Planning

ICO Data Protection Fee Register Maximisation Delivery Partner

INFORMATION COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

22 Jul 2025 at 09:26

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

04 Jul 2025 at 12:05

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the United Kingdom is advancing its procurement process to appoint a "Data Protection Fee Register Maximisation Delivery Partner" to strengthen compliance with the Data Protection Register and optimise fee collection. This notice is currently in the planning stage with a focus on services in the data, customer, and business management consultancy sectors. Key engagement activities are scheduled, including a supplier engagement session on 24 July 2025. Suppliers have until 22 August 2025 to express their interest, aiming to contribute innovative solutions that can address registration gaps among UK organisations. The future contract is planned to start on 1 November 2025, running at least until December 2026, with options for renewal.

This tender represents a substantial opportunity for businesses adept at data services, customer engagement, and management consultancy to not only expand their market but also establish a partnership with a pivotal UK regulatory authority. Companies skilled in data identification, smart targeting using AI, and effective outreach strategies will find themselves well-suited to compete. The ICO's openness to consortium bids suggests this opportunity is not only for larger entities but could also be advantageous for SMEs and tech platforms fostering innovation and collaboration. Participation offers the chance to influence ICO’s future direction and enhance public service value, making it a compelling venture for businesses seeking to leverage their expertise for growth in the public sector.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

ICO Data Protection Fee Register Maximisation Delivery Partner

Notice Description

ICO Data Protection Fee Payers Register - Market Shaping Opportunity Our goal is to secure a delivery partner who can help us bring in-scope organisations into compliance through registration on the Data Protection Register and maximise the fees we receive. Join our supplier engagement session on Thursday 24 July 2025 at 2pm to help shape our approach - and potentially play a central role in future delivery. To express your interest and receive an invitation to the engagement session, please submit your contact details via https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/2YBJ6D7SQ4 Introduction The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the UK's independent regulator for information rights. We oversee and enforce a range of legislation, including the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR, and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Our role is to safeguard personal data, promote openness and accountability, and maintain public trust in how information is handled. A substantial part of our funding comes from the statutory Data Protection Fee, which organisations must pay if they process personal data and meet the relevant criteria. The fee supports our core regulatory functions; from offering advice and guidance, to carrying out investigations, and taking enforcement action where necessary. It also enables us to deliver services that help reduce the cost of compliance for organisations across the UK. Improving registration compliance is about more than recovering unpaid fees. A more complete and accurate register strengthens our ability to regulate effectively, supports fair treatment across sectors, and helps ensure that the data protection framework works as intended. It enables better planning, more targeted engagement, and ultimately, stronger outcomes for both organisations and the public. You can find more about our work at ico.org.uk. What We Know So Far. Our public register currently includes just over 1.2 million organisations. However, we estimate there could be up to 2 million more that fall within scope but have not registered. That gap represents a significant compliance risk and an estimated PS75 million in unclaimed fees. Since the introduction of the GDPR in 2018, we've more than doubled the size of the register - largely through outbound campaigns based on data from Companies House and similar sources. Most recently, we've used postal campaigns to contact potential registrants. While these letters have had some success, engagement remains low - particularly among small and micro businesses. In October 2024, we issued a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to signal our intent to explore alternative approaches to increasing registration compliance. Since then, we've run a series of small-scale pilots to test different methods of identifying and engaging unregistered organisations. The results have been mixed - informative, but not conclusive enough to proceed directly to procurement. We're now seeking broader market input to help shape a more complete and effective solution. You can find the original under: Notice identifier: 2024/S 000-031719 Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-04a575 Some exemptions to the fee apply, but our analysis suggests that a substantial proportion of the unregistered population may be liable and are simply not responding through the channels we've used so far. What We're Looking For This is an open invitation to help shape both how we solve the problem and how we appoint a delivery partner to turn insight into measurable registration outcomes - driving lasting improvements in compliance and fee recovery. We want to hear from suppliers who can help us think differently about how to reach and engage organisations that haven't responded to traditional methods. This isn't just about communications - it could involve data identification, behavioural insight, prioritisation models, or something entirely new. While email outreach may be part of the answer, we're looking for a complete view, from sourcing and validating data, to delivering messages and shaping content that drives action. We're also keen to understand what infrastructure, partnerships, or technologies already exist that could help scale or accelerate results. Crucially, we want your advice on how to buy this well. We're aiming to build a compliant tender that reflects what the market can realistically deliver - and gives suppliers a fair opportunity to compete. We're particularly interested in your views on commercial models, evaluation criteria, and contract structures that support delivery, encourage innovation, and enable suppliers of all sizes to take part. We also welcome consortium bids and collaborative approaches that bring together complementary strengths. We're seeking views from suppliers who can offer: * Ways to identify and match unregistered organisations to reliable contact details, particularly email; * Smart targeting methods (e.g. segmentation, scoring models, AI-led prioritisation); * Effective outreach design and delivery - including message tone, timing, and content; * Practical ways to define and measure success - especially conversion to registration and payment; * Advice on how to structure the procurement to ensure fairness, flexibility, and delivery. Whether you're a data provider, campaign specialist, tech platform, or something in between, we want to understand how you'd approach this challenge. This is your chance to influence both the future tender and the strategy behind it - and play a central role in helping the ICO strengthen compliance and deliver better value to the public. If you think you can help us connect the dots and offer a smarter, more effective way forward - whether through data, outreach, or something entirely different, we'd welcome your attendance at an engagement session on Thursday 24 July 2025 at 2pm Colleagues from across the organisation will share an expanded overview of our current approach to registration and fee recovery, including further detail on known gaps and insights from recent pilot activity. After the session, we'll invite suppliers to submit a short-written response outlining early ideas on how you might support future delivery. These responses will help us shortlist suppliers for follow-up one-to-one conversations. We're happy to hold these discussions under an NDA, if required. This engagement will inform the design of a potential future procurement opportunity.

