The Office for National Statistics has handed Granby the field force logistics contract for the 2021 Census across England and Wales following a 12-month tender process.
Granby’s project team are now embarking on the planning and implementation of the project solution in time for a “rehearsal” of the programme taking place later this year.
The contract covers the bulk distribution and replenishment of non-technical stock items to the Census Field Force team.
Launched in 1801 under the Conservative government of William Pitt the Younger, the Census has been run once a decade – apart from 1941 due to the war – ever since.
However, the 2021 version is likely to contain a huge digital element after costs for the 2011 Census topped £625m, representing the most expensive project the ONS has undertaken.
The organisation been investigating other methods of data capture and has commissioned four pilot schemes due to report back to make the Census more relevant to modern life.
Granby managing director Jo Kimber said “The services we will provide through this contract are our core key services that we carry out daily and have done so for the last 50 years. So, while this project will, of course, be one of our highest priority projects over the next three years we are absolutely confident that we will deliver a great service solution that will support the field force involved in the census and maintain the highest level of service and delivery the ONS demand.”
This contract for the ONS further supports Granby’s ongoing focus on fulfilment contracts in the public sector. It was recently re-awarded a fulfilment and distribution contract on behalf of a central government department and an approved tier one supplier on the recently extended Crown Commercial Services RM3785 print and digital framework.
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