Official UK procurement notice
Income Tax Self-Assessment Ecosystem Data and Integration - Innovation-Led Proof of Concept
Authority: HM Revenue & Customs (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionHM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has launched a competitive procurement for the delivery of an innovation-led Proof of Concept (PoC) exploring how emerging technologies, richer transaction data and integrations across banking, payment, fintech and software ecosystems could support increased simplification and accuracy within Income Tax Self Assessment (ITSA).
The PoC will build, test and evaluate a working technical demonstrator. Its purpose is to generate evidence and learning, rather than develop a live service or commit HMRC to a specific future solution.
This work supports HMRC's Transformation Roadmap and aligns with HMRC's Strategic Approach to Third Party Software. It explores how banking, payments, fintech and software ecosystems can help customers manage their tax affairs through the products and services they already use, reducing administrative effort, improving visibility of tax obligations and helping customers get their tax right first time, while building on a thriving and innovative market.
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax provides the digital foundations for ITSA and continues to roll out. Innovation across banking, payments, fintech and software markets presents opportunities to develop, test and better understand ecosystem approaches to support more efficient and effective tax administration that makes it simpler for customers to meet their tax responsibilities.
For many ITSA customers, software and fintech products already provide valuable automation and support, helping many customers to manage their tax affairs more efficiently. However, richer data, improved standards and greater interoperability may create opportunities to further enhance transaction categorisation and apportionment, reducing customer effort, supporting customer experience and ensuring more accurate tax outcomes.
HMRC wants to test and learn with the market how banks, payment providers, fintechs and software platforms can build on existing capabilities to deliver more integrated, accurate and customer-centred tax experiences, while supporting a thriving and innovative software ecosystem.
The central question for the PoC is: to what extent can future enhanced data, ecosystem integrations, and interventions reduce customer effort, improve customer experience and improve accuracy across more aspects of Income Tax Self Assessment?
HMRC welcomes ideas from suppliers which innovate further, building on today, and looking towards future capabilities. Suppliers are welcome to bid independently or in partnership to build, test and evaluate an end-to-end working technical demonstrator of enhanced future capabilities and integrations. Alongside SMEs, HMRC anticipates that this procurement will be suitable for participation by consortia involving banks, payment providers, fintechs and accounting software providers.
- How the procedure runs: This competitive flexible procedure will be conducted in 2 stages. HMRC reserves the right to amend this process at the beginning of each stage by updating this tender instruction document or by issue of letters to bidders participating in the relevant stage. Any updates will be issued simultaneously to all suppliers via SAP Ariba. The 2 stages will be as follows: Stage 1: Invitation to submit initial tender - Video submissions and Pre-Selection Questionnaire (PSQ) Stage 2: Final tender - Solution presentation, demonstration, and written tender STAGE 1: (a) Stage 1 commenced with the issuing of a Tender Notice and the publication of this document. (b) This document includes a procurement specific questionnaire (PSQ) and quality questions at Schedules 1 and 2 which all suppliers are required to complete and return in accordance with the Procurement Timetable and instructions within this document. (c) HMRC will use this stage to firstly confirm that neither the supplier, nor any related persons within its corporate group, associated persons relied on to meet the conditions of participation, or proposed sub-contractors are listed on the Cabinet Office debarment list. To the extent that any such entities are listed on the debarment list, HMRC will consider whether to exclude the supplier from participating in the Procurement in accordance with its obligations under the Act. (d) In addition, HMRC will consider whether any supplier or related persons within its corporate group, associated persons relied on to meet the conditions of participation, or proposed sub-contractors are excluded or excludable suppliers, and before HMRC determines that a supplier is an excluded or excludable supplier, it will provide the supplier reasonable opportunity to make representations and provide evidence as is proportionate in the circumstances. If the supplier is an excluded or excludable supplier only by virtue of an associated person or proposed sub-contractor, HMRC will notify the supplier of its intention to exclude the supplier and provide the supplier with reasonable opportunity to replace the associated person or sub-contractor. If as a consequence of this process HMRC excludes the supplier from participating in the Procurement, or is aware of an associated person or sub-contract having been replaced, it will give notice of this fact within 30 days of its decision to the Procurement Review Unit (PRU). (e) HMRC will also undertake a review of the completed PSQ with reference to any information held on the Central Digital Platform. Responses to any conditions of participation will be assessed in accordance with the selection process and any selection criteria as set out in the Tender Notice, PSQ and described in this document. (f) The assessment of suppliers utilising PSQ, as detailed above, will be undertaken prior to the evaluation of bid submissions for stage 1. Suppliers are required to submit their PSQ through Ariba. (g) As part of their stage 1 submission, alongside the PSQ, suppliers must submit a video up to a maximum of 5 minutes duration providing their response to the questions set out in Schedule 2: Quality Evaluation Criteria. (h) Suppliers should submit a video using the instructions provided in Section 7.5 'Stage 1 video submission' below. Additionally, suppliers must submit a transcript of their video, with a maximum of 750 words. (i) The video and associated 750-word transcript must cover the questions set out in Schedule 2: Quality Evaluation Criteria. The supplier should note that the transcript must answer the questions set out in