Planning

Home Office Biometric Strategic Central Bureau Platform Preliminary Market Engagement Event

HOME OFFICE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

30 Apr 2026 at 08:38

Summary of the contracting process

The Home Office is currently in the planning stage of a preliminary market engagement process, which aims to explore potential future procurements for the Strategic Central and Bureau Platform (SCBP) and associated services. Located in London, UK, the engagement event is set for 15th May 2026 at Tech UK's premises and online. Businesses interested in participating must register by noon on 13th May and complete a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) via the Home Office eSourcing Portal. This event seeks to inform suppliers about potential procurements, with registration enabling participants to provide feedback on the market strategy for modernising SCBP, a pivotal component in biometric and law enforcement systems.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses involved in software programming, system support services, and data-processing services. The potential scope includes biometric expertise, platform engineering, security services, data management, and more, suggesting that organisations with experience in these areas will be well-suited to compete. SMEs and VCSEs can find growth opportunities by offering services related to SCBP's technological advancement and operational support, with contract periods potentially extending until 2038. Engaging in this market can diversify supplier portfolios due to the Home Office's pivot toward modern technology solutions and alternative delivery models. The procurement approach may lead to multiple contracts, providing various avenues for participation and service provision.

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

Notice Title

Home Office Biometric Strategic Central Bureau Platform Preliminary Market Engagement Event

Notice Description

Market Engagement: Strategic Central and Bureau Platform (SCBP) procurement The Home Office is seeking to engage with potential suppliers ahead of two potential future procurements covering the support, development, transition and ongoing modernisation of the Strategic Central and Bureau Platform and associated services. SCBP is a critical Home Office digital capability that underpins a range of biometric, identity, and law enforcement systems, supporting operational decision making across immigration, borders, policing and wider law enforcement activity. SCBP plays a key role in enabling the Home Office and its partners to protect the public, prevent and detect criminality, and safeguard vulnerable individuals, while ensuring appropriate controls over data privacy, security and access. SCBP is a key component of the Home Office Biometrics landscape which provides a shared, resilient capability to host and support multiple biometric and identity related services, enabling the secure processing, storage and exchange of sensitive data. It supports both live operational services and analytical capabilities, operating at national scale and across multiple delivery partners, technologies and hosting arrangements. The Home Office has recently transitioned much of the technology onto more modern and widely adopted technology stacks, potentially opening up more of the required support and development functions to suppliers with broader expertise and presenting greater opportunities for a wider range of suppliers to participate. As a result the Home Office is currently considering its future commercial and delivery approach for SCBP including potential disaggregation and is keen to engage early with the market to test assumptions, gather supplier insight, and inform the development of its procurement strategy, scope and delivery model. Indicative Scope The potential supplier(s) may be required to provide elements relating to the SCBP platform and associated services, which may include (but are not limited to): * Biometric experience * Platform hosting and infrastructure services * Application and platform engineering and support services * Security, resilience and availability services * Integration with dependent Home Office and third party systems * Data management, environment management and tooling * Transition, onboarding and knowledge transfer services * Support for live service operations and continuous improvement * Transformation services The precise scope, delivery model and commercial structure are subject to further development and will be informed by this and subsequent market engagement activity. All dates and values described within this notice refer to the entirety of scope, which may potentially result in more than one procurement and potential contracts. Note given the potential disaggregation approach, interested suppliers may not be required to provide all of the scope described above. The estimated value included in this notice is based on current annual charges and represents an indicative upper bound only. A significant proportion of the cost relates to services that are currently under consideration for alternative delivery models, including potential insourcing or partial insourcing. As a result, the Authority has material uncertainty over the final scope, structure and cost of any future procurement(s). This market engagement may result in one or more procurements and, if taken forward, may lead to contracts with differing lengths and values materially lower than or otherwise different from the indicative figure stated. Final scope, structure and value will be determined following further analysis and engagement and will be confirmed through any future procurement notice(s).

Planning Information

A Preliminary Market Engagement Notice is being issued by the Home Office (the Authority) to notify the market of a Market Engagement Event seeking further views and feedback in relation to potential future procurement or procurements covering the support, development, transition and ongoing modernisation of the Strategic Central and Bureau Platform and associated services. It is anticipated that this engagement may be used to inform one or more future procurement exercises related to the scope, however this Market Engagement does not formally signify the beginning of any procurement exercise by the Authority, nor does it constitute a commitment by the Authority to undertake a procurement. In the event that the Authority decides to formally commence a procurement or procurements pursuant to this Market Engagement, then a separate Tender Notice(s) will be published. Any contract timelines and costs described within this notice are based upon the entirety of scope, with the exact scope of any procurement(s) to be be developed as part of this engagement. Accordingly, the Authority will be holding a Market Engagement event on Friday 15th May 2026 at Tech UKs premises 10 St Bride Street, London, EC4A 4AD, between 2pm and 4pm and on line via MS Teams Potential Suppliers who wish to attend this event must fully register with Tech UK and sign a Non Disclosure Agreement, no later than 12:00pm (Noon) on the 13 May Firstly: To reserve a place at the event itself, please follow the following link https://www.techuk.org/ Secondly to sign the NDA, Visit the Home Office eSourcing Portal available at: https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com Search for: PQQ event pqq_793 As part of their registration, potential suppliers must read the instructions available in the Home Office eSourcing event pqq_793, and: • Download and execute the NDA available within eSourcing event pqq_793 • Provide the name and address of their organisation. • Provide full name(s) of up to a maximum of two designated attendees. • Provide their position(s) in the organisation. • Provide Email and telephone contact details. Please note that admittance to the Market Engagement Event shall be: 1. Strictly limited to two representatives per organisation 2. Subject to agreement and full execution of Home Office NDA in accordance with the instructions provided within the Home Office eSourcing event pqq_ 793 3. In Person attendance will be provided on a first come first served basis, in the event of the event being over subscribed then potential suppliers will still be able to use the on line option. For potential suppliers who successfully register for this event (including a valid NDA), there will also be an opportunity to review and provide feedback on the event via a survey and a limited number of 121 meetings at a future date available on a first come first served basis.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-068ece
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039639-2026
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
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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


CPV Codes

72200000 - Software programming and consultancy services

72212000 - Programming services of application software

72250000 - System and support services

72263000 - Software implementation services

72310000 - Data-processing services

72400000 - Internet services

72500000 - Computer-related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£246,840,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Apr 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
8 Jan 20278 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Sep 2027 - 30 Sep 2035 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HOME OFFICE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
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
Not specified

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

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-068ece-2026-04-30T09:38:31+01:00",
    "date": "2026-04-30T09:38:31+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-068ece",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PWGC-6513-PQLZ",
            "name": "Home Office",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PWGC-6513-PQLZ"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "2 Marsham Street",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SW1P 4DF",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI32"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "hob_commercial_pmo@homeoffice.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PWGC-6513-PQLZ",
        "name": "Home Office"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "A Preliminary Market Engagement Notice is being issued by the Home Office (the Authority) to notify the market of a Market Engagement Event seeking further views and feedback in relation to potential future procurement or procurements covering the support, development, transition and ongoing modernisation of the Strategic Central and Bureau Platform and associated services. It is anticipated that this engagement may be used to inform one or more future procurement exercises related to the scope, however this Market Engagement does not formally signify the beginning of any procurement exercise by the Authority, nor does it constitute a commitment by the Authority to undertake a procurement. In the event that the Authority decides to formally commence a procurement or procurements pursuant to this Market Engagement, then a separate Tender Notice(s) will be published. Any contract timelines and costs described within this notice are based upon the entirety of scope, with the exact scope of any procurement(s) to be be developed as part of this engagement. Accordingly, the Authority will be holding a Market Engagement event on Friday 15th May 2026 at Tech UKs premises 10 St Bride Street, London, EC4A 4AD, between 2pm and 4pm and on line via MS Teams Potential Suppliers who wish to attend this event must fully register with Tech UK and sign a Non Disclosure Agreement, no later than 12:00pm (Noon) on the 13 May Firstly: To reserve a place at the event itself, please follow the following link https://www.techuk.org/ Secondly to sign the NDA, Visit the Home Office eSourcing Portal available at: https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com Search for: PQQ event pqq_793 As part of their registration, potential suppliers must read the instructions available in the Home Office eSourcing event pqq_793, and: * Download and execute the NDA available within eSourcing event pqq_793 * Provide the name and address of their organisation. * Provide full name(s) of up to a maximum of two designated attendees. * Provide their position(s) in the organisation. * Provide Email and telephone contact details. Please note that admittance to the Market Engagement Event shall be: 1. Strictly limited to two representatives per organisation 2. Subject to agreement and full execution of Home Office NDA in accordance with the instructions provided within the Home Office eSourcing event pqq_ 793 3. In Person attendance will be provided on a first come first served basis, in the event of the event being over subscribed then potential suppliers will still be able to use the on line option. For potential suppliers who successfully register for this event (including a valid NDA), there will also be an opportunity to review and provide feedback on the event via a survey and a limited number of 121 meetings at a future date available on a first come first served basis.",
                "dueDate": "2026-12-30T23:59:59+00:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "039639-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039639-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-04-30T09:38:31+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "20517",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Home Office Biometric Strategic Central Bureau Platform Preliminary Market Engagement Event",
        "description": "Market Engagement: Strategic Central and Bureau Platform (SCBP) procurement The Home Office is seeking to engage with potential suppliers ahead of two potential future procurements covering the support, development, transition and ongoing modernisation of the Strategic Central and Bureau Platform and associated services. SCBP is a critical Home Office digital capability that underpins a range of biometric, identity, and law enforcement systems, supporting operational decision making across immigration, borders, policing and wider law enforcement activity. SCBP plays a key role in enabling the Home Office and its partners to protect the public, prevent and detect criminality, and safeguard vulnerable individuals, while ensuring appropriate controls over data privacy, security and access. SCBP is a key component of the Home Office Biometrics landscape which provides a shared, resilient capability to host and support multiple biometric and identity related services, enabling the secure processing, storage and exchange of sensitive data. It supports both live operational services and analytical capabilities, operating at national scale and across multiple delivery partners, technologies and hosting arrangements. The Home Office has recently transitioned much of the technology onto more modern and widely adopted technology stacks, potentially opening up more of the required support and development functions to suppliers with broader expertise and presenting greater opportunities for a wider range of suppliers to participate. As a result the Home Office is currently considering its future commercial and delivery approach for SCBP including potential disaggregation and is keen to engage early with the market to test assumptions, gather supplier insight, and inform the development of its procurement strategy, scope and delivery model. Indicative Scope The potential supplier(s) may be required to provide elements relating to the SCBP platform and associated services, which may include (but are not limited to): * Biometric experience * Platform hosting and infrastructure services * Application and platform engineering and support services * Security, resilience and availability services * Integration with dependent Home Office and third party systems * Data management, environment management and tooling * Transition, onboarding and knowledge transfer services * Support for live service operations and continuous improvement * Transformation services The precise scope, delivery model and commercial structure are subject to further development and will be informed by this and subsequent market engagement activity. All dates and values described within this notice refer to the entirety of scope, which may potentially result in more than one procurement and potential contracts. Note given the potential disaggregation approach, interested suppliers may not be required to provide all of the scope described above. The estimated value included in this notice is based on current annual charges and represents an indicative upper bound only. A significant proportion of the cost relates to services that are currently under consideration for alternative delivery models, including potential insourcing or partial insourcing. As a result, the Authority has material uncertainty over the final scope, structure and cost of any future procurement(s). This market engagement may result in one or more procurements and, if taken forward, may lead to contracts with differing lengths and values materially lower than or otherwise different from the indicative figure stated. Final scope, structure and value will be determined following further analysis and engagement and will be confirmed through any future procurement notice(s).",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "72200000",
                        "description": "Software programming and consultancy services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "72212000",
                        "description": "Programming services of application software"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "72250000",
                        "description": "System and support services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "72400000",
                        "description": "Internet services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "72263000",
                        "description": "Software implementation services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "72310000",
                        "description": "Data-processing services"
                    },
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "72500000",
                        "description": "Computer-related services"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UK",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 296208000,
            "amount": 246840000,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
        "aboveThreshold": true,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                },
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2027-10-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2035-09-30T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2038-09-30T23:59:59+01:00"
                },
                "hasRenewal": true,
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "communication": {
            "futureNoticeDate": "2027-01-08T23:59:59+00:00"
        },
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}