Official UK procurement notice
Strategic License Subscriptions and Advisory Services
Authority: HM Revenue & Customs (Central government)
What is being bought4 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionTo guarantee the efficient utilisation of technology, transform our digital and customer services, and fulfil public service commitments, His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) requires research subscription services.
This service will assist in setting strategies, managing projects, deploying new technologies, and ensuring regulatory compliance, amongst other things.
Additionally, an on-demand ad-hoc advisory service is necessary to translate industry-leading insights into actionable plans, across different business areas and topics.
The requirements have been split into 4 lots based on individual business area requirements with varying scope.
Please note, the Authority have determined this requirement to be VAT recoverable meaning the contract value will be exclusive of VAT. A value for 'Including VAT' has been included within each relevant section as required by the FTS system. Values provided are inclusive of the optional 12 month extension. Values are indicative maximums and provide no commitment of spend or usage.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT.
CPV: Research and development services and related consultancy services
Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure
4 lots · all with a published value (£3,595,000 together) · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1CDIO (Chief Digital and Information Officer)AwardedRenewalPublished value£2,300,000
To guarantee the efficient utilisation of technology, transform our digital and customer services, and fulfil public service commitments, HMRC requires research subscription services. This service will assist in setting strategies, managing projects, deploying new technologies, and ensuring regulatory compliance, amongst other things.
Additionally, an on-demand ad-hoc advisory service is necessary to translate industry-leading insights into actional plans, across different Business Areas and topics.
The research service for CDIO should cover the following aspects:
General requirements
- Access to a research library providing independent, objective and expert re-search reports, tools, case studies to support HMRC achieving its objectives.
- Access to relevant research including but not limited to, IT implementation, design, architecture, engineering, support management, AI data and reference architectures.
- The research library must include as a minimum, available sessions within the overall categories of Digital Business Transformation/Strategy, Building Strong Teams and Generating Innovation/Value.
- It is expected that the research material is regularly refreshed to support fast-moving areas such as AI or data.
- Access to strategic business content for technology leaders, supporting them to become better business partners and enterprise leaders
- Access to people who have done 'what we are doing' before in different con-texts and can advise on pitfalls/best practice when evaluating different approaches, methods, technologies or strategies.
- Independent view of the market both from a technical perspective (what technologies are being used for what) and a business perspective (what approaches are working).
- Reviews of papers from an independent but expert point of view, for accuracy and messaging.
- Leadership content that is targeted at senior leaders to help transform HMRC.
- Support software development lifecycles, insights and best practices for source control, branching, merging, and software development lifecycles.
- Events/conferences access to ensure HMRC are aware of the evolving technologies and evolving IT challenges.
- Networking opportunities and introduction to peer organisations and people to dive deeper into relevant experiences.
- Access to peers across the domain to showcase HMRC to attract technology talent.
Ad-hoc advisory services
- Ad-hoc advisory service to help develop documentation supporting strategic tasks and key deliverables, relating to business change or transformation. Examples include strategy development, financial planning, roadmap development, e.g., transformation, AI etc., as well as specialist technology areas.
Licences / subscriptions required:
- 40 subscriptions to access research libraries, research and tools based on industry best practice, access to analyst briefings, and networking opportunities.
- 8 subscriptions to access research libraries, research and tools based on industry best practice, access to analysts, alignment to subject matter experts. Peer-connect and facilitated networking.
- 2 subscriptions providing a guided service to access research libraries, re-search and tools based on industry best practice, access to analysts, alignment to subject matter experts. Dedicated executive support with specific domain knowledge. Peer-connect and facilitated networking.
- 1 subscription providing a guided service to access research libraries, re-search and tools based on industry best practice, access to analysts, alignment to subject matter experts. Dedicated executive support with specific domain knowledge. Peer-connect and facilitated networking. Customised engagement at CIO level.
- 1 subscription to provide expert advice for Software Engineers.
Lot #2CSG (Customer Services Group) and ETG (Enterprise Transformation Group)AwardedRenewalPublished value£740,000
CSG and ETG requires access to world class research and business insights on a range of matters related to optimising our Customer Service provision.
The Directors of CSG and ETG are looking for a range of support services which includes but not limited to:
- Strategy overall/strategic roadmaps
- Multichannel strategy/Shift to digital
- Customer centric ways of working overall
- Architecture
- Service capabilities
- End-to-end digital services and digital service/product management
- End-to-end customer journey management
- Customer experience overall
- Innovation and AI
- End-to-end means someone getting a letter or being on Google all the way through to compliance and solicitors
- Metrix and balanced scorecards
- Multichannel analytics
- Next best action and engagement strategies including air traffic control, nudges, prompts
- Change delivery models
- Portfolio management
- Customer service operating models in context of customer service and the full organisation, e.g. digital service target operating model
- Organisation design
- People capability and skills/adopting digital skills and ways of learning
- Performance measurement and best practice
- Expert business guidance on tax experts
- Business delivery and customer service delivery guidance.