Schedule 2: Quality Evaluation Criteria, and that the video should be used for supplementary presentation and delivery purposes only - i.e. information that is not well suited to communicating via written (the transcript) or spoken word. For example, acceptable video content would include (but is not limited to) demonstrations, animations, graphs and charts, supporting visual/practical aids etc.). HRMC reserves the right to exclude bidders who utilise the video submission to provide excessive additional content which could have been adequately conveyed in the speech of the video and accompanying transcript. For example, unacceptable video content would include (but is not limited to) a PowerPoint presentation that features significant text that the bidder intends the evaluators to assess over and above the 750-word transcript. (j) Stage 1 will complete with suppliers being notified in writing of whether or not they have been successfully shortlisted to participate in stage 2. (k) HMRC intends to shortlist a maximum of 3 suppliers to participate in stage 2. (l) HMRC may, at its discretion, invite a bidder to form a partnership or consortium with another competitor. (m) Suppliers should note that HMRC reserves the right to re-assess any response to the PSQ, in light of any new relevant information that comes to HMRC's attention. Suppliers selected to participate in Stage 2 will received a fixed amount of funding of £8,000 exVAT to support their continued participation in the process. Full details are included in the competition documents available upon registration. Conditions of participation may be included in any stage. Where included this will be communicated in the letter or instructions for that stage.
CPV: IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support · Software package and information systems
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedWhat it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (2)
- SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES - Delivering for HMRC: 25%
- PROPOSAL - Income Tax Self-Assessment Ecosystem Data and Integration - Innovation-Led Proof of Concept: 75%
Published award criteria (2)
- SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES - Delivering for HMRC: With reference to Attachment B - Specification (Stage 1), Attachment C - HMRC Detailed Problem Statement and Attachment D - Preliminary Market Engagement Slides, please demonstrate your skills, expertise, ability and capacity to deliver against HMRC's problem statement. Your response must include: a) An overview of your capabilities as an organisation, b) If bidding in partnership or consortium, an overview of the members within the partnership or consortium and your expected division of responsibilities and capabilities. This question will be scored based on how well the response answers the question and any evaluation criteria included in the question in line with the scoring matrix contained in Table 1 above. Please confirm that you have addressed this question in your response. Your written transcript response and video submission will be evaluated together.
- PROPOSAL - Income Tax Self-Assessment Ecosystem Data and Integration - Innovation-Led Proof of Concept: With reference to Attachment B - Specification (Stage 1), Attachment C - HMRC Detailed Problem Statement and Attachment D - Preliminary Market Engagement, please set out your proposed solution. Your proposed solution does not need to be fully developed at this initial stage, but your response must make clear that your idea is fundamentally viable and deliverable for HMRC within the available timeframe. Your response should include: 1. Your proposed future-state vision. 2. What enhanced data you would utilise. 3. What integrations would be required. 4. How customer interventions would work. 5. How your approach addresses: mis-categorisation; mis-apportionment; gross vs net ambiguity 6. How your approach could: improve accuracy; reduce customer effort; improve customer experience. 7. Why your concept is technically and operationally credible. The assessment criteria and weighting within this question will be as follows: Understanding of the challenge Understanding of the Income Tax Self-Assessment challenges being explored, including the problem areas: • categorisation, • apportionment, • gross/net identification And the accuracy, customer effort and customer experience challenges they present. Innovation and technical vision How convincingly your proposed future-state approach demonstrates the potential for enhanced data, ecosystem integrations, interventions and confidence-based automation beyond capabilities of today, to improve tax outcomes. Data and ecosystem proposition The credibility and potential value of the proposed ecosystem participants, data sources, integrations and technologies, including transparency regarding any legal, commercial, operational or technical barriers, dependencies and assumptions. Quality of the proposed measurement approach How convincingly you explain what evidence your proposed concept could generate. How you would demonstrate improvements in transaction: • categorisation, • apportionment, • gross/net identification, • confidence-based automation (if used), • customer (or agent) effort, and • customer experience. Suppliers should be transparent about any assumptions, limitations, dependencies or gaps. How you can enable HMRC's independent testing. This question will be scored based on how well the response answers the question and any evaluation criteria included in the question in line with the scoring matrix contained in Table 1 above. Bidders must score at least 50 unweighted points on this question to be eligible to proceed to stage 2. Scoring 50 or higher is no guarantee of being shortlisted for stage 2. Please confirm that you have addressed this question in your response. Your written transcript response and video submission will be evaluated together.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 19 Jun 2026, 15:25 BST
- Last source update
- 29 Sept 2026, 09:17 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 11 Dec 2026
- Authority reference
SR3258288667- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-091461- Accelerated
- State of urgency
- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b96cFind a Tender
- How it runs
This competitive flexible procedure will be conducted in 2 stages. HMRC reserves the right to amend this process at the beginning of each stage by updating this tender instruction document or by issue of letters to bidders participating in the relevant stage. Any updates will be issued simultaneously to all suppliers via SAP Ariba.
