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Rocket Cobol Support and Maintenance 26-29

Department for Work and Pensions

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

21 Oct 2026 at 17:38

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Work and Pensions procured support and maintenance for its Rocket COBOL software. This is a software support service, rather than a purchase of new software or general IT support. The service is associated with Manchester, where the department is based. The requirement is for maintaining and supporting a specific established COBOL system, so it is most relevant to suppliers with expertise in Rocket COBOL and the ability to support business-critical software for a government department.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Akhter Computers Limited on 14 October 2026. It was a selective call-off from a framework agreement. The estimated procurement range was £2,763,544.44 to £5,111,295.73; the awarded contract value is £2,763,544.44. The contract period runs from 31 October 2026 to 30 October 2029. The tender deadline was 5 August 2026. The opportunity was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. No lot breakdown or evaluation criteria are recorded in the process details.

This award confirms demand from the Department for Work and Pensions for continuing support and maintenance of its Rocket COBOL system, on a multi-year basis and through a framework call-off. Suppliers seeking to compete for a comparable requirement should be able to demonstrate practical Rocket COBOL support and maintenance capability, including the capacity to sustain an established system over a substantial service period. Experience supporting complex public-sector software environments would help a supplier show it can meet the buyer’s needs. The award went to Akhter Computers Limited, indicating that a specialist provider was selected for this requirement. The procurement was considered suitable for SMEs, so smaller firms with the relevant technical capability may be credible competitors.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Rocket Cobol Support and Maintenance 26-29

Notice Description

Provision for Rocket COBOL Support and Maintenance.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-7404b41a-32ce-41bd-9c5b-a03f8b4d1814
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/83b47978-728b-4058-afa8-325153706a81
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Call-off from a framework agreement
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

CPV Codes

48000000 - Software package and information systems

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£5,111,295 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£2,763,544 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Oct 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
14 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
31 Oct 2026 - 30 Oct 2029 3-4 years
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 Work and Pensions
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
MANCHESTER
Postcode
M2 3AA
Postcode Area
Manchester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD33 Manchester
Delivery Location
TLD North West (England)
Local Authority
Manchester
Electoral Ward
Deansgate
Westminster Constituency
Manchester Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Akhter Computers Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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