DWP first to subscribe to online marketplace

Zanzibar project offers public sector bodies net-based purchasing system

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has become the first customer for the Zanzibar online marketplace developed by Whitehall buying agency the Office of Government Commerce (OGC).

The Zanzibar project offers public sector organisations, including departments, agencies and local authorities, an internet-based eprocurement and supplier management system.

The system, developed by OGC trading arm OGCbuying.solutions and supplier PA Shared Services, includes an online marketplace for access to registered suppliers and catalogues, a purchase-to-pay system and a public sector-wide data warehouse.

‘I strongly support OGC’s initiative in developing an emarketplace for government, which will be a key enabler to the department’s commercial modernisation,’ said DWP commercial director David Smith. ‘This is a significant development in the spreading of commercial best practice throughout the government procurement community.’

Zanzibar will benefit both public sector organisations and suppliers, says OGCbuying.solutions. Buyers will gain better value for money because they will be able to make more informed decisions based on access to a wide range of suppliers. And vendors will gain a single point of access to a public sector-wide marketplace and free electronic transaction facilities.

‘Zanzibar revolutionises the way the public sector does business,’ said OGCbuying.solutions chief executive Hugh Barrett.

‘It saves both procurement process time and cost for the public sector and suppliers alike. Anyone with internet access will be able to use this service, and it means that buyers can browse catalogues and review electronic quotations quickly and easily at the click of a mouse.’

Compliance with European competition rules makes public sector procurement expensive and time-consuming. The aim of Zanzibar is to encourage more suppliers to compete for government contracts, and help meet Whitehall efficiency targets by boosting the take-up of lower-cost eprocurement practices.