbing, click here.

For further information on the Cirrus Consortium frameworks, or the suppliers available under each framework, please contact us.

We are excited for what’s to come in the next financial year and hope to build on the successes of this year!

The Cabinet Office has issued a further Procurement Policy Note (PPN) connected with the COVID-19 outbreak. This PPN highlights the severe impact the virus is having on businesses that supply to public bodies and outlines ways contracting authorities can support their suppliers during these unprecedented times.

The methods identified to support suppliers include, but are not limited to:

• Paying suppliers immediately on receipt of an invoice

• Where appropriate, providing relief to suppliers against their current contractual terms (for example relief on KPIs and service credits) to maintain business and service continuity rather than accept claims for other forms of contractual relief, such as force majeure

The full set of guidelines outlined in the PPN to support suppliers can be viewed here.

Should you require any further guidance on this topic, or have any other procurement questions please contact Mike Munro mmunro@cirruspurchasing.co.uk or 07572 108320.

We are thrilled to announce that Cirrus have been selected as a finalist at the 2020 UK National GO Awards for Best Service – Micro and Small Businesses and Third Sector Organisations.
The UK National GO Awards are the UK’s leading public procurement awards and are a chance for organisations to share public procurement success stories with the marketplace.

We have been recognised in this category for the success of our outsourced procurement contracts, in particular the ability to deliver value over and above the core requirement.

Congratulations and good luck to all of the other finalists, we look forward to seeing you on the night of the ceremony in Birmingham this September!

The Crown Commercial Service has today issued a Procurement Policy Note (PPN) in response to the COVID-19 outbreak to provide guidance to contracting authorities who will now need to procure goods, services and works quickly, as a result of the virus.

The PPN highlights the procedures that are available under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for contracting authorities who need to award an above threshold contract as a matter of extreme urgency. These procedures provide options for awarding contracts in significantly reduced timescales than the timeframes applicable to the standard procurement procedures outlined in the Public Contracts Regulations.

The full PPN is available here. Should you require any further guidance on this topic, or have any other procurement questions please contact Mike Munro mmunro@cirruspurchasing.co.uk or 07572 108320.

In the light of the recent government guidance issued on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) that people should refrain from any unnecessary social contact and work from home where possible, Cirrus has made the decision for our staff to work remotely, taking meetings with our clients and stakeholders online for the foreseeable future.

Our staff have been briefed and we are confident that this decision will not negatively affect our working practices or our clients in the coming weeks. All projects and business will proceed as usual. We will continue to deliver high quality support and advice to our clients using appropriate technology solutions to replace face to face meetings. We are not reducing our availability or support offerings, simply adapting our methods of delivery to help protect the health and wellbeing of our staff, clients, stakeholders and the wider community.

Our preferred communication channels are currently telephone, conference/Skype calls, InTend tender platform and email, in addition to any specific methods used by our individual clients. We may also, going forward, implement additional communication channels to facilitate specific project activity as needed.

As a company Cirrus has always embraced remote working, having done so since the company’s inception in 2004. Consequently the Cirrus team are experienced and already have the systems in place to successfully conduct all of our work and deliver our clients’ projects remotely.

We understand how disruptive the disease and the Government’s efforts to manage it will be across society, and want to reassure our clients and stakeholders that our team are working to minimise this disruption and risk.

The UK Government has projected that if the UK does nothing at this point, 81% of people would be infected and 510,000 would die from Coronavirus by August, so inaction is not a viable option.

We are keeping up to date with daily government guidance and have adapted our service in line with their recommendations. With this in mind, our plans will come in to effect as of today.

We hope all of our clients and stakeholders stay safe and keep in good health at this time.

Please contact cpaton@cirruspurchasing.co.uk or 07828 143935 if you wish to discuss this matter further.

The United Kingdom has now left the EU and has entered into an 11-month transition period whilst final agreements on what the future relationship between both parties will look like is thrashed out. During this phase of negotiation, the UK will remain in the EU's customs union and single market and will continue to follow EU law.

As such, there will be no change to public procurement legislation in the short term and public sector entities should continue to go about business as usual. The EU procurement directive still continues to apply and is enshrined in UK law under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

The current position will continue to apply until December 31 2020 at the earliest. How post-transition public procurement will look is however less certain. The extent of any change will depend on a number of factors, including whether a trade deal is agreed between the UK and the EU.

Regardless of the agreement reached this year, it is highly likely that future public procurement in the UK will continue to be governed by a similar legal framework as is currently in place. Whether this is as stringent as current arrangements is however yet to be seen, with some high ranking Government officials criticising the current rule set.

As with most things Brexit related, there is still a lot of uncertainty as to what the future of public procurement in the UK will look like in the medium to long term. What is certain however is that Cirrus will continue to monitor the Brexit negotiations in order to provide up to date advice and updates to our clients.

For advice and support please contact Claire Paton via: cpaton@cirruspurchasing.co.uk or 07828 143935.

Happy New Year to all of our clients, partners and stakeholders!

We hope 2019 served you well and we wish you all the best for 2020.

After another successful year, we are celebrating the highs of 2019 for Cirrus and are looking forward to the year ahead.

Claire and the team would like to say a big thank you to all of our clients. We’ve created some great new partnerships this year which we hope to build on and of course look forward to creating even more in 2020.

To see our new year feature, please click here.

Sovini Trade Supplies is the latest supplier to be featured from the Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework.
Now in its fifth iteration, the Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework provides quick, flexible access to the full range of building materials required by consortium members in full compliance with the relevant public procurement legislation.

Sovini Trade Supplies have offered the following insight:
"Sovini Trade Supplies provides a supply chain solution and managed store service for clients across the UK.

As the most Inspiring Supplier 2019 and Northern Housing's Supplier of the Year 2018..."

To see the full feature and to find out more about Sovini Trade Supplies, click here.

For further information on the Cirrus Consortium frameworks, or the suppliers available under each framework, please contact us.

The European Commission has announced the new public procurement threshold values which will apply to contracts advertised from 1st January 2020.


The updated values are (excluding VAT):
• Works Contracts: £4,733,252
• Supplies Contracts (sub-central authorities): £189,330
• Services Contracts (sub-central authorities): £189,330
• Light Touch Regime: £663,540

Contracting authorities will need to ensure the new values are circulated to staff and updated in company policy documentation.

Cirrus is excited to have the opportunity to exhibit at the Homes UK conference in London later this month.

We’re looking forward to catching up with existing clients and suppliers and of course seeing some new faces at the conference.

We’ll be available at stand H320C on Wednesday 27th November and Thursday 28th November, please feel free to wander over to us to have a chat about all things procurement and discuss our frameworks and consultancy services.

If you would like to arrange a meeting in advance please contact Claire Paton on 07828 143935 or alternatively email her at cpaton@cirruspurchasing.co.uk.

For more information on the event please visit the Homes website.

Huws Gray is the latest supplier to be featured from the Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework.
Now in its fifth iteration, the Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework provides quick, flexible access to the full range of building materials required by consortium members in full compliance with the relevant public procurement legislation.

Huws Gray have offered the following insight:
"Established in Anglesey, North Wales in 1990 Huws Gray currently employs over 1,600 people at 110 different locations throughout North and Mid Wales, the North West, the Midlands, Yorkshire and now covering East Anglia with our Ridgeons acquisition; we are the largest independent merchant in the UK..."

To see the full feature and to find out more about Huws Gray, click here.

For further information on the Cirrus Consortium frameworks, or the suppliers available under each framework, please contact us.

We are excited to announce we have welcomed a new member to the Cirrus Purchasing team. Ella Walmsley joins us as Trainee Procurement Consultant.

Holding a first class honours degree in Politics and International Relations and multiple customer service and performance awards, Ella brings key client engagement skills, research experience and category expertise to her new role.

Ella is excited to develop her skills in consultancy whilst maintaining a people-centric and business orientated focus.

You can contact Ella on 07572 108320 or alternatively email her at ewalmsley@cirruspurchasing.co.uk.

Symphony is the latest supplier to be featured from the Cirrus Consortium Kitchen Materials Supply Framework.

The framework covers the full range of kitchen and related materials required by Consortium members.

Symphony have offered the following insight:
"Symphony is the UK’s largest privately owned manufacturer of fitted kitchen, fitted bedroom and fitted bathroom furniture. Our customers include housing developers and social housing providers..."

To see the full feature and to find out more about Symphony, click here.

For further information on the Cirrus Consortium frameworks, or the suppliers available under each framework, please contact us.

We are delighted to announce that the Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework 5 is now live and available for use by all contracting authorities across England, Scotland and Wales.

This latest iteration provides contracting authorities quick and easy access to a selection of 15 leading suppliers and will run side by side with our current highly successful Materials Framework 4 which expires in May 2020.

Following feedback from Consortium members and suppliers, we have introduced a Highways and civil materials lot and a Tool and plant hire lot to the framework.

We would like to welcome all new suppliers to the framework; we look forward to working with you.

The framework covers the full range of materials required by consortium members, split across the following lots:

• Lot 1: General building materials, including paint and tools
• Lot 2: Plumbing and heating materials, including gas spares and renewables
• Lot 3: Electrical materials
• Lot 4: Highways and civil materials
• Lot 5: Managed stores
• Lot 6: Tool and plant hire

The framework is fully compliant with ...[more]

Are you looking to begin your career in consultancy?

Cirrus Purchasing are seeking a motivated, natural problem solver to join us as a Trainee Procurement Consultant.

Working nationally, the role is the entry point into your consultancy career, and will include significant skills development and career progression.

Please note, this opportunity is now closed.

Lorien and Onezeero is the latest supplier to be featured from the new Cirrus Consortium Agency Labour & Recruitment Framework and have been awarded a position on Lot 5: IT staff.

The latest iteration replaces our highly successful first agency framework and provides contracting authorities quick and easy access to a selection of 40 leading recruitment agencies.

Lorien have offered the following insight:
"For over 40 years, we’ve been helping our customers to achieve and maintain a distinct competitive advantage through their people. We are one of the UK’s largest technology recruiters and solutions providers, working across a wide variety of sectors.

For further information on the Cirrus Consortium frameworks, or the suppliers available under each framework, please contact us.

Niyaa People is the latest supplier to be featured from the new Cirrus Consortium Agency Labour & Recruitment Framework.

The latest iteration replaces our highly successful first agency framework and provides contracting authorities quick and easy access to a selection of 40 leading recruitment agencies.

Niyaa People have offered the following insight:
"Niyaa People are an independent specialist recruitment consultancy founded in 2008 within a small, shared office space with only 2 desks.

Fast forward 11 years and we now have a team of over 35 fantastic people in Birmingham city centre with the shared vision and ambition to become the leading recruitment partner for the Built Environment for both the Public and Private Sectors..."

For further information on the Cirrus Consortium frameworks, or the suppliers available under each framework, please contact us.

Following the highly successful Cirrus Consortium Materials Framework, we are pleased to announce that we are currently tendering for a new Materials Framework to replace the current arrangement which expires May 2020.
The new framework will cover the supply of goods and services associated with building repairs & maintenance and refurbishment required by consortium members. The framework will be available for use by all contracting authorities across England, Wales and Scotland.

There are 5 lots covering the following categories of materials and services:

• Lot 1: General building materials
• Lot 2: Plumbing and heating materials
• Lot 3: Electrical materials
• Lot 4: Highways and civil materials
• Lot 5: Managed stores
• Lot 6: Tool and plant hire

Suppliers can express their interest in the opportunity and view the tender documents from the following link: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/cirruspurchasing/aspx/Home.

The deadline for tender submissions is 12 noon, Monday 8th July 2019.

Call-off contracts can continue to be awarded under the current framework until May 2020 and will remain fully compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations for their full duration.

For the ninth consecutive year, Cirrus Purchasing remains a completely carbon negative company. Minimising the environmental impact of our business activities and reducing climate change is a key aspect of our business objectives. This is why at the end of every financial year we take pride in offsetting our carbon emissions. Following our company-wide carbon assessment through carbonfootprint.com, we have offset the environmental impact beyond our calculated carbon emissions.
Since 2010 we have planted over 150 trees through our verified carbon reduction programme. We continue to make a positive contribution to improving the local environment in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, helping to provide wildlife habitats and employment opportunities for the local community. Further information about the programme can be found here.

Our 2018/19 certificate is available here.