Planning Information

Join our supplier engagement session on Thursday 24 July 2025 at 2pm to help shape our approach - and potentially play a central role in future delivery. To express your interest and receive an invitation to the engagement session, please submit your contact details via https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/2YBJ6D7SQ4

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-055925
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041873-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

72300000 - Data services

79342300 - Customer services

79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Jul 20257 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
22 Aug 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2025 - 1 Dec 2026 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
INFORMATION COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@ico.org.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
WILMSLOW
Postcode
SK9 5AF
Post Town
Stockport
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD6 Cheshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD62 Cheshire East
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Cheshire East
Electoral Ward
Wilmslow West and Chorley
Westminster Constituency
Tatton

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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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We're now seeking broader market input to help shape a more complete and effective solution. You can find the original under: Notice identifier: 2024/S 000-031719 Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-04a575 Some exemptions to the fee apply, but our analysis suggests that a substantial proportion of the unregistered population may be liable and are simply not responding through the channels we've used so far. What We're Looking For This is an open invitation to help shape both how we solve the problem and how we appoint a delivery partner to turn insight into measurable registration outcomes - driving lasting improvements in compliance and fee recovery. We want to hear from suppliers who can help us think differently about how to reach and engage organisations that haven't responded to traditional methods. This isn't just about communications - it could involve data identification, behavioural insight, prioritisation models, or something entirely new. While email outreach may be part of the answer, we're looking for a complete view, from sourcing and validating data, to delivering messages and shaping content that drives action. We're also keen to understand what infrastructure, partnerships, or technologies already exist that could help scale or accelerate results. Crucially, we want your advice on how to buy this well. We're aiming to build a compliant tender that reflects what the market can realistically deliver - and gives suppliers a fair opportunity to compete. We're particularly interested in your views on commercial models, evaluation criteria, and contract structures that support delivery, encourage innovation, and enable suppliers of all sizes to take part. We also welcome consortium bids and collaborative approaches that bring together complementary strengths. 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