Official UK procurement notice
How can technology help people overcome barriers to accessing key online services?
Authority: Scottish Government (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionDespite the success of programmes such as Connecting Scotland, many individuals still struggle to access essential services because of low digital skills, limited confidence, or a lack of access to devices and connectivity. This Challenge seeks innovative, user-centred solutions that focus on people who may have some access to devices or connectivity but face barriers in using digital services safely and effectively. Proposals should address varied user needs, helping individuals engage with services including financial tools, education and employment. Connectivity and devices matter - but skills and confidence are critical to unlocking meaningful digital inclusion.
CPV: Administration, defence and social security services · Adult and other education services · Computer support and consultancy services · Education and training services · Foreign language translation software package · IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support · Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1About CivTechRenewalPublished value£1,000,000
About CivTech
CivTech’s mission is to drive daring and innovation in the public sector by collaboratively solving Challenges that make people’s lives better – and in doing so create generations of sustainable, high growth businesses.
CivTech brings together public sector expertise and private sector innovation to solve real problems, develop new products, and deliver better, faster and easier services for everyone. Central to the approach is co-production with the citizen.
Part of the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate, CivTech’s approach is helping transform public sector engagement with tech and innovation, delivering significant benefits to public services, producing genuine uplifts for the Scottish economy - and along the way, making lives better.
Across the country there are problems public sector organisations would like to solve and in the current environment the need for smart, efficient and effective products has never been greater. The Scottish Government is aware innovation is a good way to create them and is committed to ensuring a large part of its tech spend goes to innovative businesses - whatever stage they’re at, or size they are..
This is where CivTech comes in.
The CivTech Innovation Flow is designed to create products as quickly and effectively as possible, and uses a true Accelerator model at the heart of its Innovation Flow model. For you – whether you’re an individual, team or company – it’s an opportunity to take on a Challenge, solve it, and win contracts with a blue-chip public sector organisation. You’ll build a product, and a business to take it as far as possible. Because here’s the kicker: the Challenges we issue aren’t ‘single organisation’ problems – most of the problems we are solving exist worldwide.
In short: Open Challenges are set. Any organisation, team or individual can respond. Applications are assessed, and shortlisted proposals go into an Exploration Stage where they’re developed further together with the Challenge Sponsor and the CivTech [for which participating applicants are paid]. The best go through to the Accelerator – a period of intensive work to create the solution, and through CivTech’s unique business growth workshop system, a business capable of taking the product to the world.
Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved:
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).
Published award criteria (2)
- Quality: 100
- Price: 0
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 1 Oct 2025, 12:39 BST
- Last source update
- 1 Oct 2025, 12:39 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 29 Oct 2025 – …
- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-061301- Accelerated
- This procedure tender return date is on the 29th October
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05a5dfFind a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
Publisher note: NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=811725. The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx. Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems. (SC Ref:811725)
How it was run
Official noticeTender documents are also served through a separate tool: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA10482 ↗
- Submission deadline
- 29 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 180 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 29 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
Timeline
1 Oct 2025 → 29 Oct 2025 · 3 dates- Notice published391 days ago1 Oct 2025, 12:39 BST
- Submission deadline363 days ago29 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Bids opened363 days ago29 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Edinburgh Sheriff CourtMediation bodyReview bodyReview contact point
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.