Planning

PS25300 - Quantum Infrastructure Directory

DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

24 Oct 2025 at 07:57

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process is being led by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) with the support of UK Shared Business Services Ltd. This initiative, titled "PS25300 - Quantum Infrastructure Directory," falls under the IT services and research and development categories. It is currently in the planning stage, with a Market Engagement Session scheduled for 4th November 2025. This event is aimed at engaging potential suppliers before the official tender goes live. Interested parties must register by 31st October 2025 to attend the virtual session. The full project will be executed in two phases, with phase one starting by 22nd December 2025, and is anticipated to conclude by the end of March 2026. The focus is on mapping the UK's quantum infrastructure through detailed research and data gathering.

This tender represents significant business growth opportunities, particularly for SMEs and organisations with expertise in IT consulting and research services. The requirement to develop a comprehensive online database suggests demand for firms skilled in software development, data management, and consultation services related to quantum technologies. Companies that specialise in integrating systems and maintaining user-friendly digital platforms will find this project especially pertinent. Participating in the market engagement sessions will enable businesses to align their capabilities with the department's needs, potentially influencing the tender requirements, and enhancing their competitive edge in this niche but expanding market area.

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Notice Title

PS25300 - Quantum Infrastructure Directory

Notice Description

Procurement description The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will shortly publish a procurement to appoint a supplier to develop an infrastructure directory that maps the UK's open-access quantum infrastructure, enabling discovery, collaboration, and strategic planning across industry, academia, facilities, and government bodies. At this stage the Department are seeking engagement with the market to better inform our requirements. Interested suppliers are to refer to the Engagement section of this notice for further details of the preliminary market engagement process being undertaken. This procurement will be split into two phases, the first phase taking place this financial year, and the second phase continuing in the next financial year. Phase 1 will entail desk-based research and engagement to map the UK's quantum-relevant infrastructure, and Phase 2 will involve the development of an online database to host the information collected in Phase 1. Background The UK has a swathe of existing quantum-related research infrastructure spread across the country. Knowledge of these facilities, their capabilities, tooling, and access conditions is limited to users already directly working with those institutions or organisations or closely involved in the ecosystem. The RAEng quantum infrastructure review identified that there is a lack of awareness of existing infrastructure and difficulties in identifying resources available.. This fragmentation can result in duplicated efforts, inefficient use of resources, and missed opportunities. Additionally, feedback from industry, academia and facility operators shows that discovering the available infrastructure is time-consuming and fragmented. There is currently no comprehensive infrastructure database for the quantum sector. A well-maintained, user-focused database would support technology advances, collaborations, strategic planning and international infrastructure negotiations. Aims and Objectives The full project will establish an online quantum infrastructure directory that maps the UK's quantum infrastructure within a single, user-friendly platform. It will enable industry and academia to discover tools, equipment, characterisation capabilities, and expertise; support facility operators in benchmarking and identifying complementary capabilities for collaboration and to avoid duplication; provide government and funding bodies with robust evidence to inform funding competitions and infrastructure investment or upgrades; and facilitate integration with related technologies such as semiconductors and engineering biology. The contract will have two components: 1. Undertaking desk-based research and stakeholder engagement with academia, industry and facility operators to capture infrastructure data and user needs; Collaborating closely with the relevant stakeholders to define technical specifications, data standards and governance. Consulting key ecosystem partners (Innovate UK, KTN, STFC, EPSRC, NPL, UKQuantum, Henry Royce Institute, Quantum Hubs, techUK etc.) to ensure accuracy, avoid duplication and secure industry buy-in. Suppliers will also need to set out an onward strategy for ensuring the information held in the database is up to date. 2. Developing the directory into a web-hosted, publicly facing database. Proposing a governance and maintenance model (potentially combining a neutral governance partner, a partner for content quality assurance, and a technical partner for platform development). We are still in the early stages of scoping our requirements for this phase, and how this may interface with existing platforms. The outputs required are: - A fully functional, web-based Quantum infrastructure directory featuring a user-friendly interface accessible to non-specialists with smart search and filtering by facility type, capability, access terms, and location; - API integration to connect with external platforms (such as UKRI databases); - User contribution and feedback mechanisms to maintain relevance; - Detailed entries covering equipment and tools, characterisation and testing capabilities, access schemes, contact information, case studies, and educational resources.

Planning Information

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, alongside UK Shared Business Services Limited will be hosting a Microsoft Teams meeting to further discuss this requirement before it goes live to the open market. This Market Engagement Session will be help on Tuesday 4th November 2025, time 10:00. The session will last approximately 90 minutes. In order to register your interest for this session, please provide the following information to coreservices@uksbs.co.uk, marking the email FTO Lucy Walters / David Gatehouse and referencing our unique reference number of PS25300. Please note organisations will be limited to three attendees. - Attendee(s) Name - Attendee(s) Email Address - Organisation Name Please register your interest by Friday 31st October 2025 at 17:00 in order to recieve the meeting details for Tuesday 4th November 2025. The Department is utilising this preliminary market engagement notice to: (a) make the market aware of the upcoming requirement; (b) to better understand the market landscape of suppliers who would be able to deliver this requirement; (c) to gain views on formulation of its requirements; Following the session, we will look to issue a market engagement questionnaire to those suppliers who have expressed interest to better inform our requirements. By registering and attending you will be engaging in non-competitive dialogue which will enable DSIT to develop and assess the market’s appetite, and views on formulation of its requirements. DSIT may consider the information and responses received as part of the preliminary market consultation to help inform the specification and further decision making in relation to the planning and conduct of the proposed procurement. Not registering interest shall not prevent any supplier participating in a future procurement, nor is it intended that any information supplied as part of the preliminary market consultation shall place any supplier at an advantage in a potential procurement process.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d2f5
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068023-2025
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, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services


CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£100,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Oct 20254 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
12 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
22 Dec 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
Additional Buyers

UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LTD

Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
coreservices@uksbs.co.uk, sigcommercialapprovals@dsit.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1A 2EG
Post Town
South West London
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

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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