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PS26238 - Connected Products Market Analysis Research

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

13 Oct 2026 at 09:19

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology commissioned independent market research and analysis of connected products sold in the UK, to build evidence for cyber security policy and possible legislation. The work covers products potentially within scope of future regulation, including connected hardware, operational technology and enterprise-connected devices. It includes developing a taxonomy of relevant products, compiling a dataset of organisations, and analysing manufacturers, developers, importers, distributors and retailers. The research also examines market structure and concentration, international trade patterns and likely compliance with the EU Cyber Resilience Act. Its purpose is to support policy development, options and impact assessments, and future legislative decisions. Delivery is focused on the UK connected-products market.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded to Frontier Economics Limited. The award was made on 8 October 2026 for £199,650. The contract period runs from 12 October 2026 to 17 March 2027. This was a selective competition conducted as a call-off under a research and insights dynamic purchasing system. The requirement was evaluated through that competition; the published information does not give further detail of the scoring criteria. The original tender submission deadline was 17 September 2026. The opportunity was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. It was a single research services requirement, rather than a set of separately awarded lots.

This award demonstrates demand from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology for specialist market research that can inform cyber security policy and regulatory design. A credible competitor for similar work would need to combine market-analysis capability with a sound understanding of connected products, including hardware, operational technology and enterprise devices. The brief called for product taxonomy development, comprehensive organisation-level data and analysis spanning manufacturers, developers, importers, distributors and retailers. Relevant expertise also includes assessing market concentration, international trade and the likely implications of the EU Cyber Resilience Act for products placed on the UK market. Suppliers able to translate robust market evidence into policy, options and impact assessments would be well aligned with the requirement. The competition was run through a research and insights purchasing system, and the buyer identified the work as suitable for SMEs.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

PS26238 - Connected Products Market Analysis Research

Notice Description

***** THIS IS AN AWARD NOTICE, NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION ***** This procurement is being concluded following a mini competition under the GCA RM6126 Research & Insights DPS Brief Description of Requirement This project will commission an independent market analysis of the UK connected products market, focusing on connected products that may be within scope of future cyber security policy and legislation. The research will develop a taxonomy of in-scope products, create a comprehensive dataset of organisations and provide analysis of manufacturers, developers, importers, distributors and retailers placing connected products on the UK market. The study will assess market structure, market concentration, international trade patterns, and the degree to which products are likely to comply with the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). The requirement is driven by the need to develop a robust evidence base to support policy development, options assessment, impact assessment and future legislative decisions relating to the cyber security of connected products. Current evidence exists for stand alone software markets, but significant gaps remain in relation to connected hardware, operational technology and enterprise connected devices. The research will provide essential baseline data to inform future policy interventions and regulatory design.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-0a409e2a-7c0b-46c9-acb3-0d7e809fbcd7
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/fabe6b36-6674-4987-9b6a-d729ff6ad011
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Dynamic
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Call-off from a dynamic purchasing system
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£199,650 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
13 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
8 Oct 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
12 Oct 2026 - 17 Mar 2027 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SWINDON
Postcode
SN2 1LF
Postcode Area
Swindon
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK71 Swindon
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Swindon
Electoral Ward
Rodbourne Cheney
Westminster Constituency
Swindon North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FRONTIER ECONOMICS LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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