Official UK procurement notice
Extension of existing Dynamic Purchasing System for Automation Marketplace DPS
Authority: The Minister for the Cabinet Office acting through Crown Commercial Service (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionCrown Commercial Service (CCS) has set up a dynamic purchasing system for the supply of automation applications and services.
CCS is inviting bidders to request to participate in the automation marketplace DPS.
This DPS will provide central government and wider public sector departments the opportunity to procure an extensive range of automation services and licences to support digital transformation, including strategy and business transformation, problem solving with tech solutions, resource and training, and software licences.
If you are successfully appointed to the DPS following your submission you will be invited by customers (buyers) to submit tenders for relevant services through a call for competition. This DPS remains open for any supplier to request to participate throughout the duration of the DPS.
CCS reserves the right to reduce, extend or terminate the DPS period at any time during its lifetime in accordance with the terms set out in the DPS contract.
CPV: Analytical, scientific, mathematical or forecasting software development services · Business intelligence software development services · Computer-related services · Configuration management software development services · Custom software development services · Data-processing services · Development software development services · IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support · Industry specific software development services · Miscellaneous software development services and computer systems · Office automation services · Office automation software development services · +8 more
How this dynamic market works
From the published notice- Type
- Dynamic market
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Automation services including the design, build, and running of automation software,…RenewalPublished value£10,000,000,000
Automation services including the design, build, and running of automation software, maintenance and support, consulting, and provision of software licences. Additional information: The duration given in II.2.7) is the duration of the extension period.
This notice is to advise of a further extension of 24 months.
This follows the initial period of 18 months, an initial extension period of 12 months, a second
extension of 8 months and the third extension of 12 months.
What 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).
- Suitability
Suppliers will be assessed on their response to the selection criteria in their request to participate for a place on the RM6173 – Automation Marketplace DPS Agreement. The procurement bid pack and registration details can be accessed via the following URL address
supplierregistration.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/dps ↗
and clicking on Technology
Please read the DPS Needs document first for a full overview of the procurement process and read the instructions carefully. To register for the RM6173 – Automation Marketplace DPS Agreement please select the ‘Access as a Supplier’ link which can be located at the URL address above. An example of how to register for the DPS platform can be found at the following YouTube generic guide
Please note that to register you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering and who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so. The procurement will be managed electronically via CCS. The value provided in Section II.1.5) is only an estimate. We cannot guarantee to suppliers any business through this DPS Agreement. This procurement offering does not guarantee any minimum spend and there will be no form of exclusivity or volume guarantee under this DPS. As part of this contract notice the bid pack and the following documents can be accessed at the link provided below:
- Contract notice authorised customer list;
- Rights res…
- “Extension of existing Dynamic Purchasing System for Automation…” is a dynamic market: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How The Minister for the Cabinet Office acting through Crown Commercial Service buys IT services: consulting, software, internet (CPV 72), and who usually turns up
The Minister for the Cabinet Office acting through Crown Commercial Service’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. This notice is a framework or DPS, so only frameworks and DPS are compared. Whole-market view: IT services: consulting, software, internet (CPV 72) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
No small-firm winners recorded among this authority’s published awards in this sample.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
No winner locations published for this authority. Local means a registered address in the delivery region.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
No decision dates published to compare.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid0%
2–333%
4–617%
7+50%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS. The notice sets up a supplier panel and a ceiling value; what the work actually costs is agreed later, on each call-off or mini-competition, and those publish as contract notices of their own. The award-vs-estimate record of this market therefore sits on the call-offs; this page shows it on the contracts, not on the panel that frames them.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1Automation services including the design, build, and running of automation software,…Published estimate£10bn
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid11%
2–335%
4–617%
7+37%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABTEC COMPUTER SOLUTIONS LTD (Full list of successful suppliers is available on Contracts Finder)Worked for this buyer | Technology Services 3 Lot 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d & 4notice published Mar 2026 | Operational Services – Application and Data Management | — | Similar wording and category |
| Engine Partners UK LLPWorked for this buyer | Software Design and Implementation Servicesnotice published Apr 2021 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| bedigitalWorked for this buyer | Software Design and Implementation Servicesnotice published Apr 2021 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £833m26 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 6 live · £14m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=1 | |
Softcat PlcLarge | £269m351 awards in 36m · last this month | 100 live · £569m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=4 |
BCC ITSME | £460k3 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 2 live · £160k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=3 |
| £101m4 awards in 36m · last 17 months ago | 1 live · £85k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
| — | 2 live · £539k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 4% below n=1 |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Restricted procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open admission
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Dynamic market
- Who may use this agreement
- Any qualifying supplier may apply while the market is open
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 17 Jul 2024, 10:45 BST
- Last source update
- 17 Jul 2024, 10:45 BST
- Authority reference
RM6173- FTS notice number
2024/S 000-021972- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-047e07Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
Publisher note: This DPS has been extended for a further 24 months. The reasoning for this is to allow an appropriate amount of time to design the replacement agreement. The value provided in Section II.1.5) is only an estimate. The Authority cannot guarantee to suppliers any business through this DPS Agreement. The Authority expressly reserves the right: (i) not to award any DPS Agreement as a result of the procurement process commenced by publication of this notice; and (ii) to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering competition; and in no circumstances will the customer be liable for any costs incurred by the suppliers. (iii) to make changes to the management charge applicable to this DPS in relation to both the percentage charged and the methodology used. We consider that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 ("TUPE") may apply at the call for competition. It is the Supplier’s responsibility to take their own advice and consider whether TUPE is likely to apply in the particular circumstances of the contract and to act accordingly. On 2.4.2014 Government introduced its Government Security Classifications (GSC) scheme which replaced Government Protective Marking Scheme (GPMS). A key aspect is the reduction in the number of security classifications used. All bidders should make themselves aware of the changes as it may impact on this requirement. The link below to Gov.uk provides information on the GSC at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-security-classifications. Cyber Essentials is a mandatory requirement for central government contracts which involve handling personal information or provide certain ICT products/services. Government is taking steps to reduce the levels of cyber security risk in its supply chain through the Cyber Essentials scheme. The scheme defines a set of controls which, when implemented, will provide organisations with basic protection from the most prevalent forms of threat coming from the internet. To participate in this procurement, bidders must be able to demonstrate they comply with the technical requirements prescribed by Cyber Essentials, for services under and in connection with this procurement.
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Apply via Cabinet Office Supplier RegistrationTender documents are also served through a separate tool: https://crowncommercialservice.eSourcingsolution.co.uk ↗
- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Admission period ends
- 15 Nov 2026, 15:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission","written"}
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
17 Jul 2024 → 15 Nov 2026 · 2 dates- Notice published17 Jul 2024, 10:45 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Admission / appointment period endsin 24 days · period end, not a bid countdown15 Nov 2026, 15:00 GMT
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Economic and financial selection criteria
- Technical selection criteria