Briefly describe the initiative/ project/service; please include your aims and objectives

Interoperability, “the ability to securely exchange data independently of technology,” is the key enabler that underpins all six missions of the Transforming for a Digital Future Digital and Data Strategy and supports several government cross-cutting priorities, including Health (Integrated Care), Security, and Net Zero.

All Public Sector Organisations must address interoperability issues and challenges to ensure future sustainability, efficiency, and effective delivery of secure online public services. No single government department or Public Sector Organisation excludes data from its plans for serving citizens. However, more must be done to address the data skills gap, harness improved collaboration and data sharing, and reduce reliance on legacy systems.

The Challenge:

Public sector digital transformation is frequently throttled by “data silos” and restrictive legacy systems. While the Digital and Data Strategy mandates interoperability, the practical mechanism to enforce it across a fragmented landscape has been missing.

The Initiative:

As an executive agency of the Cabinet Office Crown Commercial, the biggest Public Procurement Organisation in the UK, we recognise the importance of procurement in delivering interoperable outcomes and that public sector organisations are uniquely positioned to accelerate interoperability through a more collaborative process to procure technologies.

To address the challenge, CCS has pioneered Interoperable Procurement, a strategic intervention that shifts interoperability from an IT “afterthought” to a mandatory procurement requirement. By partnering with the Government and Industry Interoperability Group (GIIG), we have moved beyond theoretical policy into practical, scalable implementation.

To do this, CCS partnered with the Government and Industry Interoperability Group ( GIIG) and Cabinet Office Policy Teams to design, develop, and draft standard “boilerplate” clauses for built and digitally built environments and secure funding to undertake a customer/supplier discovery to discover the barriers and opportunities in delivering public sector interoperability.

Core Objectives:

Standardise at Source: Embed “Standard Boilerplate Clauses” into the very fabric of public sector contracts.

Bridge the Physical-Digital Divide: Ensure seamless data exchange across the built and digitally built environments.

Aggregated Influence: Leverage CCS’s unmatched buying power to compel the supplier market to adopt open data standards, ending vendor lock-in.

 

What are the key achievements?

This project transitioned interoperability from a technical aspiration to a contractual reality through two landmark workstreams:

Standardisation through procurement for Interoperability:

1. The “Contractual Blueprint” (NSC & MSC Clauses):

We developed and launched two revolutionary clauses—the NSC (Built Environment) and MSC (Digitally Built Environment).

Innovation: These are the first-of-their-kind clauses designed to synchronise physical assets with their digital twins.

Impact: They ensure data remains accessible and usable throughout an asset’s lifecycle, regardless of the vendor or technology used.

We consulted with industry and the public sector to design two clauses: NSC for the Built Environment and MSC for the digitally built environment. The two clauses are designed to work together within both physical and digital environments, ensuring alignment and data standardisation across supply chains throughout the asset’s lifecycle. This methodology represents a first for CCS and public sector procurement, enabling the integration of various categories, vendors and frameworks through standards.

Interoperable Procurement Customer Discovery:

To support the implementation of the standard clauses, CCS funded an” Interoperable Procurement Customer Discovery.”

Evidence-Based Strategy: We interviewed stakeholders nationwide and identified “inertia”, “vendor behaviour/lock-in”, “lack of bargaining power”, and “lack of organisational-wide digital skills” as the primary barriers to Digital Transformation across Government and the Public Sector

Further findings of the discovery were as follows:

• Public Sector “decision makers” and procurers’ understanding of interoperability is still evolving
• Public sector organisations rarely implement place-based strategies to procure technologies and data systems to improve interoperability.
• Tools need to be developed to demonstrate how to procure interoperability
• Legacy systems and inertia affect the ability of the public sector to deliver interoperability
• Individual Public Sector Organisations are poorly positioned to bargain on interoperability
• These themes have resulted in several initial recommendations to address gaps in buyers’ knowledge and expertise in procuring interoperability, which include:
• Working with public sector partners to develop an Interoperability Awareness Programme for buyers and managers
• A glossary or “Jargon Buster,” to ensure consistent understanding
• A repository of relevant government policy drivers, existing guidance, and use cases
• Facilitate the combined buying power of the public sector through CCS supply chains

How Innovative is your initiative?

