Tender

Open Referral Tool

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK & PENSIONS

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

16 Feb 2026 at 11:01

Planning

13 Feb 2026 at 10:50

Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), located in London, UK, is in the process of planning a procurement titled "Open Referral Tool," classified under the industry category of information technology services. This initiative is currently at the planning and tender update stages and aims to conduct market research on the feasibility of off-the-shelf solutions that manage and store service information compliant with the Open Referral UK standard. The notice has been previously released, and a future notice is expected to be published by 1st April 2026. The procurement seeks to enhance data standardisation, interoperability, quality, and reusability of referral data across multiple sectors.

This procurement presents valuable opportunities for IT service providers with expertise in data solutions, particularly those offering ready-made tools that can support a range of organisational needs. Businesses capable of adhering to interoperability standards and delivering efficient data management systems will find this tender particularly relevant. The DWP's focus on improving data exchange and standardisation across diverse organisations indicates a significant potential for firms specialising in comprehensive IT solutions to collaborate across public, voluntary, and private sectors for sustained business growth.

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Notice Title

Open Referral Tool

Notice Description

The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP). referred to as "the Authority", is conducting market research to assess the availability, capability, and indicative costs of off the shelf solutions for storing and managing service information that supports individuals. These solutions must comply with the Open Referral UK standard and be suitable for use across multiple organisations and use cases.<br/><br/>This RFI does not commit the DWP to undertaking any formal procurement activity. This notice has also been published on Contracts Finder.<br/><br/>For further information and details on how to respond to this RFI, please refer to the attachment found on the documents section of the Atamis e-Procurement portal:<br/><br/>https://dwp2.my.salesforce-sites.com/ProSpend__CS_ContractPage?SearchType=Projects&uid=a1MdO000002h4wrUAA&searchStr=&sortStr=Recently+Published&page=1&filters=&County=

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Authority supports individuals to access appropriate services and interventions (collectively "referrals"), including local and national support offers delivered by public, voluntary, community, and private sector partners.
The Authority's objective is to improve:
* Data standardisation across organisations
* Interoperability between systems
* Data quality (accuracy, completeness, timeliness); and
* Reusability of referral data across multiple channels and users.
The Authority is exploring a tool aligned to Open Referral UK (currently v3.x) to enable consistent publication, search, validation, and reuse of referral data.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065399
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013741-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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


CPV Codes

72222300 - Information technology services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Feb 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
31 Mar 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR WORK & PENSIONS
Contact Name
Commercial Team
Contact Email
cddigital.ucwa@dwp.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1H 9NA
Post Town
South West London
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
TLI London

Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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