Planning

Provision of International Driving Permit Services

DRIVER AND VEHICLE LICENSING AGENCY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

19 Mar 2026 at 11:41

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently in the planning stage for a tender concerning the provision of International Driving Permit Services across the United Kingdom. The procurement process initiated on 19th March 2026 involves a preliminary market engagement, requiring interested parties to complete an online questionnaire available until 1st April 2026. This public authority, centrally located in Swansea, seeks services within the customer services industry category, aiming for a widespread coverage across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The potential contract, valued at £4.5 million, is scheduled to commence on 1st April 2027 and run until 31st March 2030. It falls under the non-regulated procurement type as defined by the Procurement Act 2023.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in customer services with the capability to offer in-person transactions to UK driving licence holders. Companies with extensive service networks across the UK and the capacity to issue approximately 270,000 permits annually will have a competitive edge. The procurement requires a service availability of 48 hours per week spread over six days, catering to various customer needs. The awarded service provider will retain the £5.50 fee per permit, amounting to £4.5 million in potential income over the three-year term. This opportunity is well-suited for businesses with the infrastructure to maintain a high volume of transactions and possess a keen interest in expanding their presence in the public sector service market.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of International Driving Permit Services

Notice Description

Could you supply International Driving Permit Services on behalf of DVLA? Background DVLA maintains the records of 50 million drivers and 40 million vehicles in the UK. We collect PS7 billion a year in vehicle tax and process over 77 million transactions a year. Most transactions are digital, but we also offer an in-person channel for customers who require an International Driving Permit. The service is currently outsourced; the current service provision with the incumbent supplier expires on the 31 March 2027. What is happening now? DVLA is conducting preliminary market engagement for a potential future opportunity under contract to provide International Driving Permit services to UK driving licence holders on our behalf. We would like to hear from third-party providers who are interested in offering the services outlined below. What would be required? * The ability for UK driving licence holders to transact in-person. * Widespread coverage across England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland. * The capability to issue approximately 270,000 permits per annum. * Provide service availability of 48 hours per week across all service locations, spread over 6 days to cater for a range of customers. Further details The fee for an International Driving Permit (IDP) is PS5.50. The fee is set in legislation and will not be altered. The service provider must be able to deliver the IDP service based on retaining the full PS5.50 fee paid by the customer; there will be no additional supplement to the fee by DVLA or the customer. This equates to a potential PS4.5m of income for the service provider over the proposed 3-year contract term. DVLA's position is that this procurement requirement falls below the legislative threshold for a concession contract. Therefore, it is classified as a non-regulated procurement under the Procurement Act 2023, and the rules applicable to regulated concession contracts do not apply for this procurement. Although not mandated under PA23, DVLA is voluntarily publishing this notice to ensure transparency in our procurement process.

Planning Information

Interested parties are invited to participate in this preliminary market engagement by competing an online questionnaire. The questionnaire will be open until 23:59 on 01/04/2026 and can be accessed here: https://online1.snapsurveys.com/IDPMarch2026 Questionnaire responses are intended exclusively for DVLA’s consideration, to inform our thinking as requirements are developed.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066eb7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025091-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79342300 - Customer services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Mar 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Apr 20262 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 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
DRIVER AND VEHICLE LICENSING AGENCY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SWANSEA
Postcode
SA6 7JL
Post Town
Swansea
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL4 Mid and South West Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL43 Swansea
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Swansea
Electoral Ward
Mynydd-bach
Westminster Constituency
Swansea West

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-066eb7-2026-03-19T11:41:22Z",
    "date": "2026-03-19T11:41:22Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-066eb7",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PYVZ-4215-PGYM",
            "name": "Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PYVZ-4215-PGYM"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Longview Road",
                "locality": "Swansea",
                "postalCode": "SA6 7JL",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKL18"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "sourcetopay.helpdesk@dvla.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PYVZ-4215-PGYM",
        "name": "Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "Interested parties are invited to participate in this preliminary market engagement by competing an online questionnaire. The questionnaire will be open until 23:59 on 01/04/2026 and can be accessed here: https://online1.snapsurveys.com/IDPMarch2026 Questionnaire responses are intended exclusively for DVLA's consideration, to inform our thinking as requirements are developed.",
                "dueDate": "2026-04-01T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "025091-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025091-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-03-19T11:41:22Z",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "CRN/26/08",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Provision of International Driving Permit Services",
        "description": "Could you supply International Driving Permit Services on behalf of DVLA? Background DVLA maintains the records of 50 million drivers and 40 million vehicles in the UK. We collect PS7 billion a year in vehicle tax and process over 77 million transactions a year. Most transactions are digital, but we also offer an in-person channel for customers who require an International Driving Permit. The service is currently outsourced; the current service provision with the incumbent supplier expires on the 31 March 2027. What is happening now? DVLA is conducting preliminary market engagement for a potential future opportunity under contract to provide International Driving Permit services to UK driving licence holders on our behalf. We would like to hear from third-party providers who are interested in offering the services outlined below. What would be required? * The ability for UK driving licence holders to transact in-person. * Widespread coverage across England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland. * The capability to issue approximately 270,000 permits per annum. * Provide service availability of 48 hours per week across all service locations, spread over 6 days to cater for a range of customers. Further details The fee for an International Driving Permit (IDP) is PS5.50. The fee is set in legislation and will not be altered. The service provider must be able to deliver the IDP service based on retaining the full PS5.50 fee paid by the customer; there will be no additional supplement to the fee by DVLA or the customer. This equates to a potential PS4.5m of income for the service provider over the proposed 3-year contract term. DVLA's position is that this procurement requirement falls below the legislative threshold for a concession contract. Therefore, it is classified as a non-regulated procurement under the Procurement Act 2023, and the rules applicable to regulated concession contracts do not apply for this procurement. Although not mandated under PA23, DVLA is voluntarily publishing this notice to ensure transparency in our procurement process.",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "79342300",
                        "description": "Customer services"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 4500000,
            "amount": 4500000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "specialRegime": [
            "concession"
        ],
        "aboveThreshold": false,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2027-04-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2030-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}