The 2 stages will be as follows:
Stage 1: Invitation to submit initial tender - Video submissions and Pre-Selection Questionnaire (PSQ)
Stage 2: Final tender - Solution presentation, demonstration, and written tender
STAGE 1:
(a) Stage 1 commenced with the issuing of a Tender Notice and the publication of this document.
(b) This document includes a procurement specific questionnaire (PSQ) and quality questions at Schedules 1 and 2 which all suppliers are required to complete and return in accordance with the Procurement Timetable and instructions within this document.
(c) HMRC will use this stage to firstly confirm that neither the supplier, nor any related persons within its corporate group, associated persons relied on to meet the conditions of participation, or proposed sub-contractors are listed on the Cabinet Office debarment list. To the extent that any such entities are listed on the debarment list, HMRC will consider whether to exclude the supplier from participating in the Procurement in accordance with its obligations under the Act.
(d) In addition, HMRC will consider whether any supplier or related persons within its corporate group, associated persons relied on to meet the conditions of participation, or proposed sub-contractors are excluded or excludable suppliers, and before HMRC determines that a supplier is an excluded or excludable supplier, it will provide the supplier reasonable opportunity to make representations and provide evidence as is proportionate in the circumstances. If the supplier is an excluded or excludable supplier only by virtue of an associated person or proposed sub-contractor, HMRC will notify the supplier of its intention to exclude the supplier and provide the supplier with reasonable opportunity to replace the associated person or sub-contractor. If as a consequence of this process HMRC excludes the supplier from participating in the Procurement, or is aware of an associated person or sub-contract having been replaced, it will give notice of this fact within 30 days of its decision to the Procurement Review Unit (PRU).
(e) HMRC will also undertake a review of the completed PSQ with reference to any information held on the Central Digital Platform. Responses to any conditions of participation will be assessed in accordance with the selection process and any selection criteria as set out in the Tender Notice, PSQ and described in this document.
(f) The assessment of suppliers utilising PSQ, as detailed above, will be undertaken prior to the evaluation of bid submissions for stage 1. Suppliers are required to submit their PSQ through Ariba.
(g) As part of their stage 1 submission, alongside the PSQ, suppliers must submit a video up to a maximum of 5 minutes duration providing their response to the questions set out in Schedule 2: Quality Evaluation Criteria.
(h) Suppliers should submit a video using the instructions provided in Section 7.5 'Stage 1 video submission' below. Additionally, suppliers must submit a transcript of their video, with a maximum of 750 words.
(i) The video and associated 750-word transcript must cover the questions set out in Schedule 2: Quality Evaluation Criteria. The supplier should note that the transcript must answer the questions set out in Schedule 2: Quality Evaluation Criteria, and that the video should be used for supplementary presentation and delivery purposes only - i.e. information that is not well suited to communicating via written (the transcript) or spoken word. For example, acceptable video content would include (but is not limited to) demonstrations, animations, graphs and charts, supporting visual/practical aids etc.). HRMC reserves the right to exclude bidders who utilise the video submission to provide excessive additional content which could have been adequately conveyed in the speech of the video and accompanying transcript. For example, unacceptable video content would include (but is not limited to) a PowerPoint presentation that features significant text that the bidder intends the evaluators to assess over and above the 750-word transcript.
(j) Stage 1 will complete with suppliers being notified in writing of whether or not they have been successfully shortlisted to participate in stage 2.
(k) HMRC intends to shortlist a maximum of 3 suppliers to participate in stage 2.
(l) HMRC may, at its discretion, invite a bidder to form a partnership or consortium with another competitor.
(m) Suppliers should note that HMRC reserves the right to re-assess any response to the PSQ, in light of any new relevant information that comes to HMRC's attention.
Suppliers selected to participate in Stage 2 will received a fixed amount of funding of £8,000 exVAT to support their continued participation in the process.
Full details are included in the competition documents available upon registration.