The innovation lies in “Interoperability by Design.” Historically, interoperability was a complex post-purchase integration task. Our approach flips the script:

Procurement as Policy: We are using the UK’s multibillion-pound public spend as a lever to mandate data formats and APIs. This forces a market-wide shift toward open standards without requiring new legislation.

Breaking the Silo: Unlike departmental IT projects, this is a “Whole Public Sector” approach to interoperability that is crucial to facilitate the move from the current silo-based landscape and has several significant benefits, including improved collaboration, enhanced efficiency, a holistic approach to challenges, strengthened resilience & shared innovation.

Mandating specific data formats, communication protocols, and APIs for the public sector at the procurement stage will ensure that different systems, whether procured from different vendors by different public sector organisations, can communicate and share data seamlessly.

Over time, the public sector will become interoperable by design through the agreed-upon use of standard clauses in the procurement process.

 

What are the key learning points?

1. Procurement is the Catalyst:

While all public sector organisations start their interoperability journey at different points, the key to effective implementation lies in a holistic vision for delivery and coordinated, collaborative action across departments and agencies in all public sectors.

Using public sector procurement to establish common data standards is feasible and highly scalable; however, it will require collaboration and a collective mindset to realise actual benefits and value.

2. Collective Voice:

Individual organisations often feel too small to challenge major software vendors. CCS’s role as a central hub is vital in providing the “shield” and the “standard” that allow smaller entities to demand better data rights.

CCS is uniquely positioned to collaborate with the public sector and engage with the supplier market to support the implementation of new standards, policies, and processes; however, it is the public sector and Gov Depts that must define and agree upon the required standards

3. The Understanding Gap:

Basic awareness training and tools to improve decision-makers’ and procurers’ understanding of interoperability are critical to advancing public sector interoperability and ensuring the success of a national programme.

Interoperable Procurement Outcomes Update: 2025/26

Strategic Milestone: Launch of the Greater Manchester “Mega Vendor” Project

Overview:

Following the national Interoperable Procurement Customer Discovery, we are proud to announce the formal establishment of the Greater Manchester (GM) Mega Vendor Project. This initiative represents a landmark collaboration, uniting Digital Directors and Heads of Procurement from the region’s primary anchor institutions, including:

• The GM Integrated Care System (Health)
• The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)
• Manchester City Council
• Broad representation from across the GM City Region
• The Mission: Challenging the “Mega Vendor” Status Quo

The project was born from a critical need to rebalance the relationship between the public sector and “Tech Mega-Vendors”—such as Microsoft, Civica, Capita, and Liquidlogic. Currently, these relationships are often characterised by fragmented contracts, prohibitive costs, and technical silos that stifle innovation.

By acting as a single, unified “Mega Buyer,” we are addressing the structural, financial, and technical barriers that have historically prevented the creation of a truly integrated digital landscape.

Core Objectives & Strategic Goals

1. Commercial Rationalisation & Efficiency

We aim to deliver significant cost savings across the GM City Region. By auditing and aligning overlapping contracts, we will eliminate duplicate spending and streamline the tech stack across the entire public sector estate.

2. Enhanced Regional Leverage

Individually, organisations often lack the scale to negotiate with global tech giants. As a collaborative, we are strengthening our collective bargaining power to consolidate spending and foster partnerships that generate mutual, long-term value rather than one-sided dependencies.

3. Addressing Vendor Conduct & Market Dominance

We are taking a proactive stance against behaviours that hinder digital progress. This includes:

Breaking Vendor Lock-in: Moving away from restrictive Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).

Challenging Big Tech Dominance: Creating Space for Diverse Innovation.

Overcoming Legacy Inertia: Ensuring incumbent technology does not “lag” behind the region’s modernisation goals.

4. Embedding Interoperability by Default

The ultimate goal is to move from siloed systems to a “data-first” ecosystem. We are establishing consistent data standards at the procurement stage to ensure that software from different vendors can communicate seamlessly, facilitating a frictionless digital transformation for the citizens of Greater Manchester.

Innovation in Action

This project is innovative because it shifts the focus from procuring products to procuring outcomes. By mandating standardised terms across an entire city-region, we are creating a blueprint for how the UK public sector can regain control of its digital destiny and ensure that technology serves the public good, rather than vendor profit margins.