In summary, we are seeking an offer that joins up service and modern IT i.e. end-to-end product management and delivery of digital channel and app, that enables understanding of marketing propositions and how to put together a service proposition.
Licences / subscriptions required:
- 5 subscriptions to access research libraires, research and tools based on industry best practice, access to analysts, alignment to subject matter experts. Peer-connect and facilitated networking.
- 4 subscriptions providing a guided service to access research libraries, re-search and tools based on industry best practice, access to analysts, alignment to subject matter experts. Dedicated executive support with specific domain knowledge. Peer-connect and facilitated networking.
Lot #3Internal AuditAwardedRenewalPublished value£105,000
To support the IA unit's delivery of our 2025-28 internal audit strategy, alongside supporting our business-as-usual audit work, we require research subscription and advisory services. The service will provide access to subject matter experts to support the senior leadership team in setting and driving forward our strategy, as well as the provision of a wide range of research materials and audit toolkits to assist our team in delivering our audit plans.
Insights and Expert Advice (strategic) - access to:
- Expert support, guidance, and advice for the Chief Audit Executive to support strategy development, decision making and planning.
- IA function benchmarking and other assessment tools (e.g. skills and capabilities) and guides to measure / compare performance.
- Research and reports on, but not limited to audit strategy development, emerging global and sector risks, emerging trends / innovation in the IA profession, and broader strategic audit leadership support
- Webinars and conferences on emerging trends relevant to audit
- Market intelligence on proposed use of audit management / data analytics technology
- Networking Opportunities with peers of similar backgrounds and experiences to share wins, lessons learned and best-practice insights.
Data and Analytics Capabilities - access to:
- Data analytics maturity assessments, case studies, expert support, use cases.
Practical resources, tools and frameworks - access to:
- Insights, research, best practice, audit resources, practical tools and frame-works to expand risk, control and business knowledge and inform audit scoping, facilitating more efficient ways of working and stronger performance.
- Support on technical aspects on specific audits
Provision of training & information - access to:
- Learning and development sessions for the wider team (soft and profession-al)
License/Subscription
- 1 collective subscription that provides access for the internal audit senior executive and select team members to research and Insight, peer engagement, insights and research, learning events, executive networking opportunities, advisory support, best practices, benchmarking and other diagnostic tools.
Lot #4HRAwardedRenewalPublished value£450,000
HR are looking to gain access to industry best practice and insight to enable the support of HMRC to meet its challenging business objectives through effective use of our people.
License holders require access to material covering (but not limited to) the following topics:
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- Employee Experience
- Future of Work
- Organisation Design
- Leadership
- Culture
- HR functional management
- Leadership of change
- Health, Safety and Wellbeing
- HR strategy
- HR technology
- Recruitment
- Talent Development
- Talent management and Development
- Learning and Development
- Future HR trends
- Networking opportunities and introduction to peer organisations and people to dive deeper into relevant experiences
- Webinars and conferences relevant to HR
We are looking for a service which both advises on best practice and supports us in applying this effectively in HMRC.
Licence / Subscriptions required:
- 4 subscriptions to access HR research and best practice, benchmarks and case studies, tools based on industry best practice, online and virtual learning, access to expert analysts and live events.
- 6 subscriptions to access HR research and best practice, benchmarks and case studies, tools based on industry best practice and online and virtual learning.
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 sub-criteria (3)
- Technical Ability Quality Questions: 60%
- Cost: 30%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Technical Ability Quality Questions
- Social Value
- Cost
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- 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
- Yes · next expected 1 Jan 2027
- First published
- 18 Jul 2025, 12:30 BST
- Last source update
- 18 Jul 2025, 12:30 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 16 Jun 2025
- Authority reference
SR2272988425- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-010887- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04e90eFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 22 Apr 2025, 10:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 7 Apr 2025, 10:00 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 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 your:
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 once it is built. Additionally, should the Authority have any questions for interested bidders prior to the event being published (in terms of market engagement and requirement development), the above provided contact details will be used.
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.
Timeline
3 Mar 2025 → 1 Oct 2025 · 10 dates- Planning notice published3 Mar 2025, 15:31 GMT
- Tender notice published24 Mar 2025, 12:16 GMT
- Next notice expected24 Mar 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Clarification questions by7 Apr 2025, 10:00 BST
- Submission deadline22 Apr 2025, 10:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent6 Jun 2025, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected by16 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
- Standstill ends17 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published18 Jul 2025, 12:30 BST
- Contract starts381 days ago1 Oct 2025, 00:00 BST
Notice history
7 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 3 Mar 2025- Planned procurement notice published3 Mar 2025, 15:31 GMTUK3
- Preliminary market engagement notice published21 Mar 2025, 12:39 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published24 Mar 2025, 12:16 GMTUK4
- Tender notice published24 Mar 2025, 15:05 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published6 Jun 2025, 11:41 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected30 Jun 2025, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published18 Jul 2025, 12:30 BSTUK7
Published amendments (1)
The event duration has been updated in line with UK Bank Holidays. The deadline has been amended from 18th April to Tuesday 22nd April 10:00am.
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 · CDIO (Chief Digital and Information Officer)1 award | |||
| Gartner UK LtdStrategic License Subscriptions and Advisory Services. Lot 1 - CDIO (Chief Digital and Information Officer)1 Oct 2025 – 31 Mar 2027 · up to 31 Mar 2028Extensions: Optional 12 month extension. | £2,300,750 | 5 Jun 2025 | Awarded |
| Lot 2 · CSG (Customer Services Group) and ETG (Enterprise Transformation Group)1 award | |||
| FORRESTER RESEARCH LIMITEDStrategic License Subscriptions and Advisory Services. Lot 2: CSG (Customer Services Group) and ETG (Enterprise Transformation Group) Description1 Jul 2025 – 31 Mar 2027 · up to 31 Mar 2028Extensions: Optional 12 month extension. | £727,193 | 5 Jun 2025 | Awarded |
| Lot 3 · Internal Audit1 award | |||
| Gartner UK LtdStrategic License Subscriptions and Advisory Services. Lot 3 - Internal Audit1 Jul 2025 – 31 Mar 2027 · up to 31 Mar 2028Extensions: Optional 12 month extension. | £105,875 | 5 Jun 2025 | Awarded |
| Lot 4 · HR1 award | |||
| Gartner UK LtdStrategic License Subscriptions and Advisory Services. Lot 4 - HR1 Oct 2025 – 31 Mar 2027 · up to 31 Mar 2028Extensions: Optional 12 month extension. | £418,000 | 5 Jun 2025 | Awarded |
Contracts
Strategic License Subscriptions and Advisory Services. Lot 1 - CDIO (Chief Digital and Information Officer) · Gartner UK Ltd
- Signed
- 9 Jul 2025
- Value
- £2,300,750
- Period
- 1 Oct 2025 – 31 Mar 2027 · up to 31 Mar 2028 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Optional 12 month extension option for continuation of services at the discretion of the Authority
No agreed KPIs: Below £5m - not required
Strategic License Subscriptions and Advisory Services. Lot 4 - HR · Gartner UK Ltd
- Signed
- 9 Jul 2025
- Value
- £418,000
- Period
- 1 Oct 2025 – 31 Mar 2027 · up to 31 Mar 2028 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Optional 12 month extension option for continuation of services at the discretion of the Authority
No agreed KPIs: Below £5m - not required
Strategic License Subscriptions and Advisory Services. Lot 2: CSG (Customer Services Group) and ETG (Enterprise Transformation Group) Description · FORRESTER RESEARCH LIMITED
- Signed
- 30 Jun 2025
- Value
- £727,193
- Period
- 1 Jul 2025 – 31 Mar 2027 · up to 31 Mar 2028 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Optional 12 month extension option for continuation of services at the discretion of the Authority
No agreed KPIs: Below £5m - not required
Strategic License Subscriptions and Advisory Services. Lot 3 - Internal Audit · Gartner UK Ltd
- Signed
- 1 Jan 2025
- Value
- £105,875
- Period
- 1 Jul 2025 – 31 Mar 2027 · up to 31 Mar 2028 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- Optional 12 month extension option for continuation of services at the discretion of the Authority
No agreed KPIs: Below £5m - not required
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · CDIO (Chief Digital and Information Officer) | 4final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2 · CSG (Customer Services Group) and ETG (Enterprise Transformation Group) | 3final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 3 · Internal Audit | 2final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
| 4 · HR | 2final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
2 commercial parties on the notice- FORRESTER RESEARCH LIMITEDAwarded supplier
- GARTNER U.K. LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (12)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
Show 4 more notices
- 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