Find a TenderClosed
Published 1 Oct 2025, 12:39 BST

Official UK procurement notice

How can technology help people overcome barriers to accessing key online services?

Official notice

Authority: Scottish Government (Central government)

ServicesOpen procedureAccelerated
Published estimate£1,000,000exc. VAT
Submissions closed 29 Oct 2025

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Despite 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 published
Lot #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:

www.civtech.scot/civtech-11-challenge… ↗

www.civtech.scot/how-to-apply-civtech-11 ↗

Delivery: UK
Extensions: This contract can be extended if requiredVariant bids: not allowedElectronic catalogue: required

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids were scored
Quality: 100%
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)
Administration, defence and social security servicesAdult and other education servicesComputer support and consultancy servicesEducation and training servicesForeign language translation software packageIT services: consulting, software development, Internet and supportOffice and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05a5df Find a Tender
Contract terms
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 notice
Run through: Public Contracts Scotland · Who buys & how to bid on PCS
Supplier login requiredLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free single registration for Scotland; PCS-Tender (Jaggaer) for full bidding

Tender 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
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

1 Oct 2025 → 29 Oct 2025 · 3 dates
  1. Notice published391 days ago
    1 Oct 2025, 12:39 BST
  2. Submission deadline363 days ago
    29 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT
  3. Bids opened363 days ago
    29 Oct 2025, 12:00 GMT

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Scottish Government

Contracting authorityCentral GovernmentMinistry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisionsGeneral public services 5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw, Glasgow, Scotland, G2 8LUContact name, email, phone Published organisation website ↗

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • Edinburgh Sheriff CourtMediation bodyReview bodyReview contact point Edinburgh

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.