Digital Licensing Modernisation PME Webinar

Notice Information

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Notice Title

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.

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

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Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID: ocds-h6vhtk-06b82d
Publication Source: Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057610-2026
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
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: 18 Jun 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline: Not specified
Future Notice Date: 7 Jul 20262 weeks to go
Award Date: Not specified
Contract Period: 1 Nov 2026 - 1 Nov 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence: Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

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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
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

Further Information

Notice Documents

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057610-2026
18th June 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Notice URLs

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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JSON Markdown

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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