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Digital Licensing Modernisation

Department for Business & Trade

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Planning

04 Aug 2026 at 16:03

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

18 Jun 2026 at 14:13

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Business and Trade is exploring a potential future procurement to modernise digital trade and business licensing services across central government and local authorities. The work is expected to cover user-centred digital licensing journeys, digital service design and development, data standardisation and validation, integration with existing licensing systems, interoperability and shared infrastructure. It aims to reduce administrative duplication and burden, improve the quality and usability of licensing data, and support regulatory and safeguarding outcomes where appropriate. The service category is IT consulting, software development, internet and support services (CPV 72000000). Delivery would need to work across multiple local authorities, central government and existing suppliers, with local adoption constraints and legacy arrangements taken into account.

This procurement is at the planning stage: DBT is undertaking preliminary market engagement and has not issued an invitation to tender. The future route to market, commercial structure, delivery approach and detailed scope remain under consideration. Planned engagement includes a supplier webinar, written feedback and possible clarification meetings; the webinar was anticipated for 9 July 2026, with engagement activity expected in July 2026. DBT anticipates a subsequent notice on 30 September 2026. The planned contract period is 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2028, with renewal potentially extending it to 31 October 2029. There is one planned lot, and the procurement is above the applicable threshold. No estimated value is stated.

The work is likely to suit digital consultancies, software developers, service designers, data specialists, systems integrators and suppliers experienced in public-sector licensing or comparable regulated services. Relevant capability includes designing repeatable, accessible and user-centred digital journeys; validating data during submission; developing common data standards and models; integrating with multiple local authority systems; and providing scalable shared infrastructure. Experience of identity or eligibility checks, data storage and retention, automation, pre-submission checks, regulatory controls and safeguarding requirements would be useful. DBT is seeking practical evidence about feasibility, delivery risks, dependencies, constraints and lessons from comparable work. The planned lot is identified as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises, so smaller specialist or mission-led suppliers may prepare to participate when a procurement is developed.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Digital Licensing Modernisation

Notice Description

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is exploring a potential future procurement to support the modernisation of digital trade and business licensing services across central government and local authorities. This may include the design, development, and delivery of user-centred digital licensing journeys, alongside supporting data, integration, and interoperability capabilities. At this stage, DBT is seeking to understand market capability and delivery approaches. As such, the scope and scale of any future procurement are not yet defined. Indicative areas of interest include digital service design and development, data standardisation and validation, integration with existing systems, and approaches to improving data quality and reducing administrative burden. This notice is published for the purpose of increasing visibility and transparency, a UK2 PME Notice has been published and contains more up to date information. Please be aware, contract dates and tender publication are as yet unknown as is the route to market. Dates included in this notice are not confirmed.

Planning Information

UK2 – Preliminary Market Engagement Notice Digital Licensing Modernisation 1. Contracting Authority Department for Business and Trade (DBT) 2. Purpose of this Notice The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is undertaking preliminary market engagement to inform its understanding of the market and to help shape a potential future procurement relating to the modernisation of digital trade and business licensing services. This engagement is intended to support early thinking and learning only. It does not constitute a call for competition and DBT makes no commitment to commence a procurement as a result of this engagement. DBT has not made any decisions on delivery approach, commercial structure, route to market, or solution at this stage. 3. Background and Context (High Level) Licensing services represent a significant point of interaction between businesses, local authorities, and central government. DBT’s work to date indicates that many licensing submission routes remain fragmented and heavily document based, creating friction for users and inefficiencies for public authorities. A key underlying issue is the lack of shared infrastructure and interoperability between licensing systems, which leads to duplication, rekeying and inconsistent processes across authorities. In some areas, legacy arrangements operate under time limited contractual and technical constraints, creating maintainability and continuity risks over time. This reinforces the need for an orderly transition that can work alongside local authority adoption constraints and existing systems. Previous exploratory work by DBT has highlighted that there may be opportunities to: • improve how licensing services are delivered digitally; • reduce avoidable administrative burden for businesses and public authorities; • improve the quality, consistency, and usability of licensing data at the point of submission; and • support improved regulatory and safeguarding outcomes where appropriate. DBT is seeking to engage with the market at an early stage to better understand what is feasible, what challenges exist, and what considerations should inform any future approach, without presupposing solutions, delivery models, technologies or platforms. 4. Focus of the Engagement At this stage, DBT is deliberately focusing on outcomes, risks, and feasibility, rather than detailed requirements or predefined solutions. Indicative areas of interest include: • designing repeatable and user‑centred digital licensing journeys; • improving data quality through validation at the point of submission; • where appropriate, the role of identity‑related or eligibility checks; • approaches to scaling delivery across additional licence types; • development and adoption of common data standards; • approaches to interoperability and shared infrastructure (including common data models and integration patterns) that can work across multiple local authorities and suppliers; • options for data storage and retention; and • the feasibility of automation or pre‑submission checks to support regulatory or safeguarding requirements. DBT is keen to understand supplier perspectives on these areas, including delivery risks, dependencies, constraints, and lessons learned from comparable work, in order to shape a future procurement that is realistic, proportionate, and value for money. 5. Scope of Pre‑Market Engagement Activity The pre‑market engagement is expected to include: • an open supplier webinar to provide context and frame the areas where DBT is seeking input; • an opportunity for suppliers to provide feedback and observations following the webinar; and • potential follow‑up 1‑to‑1 engagement for clarification purposes only, where helpful. No commitments, commercial discussions, or detailed solution proposals will be sought or agreed during this engagement. DBT will ensure that any material information arising from this engagement is shared transparently with all participants. Responses may be summarised and shared in anonymised form to support a fair process. 6. Indicative Timeline (Non‑Binding) Indicative timings (subject to refinement following engagement) are currently anticipated as follows: Pre‑market engagement: July 2026 (including a supplier webinar currently anticipated for 9 July 2026, subject to change) These timelines are indicative only and may change. 7. Registering Interest Suppliers wishing to participate in this pre‑market engagement are invited to register their interest by emailing: commercialddat@businessandtrade.gov.uk Please include the following information in your email: Subject: Digital Trade Licensing Modernisation – PME Registration Organisation name Primary contact name Contact email address (for webinar communications) Contact role/title Organisation size (SME / Large / VCSE – optional) Confirmation of interest in attending the webinar DBT will confirm registration and share further details, including webinar arrangements, in due course. 8. Important Information Participation in this pre‑market engagement is voluntary. Participation will not provide any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent procurement.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b82d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073845-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK1 - Pipeline 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

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

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
30 Sep 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2026 - 31 Oct 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Department for Business & Trade
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
SW1A 2DY
Postcode Area
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

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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