Conditions of participation may be included in any stage. Where included this will be communicated in the letter or instructions for that stage.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 12 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 2 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
This procurement will be conducted by way of an eSourcing event using HMRC's SAP Ariba eSourcing Portal. Please ensure you are registered with the eSourcing Portal to gain access to the procurement documentation when it is released which will contain full details of the requirement.
If you are not already registered, the registration link is: hmrc.sourcing-eu.ariba.com/ad/selfRegistration ↗
As part of the registration process you will receive a system generated email asking you to activate your SAP Ariba supplier account by verifying your email address. Once you have completed the activation process you will receive a further email by return confirming the 'registration process is now complete' and providing you with 'your organisation's account ID number'. If an email response from HMRC is not received within one working day of your request, please re-contact [email protected] (after first checking your spam in-box) notifying non-receipt and confirming when your registration request was first made.
Once you have obtained 'your organization's account ID' number, please email [email protected] and copy in [email protected] with:
- Contract title and Reference
- Your organisation's HMRC SAP Ariba account ID
- Your organisation name
- Your name
- Your email address
- Your telephone number
Once you have complied with the foregoing you will receive an e-mail confirming access to the procurement event.
Further information about HMRC's procurement tool SAP Ariba, a Suppliers Guide and general information about supplying to HMRC is available on the HMRC website: www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/supplying.htm ↗
If you have already registered on SAP Ariba then you may also need to re-register on HMRC's SAP Ariba in order to be added to the event.
In order to allow time to provide you with a SharePoint link for your stage 1 video submission ahead of the Tender Submission Deadline, the Supplier Registration Deadline will be 17:00 on Wednesday 7th October 2026.
Timeline
19 Jun 2026 → 4 Jan 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published127 days ago19 Jun 2026, 15:25 BST
- Market engagement120 days ago26 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
The purpose of this exercise is to engage the industry and gather market insights that will help us shape a potential procurement, including the refinement of market capability, capacity and appetite. Your engagement will help us to ensure any future agreement is fit for the future.
A market engagement event will be held on Monday 29th June 2026 from 09:30am to 10:30am via Microsoft Teams.
The event will include an overview of the challenge from HMRC colleagues, visibility of a potential procurement structure and will allow time for some questions and answers. Attending suppliers will receive a form after the session to provide feedback to help inform our future approach to this project.
To register for this pre-market engagement event please email the below people by 5pm on Friday 26th June:
[email protected] AND [email protected].
Include the notice or procurement reference in the subject line. In your email include the names and emails of up to 2 representatives to attend the event.
This Preliminary Market Engagement Notice is issued for notification purposes and does not constitute a formal tender or pre-qualification process, nor does it represent a commitment to procure any goods or services.
Parties should note participation in pre-market engagement will not influence or provide advantage in any future procurement, and that the scope, services, values, and timelines referenced are indicative only and subject to change.
- Next notice expected33 days ago21 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published26 days ago28 Sept 2026, 14:01 BST
- Clarification questions by22 days ago2 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission deadline12 days ago12 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
- Today24 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 48 days11 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 71 days4 Jan 2027
Notice history
16 events · 7 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Jun 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published19 Jun 2026, 15:25 BSTUK2
- Planned procurement notice published11 Aug 2026, 13:45 BSTUK3
- Published value updated to £291,66711 Aug 2026, 13:45 BSTwas £291,667
- Status changed to planned11 Aug 2026, 13:45 BST
- Procurement method changed11 Aug 2026, 13:45 BST
- Deadline published: 1 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST11 Aug 2026, 13:45 BST
- Planned procurement notice published20 Aug 2026, 14:20 BSTUK3
- Deadline moved to 1 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST20 Aug 2026, 14:20 BST+0 days · was 1 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Preliminary market engagement notice published21 Aug 2026, 16:34 BSTUK2
- Published value updated to £291,66721 Aug 2026, 16:34 BSTwas £291,667
- Tender notice published28 Sept 2026, 14:01 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £291,66728 Sept 2026, 14:01 BSTwas £291,667
- Status changed to active28 Sept 2026, 14:01 BST
- Deadline moved to 12 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST28 Sept 2026, 14:01 BST+11 days · was 1 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published28 Sept 2026, 15:30 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published29 Sept 2026, 09:17 BSTUK4
Published amendments (4)
Contact email changed.
Updated contact email for Josh Jones.
Correction of phrasing in the scope section - non-substantial.
Supplier Registration Deadline articulated as 17:00 on Wednesday 7th October 2026, in order to allow time to provide you with a SharePoint link for your stage 1 video submission ahead of the Tender Submission Deadline.
Routine re-releases (7)
- 2026-08: 3 releases · 11 Aug 2026, 21 Aug 2026
- 2026-06: 1 release · 19 Jun 2026
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (7)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender