Official UK procurement notice
Future Debt Solution · UK public procurement notice
Authority: Department for Work & Pensions (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) ("the Authority") has an obligation to protect public funds and to ensure wherever possible, overpayment and penalty debt is recovered subject to legislative limitations and safeguards. It is Government policy to recover all debt where it is reasonable and cost effective to do so without causing undue financial hardship to debtors.
The DWP is undertaking a competitive flexible procedure to appoint a supplier to provide a commercial off the shelf (COTS) software as a service (SaaS) debt management system to meet DWP requirements and manage the recovery of debt and other monies owed to the Government, allowing the DWP to recover over £2billion of debt annually. The contract will include the design, configuration, testing, support to migration from the existing platform and post go live support.
The duration of the contract will be up to 8 years (Initial Term) with the option to extend the Initial Term by one or more extension periods provided that the aggregate of any such extensions is no greater than 36 months.
The estimated value of the contract over the Initial Term of the contract (8 years) is up to £47,000,000.00 (excluding VAT). This figure has been calculated from past and forecasted spend and shall not be taken by Suppliers as a commitment or a forecast of likely revenue.
The estimated total contract value (inclusive of any options) is up to £79,800,000.00 million (excluding VAT). This value has been calculated based on indicative volumes provided within the specification and any future initiatives and optional services. The total published contract value as published in this Tender Notice (UK4) is an indication to the market of the maximum amount which could be spent through this contract and shall not be taken by Suppliers as a commitment or a forecast of likely revenue.
The supplier will support the implementation of the SaaS system and provide support for any future upgrades and modifications in-life.
The scope of the SaaS includes:
- Software as a Service (SaaS) debt management solution to meet DWP functional and non-functional requirements
- User friendly modern debt collection and management capabilities
- Flexible and business user configurable
- Hosted in the UK with 99.9% availability
- Scalable to meet projected growth in accounts and users
- Innovative future roadmap
- Implementation of a SaaS debt management solution
- Design and configuration
- Integration to DWP architecture
- Migration of data from current solution
- Testing and assurance
- Training and knowledge transfer
- Supplier project management
- BAU support for a SaaS debt management solution
- Service desk
- System maintenance
- Performance monitoring
- Change management support
The geographical scope of the Future Debt Solution will be for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- How the procedure runs: DWP is conducting this procurement via a Competitive Flexible Procedure in accordance with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023. The procurement will consist of 5 stages. The stages of this Competitive Flexible Procedure are as follows: Stage 1 - Request to Participate (RTP). This stage commences with the issuing of this Tender Notice. A Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) is available on the Portal which all Suppliers are required to complete in accordance with the Procurement Timetable and instructions within the Instructions to Suppliers (ITS) document, as well as passing the Key Procurement Specific Participation Requirements and achieving the minimum thresholds for the Key Technical Participation Requirements Questions. Stage 2 - Initial Tender. As a result of the RTP, up to 5 supplies will be invited to submit an Initial Tender where Technical, Social Value and Commercial questions will be asked but not scored. Stage 3 - Clarification Phase. Suppliers' responses to the Initial Tender will be reviewed and areas for Clarification identified which will be discussed 1 to 1 with suppliers over 2 rounds of clarification (first round for Technical and second round for Commercial). Stage 4 - Final Tender and Demonstrations. As a result of the Clarification Phase, consolidated feedback and updated Tender documents will be issued (which may be amended based on clarifications). Suppliers will be invited to submit their Final Tender. Suppliers who have submitted compliant tenders will be invited to a Demonstration session, where they will demonstrate their solution based on an agenda provided in the Tender documents, enabling DWP to verify that the requirements and proposed solution can be delivered. Stage 5 - Evaluation and Moderation. Responses to the Final Tender will be evaluated and moderated to identify the Supplier who has submitted the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT). Compliant tenders will be evaluated on a Weighted Value for Money Index (WVFMI) basis where a ratio of 60:40 (quality:cost) weighting (i.e. ^1.5) has been selected for this procurement. The Award Criteria is explained further within the ITS.
CPV: Financial analysis and accounting software development services · Financial systems software package · Industry specific software package
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£79,800,000
- Economic & financial standing
Legal
The Authority is using the GOV.UK Model Services Contract (MSC) as the basis for this Contract, amended only to the extent required to accommodate the specific needs of this procurement, and to incorporate the Tender response of the preferred Supplier.
Financial
The Supplier is required to complete the Financial Viability Risk Assessment (FVRA) tool as part of their Tender response.
- Technical & professional ability
Suppliers must score a minimum of 55 in every question (apart from Social Value where the minimum is 25 in every Social Value question) to progress. Suppliers who do not achieve the minimum score of 55 in every question (apart from Social Value) will be excluded and will not be invited to the next stage of the process.
The Supplier must confirm that any proposed solution will be UK-shored in a dedicated cloud environment, compliant with:
a) The Authority's procurement policies and procedures including the security policies and standards detailed within the following links:www.gov.uk/government/collectio… ↗; and www.gov.uk/government/publicati… ↗.
b) HMG security policy framework detailed within the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publicati… ↗.
c) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) standards.
d) The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018'in line with the HM Government's Technology Code of Practice point 2 detailed in the following link: www.gov.uk/guidance/make-things… ↗ currently requires WCAG 2.2 AA standard as a minimum.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Suppliers will be invited to submit tenders at stage 2 (Initial Tender) and stage 4 (Final Tender) based on their scoring position within stage 1 (Request to Participate).
The top 5 Suppliers will be invited to tender if they achieve the minimum thresholds for the Key Technical Participation Requirement Questions and do not fail any sections of the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) or the Key Procurement Specific Participation Requirements.
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 (9)
- Deployment: 10%
- Risk Management: 10%
- Account Management: 5%
- System Capability: 17.5%
- System Flexibility: 17.5%
- Alignment to DWP priorities: 5%
- Integration: 15%
- Deployment Facilitation: 10%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (9)
- Deployment
- Risk Management
- Account Management
- System Capability
- System Flexibility
- Alignment to DWP priorities
- Integration
- Deployment Facilitation
- Social Value
- Economic & financial standing
Legal
The Authority is using the GOV.UK Model Services Contract (MSC) as the basis for this Contract, amended only to the extent required to accommodate the specific needs of this procurement, and to incorporate the Tender response of the preferred Supplier.
Financial
The Supplier is required to complete the Financial Viability Risk Assessment (FVRA) tool as part of their Tender response.
- Technical & professional ability
Suppliers must score a minimum of 55 in every question (apart from Social Value where the minimum is 25 in every Social Value question) to progress. Suppliers who do not achieve the minimum score of 55 in every question (apart from Social Value) will be excluded and will not be invited to the next stage of the process.
The Supplier must confirm that any proposed solution will be UK-shored in a dedicated cloud environment, compliant with:
a) The Authority's procurement policies and procedures including the security policies and standards detailed within the following links:www.gov.uk/government/collectio… ↗; and www.gov.uk/government/publicati… ↗.
b) HMG security policy framework detailed within the following link:www.gov.uk/government/publicati… ↗.
c) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) standards.
d) The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018'in line with the HM Government's Technology Code of Practice point 2 detailed in the following link: www.gov.uk/guidance/make-things… ↗ currently requires WCAG 2.2 AA standard as a minimum.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Suppliers will be invited to submit tenders at stage 2 (Initial Tender) and stage 4 (Final Tender) based on their scoring position within stage 1 (Request to Participate).
The top 5 Suppliers will be invited to tender if they achieve the minimum thresholds for the Key Technical Participation Requirement Questions and do not fail any sections of the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) or the Key Procurement Specific Participation Requirements.
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
- 21 May 2025, 14:26 BST
- Last source update
- 6 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 1 Dec 2026
- Authority reference
project_26685, C8618- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-000698- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-051b05Find a Tender
- How it runs
DWP is conducting this procurement via a Competitive Flexible Procedure in accordance with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023. The procurement will consist of 5 stages.
The stages of this Competitive Flexible Procedure are as follows:
Stage 1 - Request to Participate (RTP). This stage commences with the issuing of this Tender Notice. A Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) is available on the Portal which all Suppliers are required to complete in accordance with the Procurement Timetable and instructions within the Instructions to Suppliers (ITS) document, as well as passing the Key Procurement Specific Participation Requirements and achieving the minimum thresholds for the Key Technical Participation Requirements Questions.
Stage 2 - Initial Tender. As a result of the RTP, up to 5 supplies will be invited to submit an Initial Tender where Technical, Social Value and Commercial questions will be asked but not scored.
Stage 3 - Clarification Phase. Suppliers' responses to the Initial Tender will be reviewed and areas for Clarification identified which will be discussed 1 to 1 with suppliers over 2 rounds of clarification (first round for Technical and second round for Commercial).
Stage 4 - Final Tender and Demonstrations. As a result of the Clarification Phase, consolidated feedback and updated Tender documents will be issued (which may be amended based on clarifications). Suppliers will be invited to submit their Final Tender. Suppliers who have submitted compliant tenders will be invited to a Demonstration session, where they will demonstrate their solution based on an agenda provided in the Tender documents, enabling DWP to verify that the requirements and proposed solution can be delivered.
Stage 5 - Evaluation and Moderation. Responses to the Final Tender will be evaluated and moderated to identify the Supplier who has submitted the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT). Compliant tenders will be evaluated on a Weighted Value for Money Index (WVFMI) basis where a ratio of 60:40 (quality:cost) weighting (i.e. ^1.5) has been selected for this procurement.
The Award Criteria is explained further within the ITS.
- Risks
The Authority has identified the following known risks which satisfy the description at paragraph 6(a) of Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023, because if they arise, either individually or otherwise, they could jeopardise the satisfactory performance of the contract and, because of their nature, cannot be addressed unambiguously in the contract as awarded. They are therefore intended to be permitted modifications pursuant to Schedule 8 Procurement Act 2023:
a) significant change in volumes of debt stock and debtors
b) future Government initiatives in relation to debt recovery or changes to policy in relation to debt recovery
c) any optional services or future innovations that become available within the solution at a later date
d) Inflation - unexpected increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which may significantly raise the cost of delivering the contracted services, potentially rendering the contract financially unviable over time.
e) Departmental reprioritisation - there is a risk that changes in Government policy, ministerial priorities, or funding allocations particularly following a General Election, departmental restructuring or HM Treasury spending reviews may significantly impact the delivery of debt recovery services.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 12 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission deadline
- 12 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Suppliers who wish to participate in public procurements are required to register on the Government's Central Digital Platform (CDP). The CDP is available at www.gov.uk/find-tender ↗.
This procurement will be conducted electronically via the Portal. All communications with the Authority must be conducted via the Portal, which can be accessed here: dwp2.my.site.com/s/Welcome ↗.
Suppliers must ensure they are registered on the Portal to gain access to the procurement documentation, which contains full details of the requirement. If not already registered, Suppliers can register here: dwp2.my.site.com/ProSpend__eSourcing_… ↗
Timeline
21 May 2025 → 14 Jan 2027 · 7 dates- Planning notice published21 May 2025, 14:26 BST
- Market engagement20 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
DWP have previously undertaken informal market engagement with a small select group of suppliers to explore the core Debt Management Systems capabilities in the market, this exercise helped the department consider what capabilities are standard in the market to ensure effective competition in a fair and transparent manner.
In August 2024 DWP undertook initial early market engagement and in February/March 2025 undertook a “deeper dive” into the debt management system market to assess market level capability further and to determine whether and with what level of confidence the COTS market could meet DWPs needs.
DWP used the Market Assessment to determine:
- the Market’s ability to meet DWPs Functional Requirements
- the Market’s ability to meet DWPs Non-Functional Requirements
- the Market’s ability to deliver key Business Scenarios representative of DWPs more complex Functional Requirements
- Indicative Delivery Timescales to deliver a solution that meets DWP’s needs, with an understanding of the risks, assumptions and dependencies surrounding these timescales
- Supplier Delivery Costs which may be incurred in delivering a COTS solution and Operating Costs over the contract term
Participating suppliers were sent two Information Requests which outlined Functional and Non-Functional Requirements and gave details of seven Business Scenarios which represented DWPs more complex functional requirements. Suppliers were asked to respond to the Information Requests and demonstrate in a Workshop how they would deliver the Business Scenarios as well as responding to questions on their delivery plans and timescales.
Based on the Market Assessment DWP has concluded that the market for COTS debt management systems could meet its requirements.
- Functional Requirements: we have a high degree of confidence that the market can meet DWPs Functional Requirements.
- Non-Functional Requirements: we have a high degree of confidence that the market can meet DWPs Non-Functional Requirements.
- Business Scenarios: A level of confidence that the Market could deliver DWP’s complex customer journeys.
- Delivery Timescales: A level of confidence that DWP’s requirements could be met within 18 -24 months.
DWP specific requirements are still evolving, and we will share our high-level requirements at a further virtual Supplier briefing which will take place on Wednesday 11th June 2025. Suppliers may register their interest in attending until 12:00hrs Thursday 5th June 2025.
To receive the invitation to this event suppliers will need to contact stephen.wardle@DWP.gov.uk by 5th June 2025 when an NDA will be provided to be signed to gain access to the Event. NDAs will be required to be signed by yourselves by 12:00 on 10th June 2025.
- Tender notice published293 days ago6 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMT
- Next notice expected292 days ago7 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Submission deadline256 days ago12 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Today27 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 35 days1 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 78 days14 Jan 2027
Notice history
12 events · 7 releases on Find a Tender · since 21 May 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published21 May 2025, 14:26 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published2 Jun 2025, 18:30 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published3 Jun 2025, 13:45 BSTUK2
- Planned procurement notice published3 Sept 2025, 10:48 BSTUK3
- Published value updated to £66,500,0003 Sept 2025, 10:48 BSTwas £40,000,000
- Status changed to planned3 Sept 2025, 10:48 BST
- Procurement method changed3 Sept 2025, 10:48 BST
- Planned procurement notice published9 Sept 2025, 15:10 BSTUK3
- Planned procurement notice published8 Dec 2025, 15:27 GMTUK3
- Tender notice published6 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMTUK4
- Published value updated to £79,800,0006 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMTwas £66,500,000
- Status changed to active6 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMT
Published amendments (3)
1. Update to Engagement section asking for request to attend by 12:00 of 5th June from 12:00 6th of June
WE have added details of how to access Atamis in order to bid. The added text reads Suppliers will be able to access the supplier portal following the directions provided on the Gov.uk website (Procurement at DWP - Department for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK. ) For extra support, direct suppliers to the Atamis support website: (https://suppliersupport.atamis.co.uk/hc/en-gb). Please also refer to the…
Changes made to this notice include: - Timings - Updates to CFP Tender Stages - Demonstration activity added to Stage 4 Final Tender
Routine re-releases (7)
- 2025-09: 1 release · 3 Sept 2025
- 2025-06: 2 releases · 2 Jun 2025, 3 Jun 2025
- 2025-05: 1 release · 21 May 2025
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
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement 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
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender