Commercial Innovation Hub

Notice Information

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Notice Title

Notice Description

**Problem Statement** Public sector procurement of innovation is fragmented and risk-averse, with buyers struggling to engage markets and suppliers facing high barriers. A digital pre-procurement environment is needed to enable early collaboration, testing, and clearer routes to scale innovative solutions to unmet public sector needs. **Intention** Public sector procurement of innovation is currently fragmented, risk-averse, and misaligned to the needs of both buyers and suppliers;, limiting the ability to identify, test, and scale innovative solutions. Buyers struggle to engage the market early, run scalable pilots, and translate complex challenges into viable commercial pathways, while suppliers (particularly SMEs and start-ups) face unclear demands, high barriers to entry, and limited routes from idea to contract. Although there is an ambition to procure innovation, existing processes are not designed for experimentation or iterative learning. This results in missed opportunities and slow adoption of new technologies. There is therefore a need for a controlled, digital pre-procurement environment that enables early collaboration, rapid testing, and evidence generation to de-risk future procurements and create clearer pathways from problem identification to scalable delivery. The Commercial Innovation Hub is seeking to develop a digital Innovation hub. An online networking environment to help public sector users and suppliers test problems, explore innovative solutions, collaborate with others and build a stronger evidence base before launching a formal procurement process. The hub could include a series of modules such as sandbox areas, supplier directories, noticeboards, document repositories and chatrooms and must be able to evolve and grow as needs arise. Within the hub the formal route to market, the Innovation Marketplace dynamic market will also be linked. The Hub is intended to provide a cross cutting one stop space where premarket conversation can take place and public sector buyers and suppliers can communicate freely, share problem solving ideas and build on those insights, to feed into formal market engagement and procurement activity. Its purpose is to encourage earlier collaboration, reduce barriers to innovation, and support more effective and commercially viable routes to future procurement and scaling. What the Innovation Hub and Innovation Marketplace dynamic market will do: The proposal is exploring a digital Innovation Hub that links to the Government Commercial Agency's Innovation Marketplace architecture, creating a joined-up, demand-led entry point between public sector buyers with complex requirements and suppliers offering innovative solutions to public sector challenges. The aim is to make engagement easier, clearer, and compliant with procurement rules. What success would look like Success would mean: - More meaningful formal market engagement and broadens supplier participation. - Allows users to test and refine real problems in the Hub areas before progressing to the Innovation Marketplace. - Shows whether credible, commercially viable solutions already exist or could be developed. - Supports supplier engagement that improves understanding of user needs, tests ideas, and shapes practical, deliverable solutions. - Encourages participation from a broader and more diverse supplier base, including SMEs, without being too restrictive. - Provides a usable and accessible process that enables buyers and suppliers to engage with the Hub effectively. Who the end users are Likely users include: - public sector buyers and commercial teams - policy teams and other specialist functions - SMEs, start-ups, and scale-ups - larger suppliers or consortia working with smaller innovators The pre-market engagement will inform and support the Commercial Innovation Hub team in identify (existing solutions, supplier build proposals, best practise, etc...), assess supplier capability, and explore how the digital Hub could support earlier engagement between public sector users and innovative suppliers. It will also help define the features, and engagement methods needed to make the digital Hub a practical tool for innovation-friendly procurement and for directing suppliers to the GCA Innovation Marketplace. *** This is early market engagement for a potential opportunity. The Department is not obligated to run a procurement following this activity and is not liable for any costs associated with participating in this early engagement. ***

Planning Information

The Commercial Innovation Hub team intends to hold two virtual roundtables as part of this pre-market engagement. The first will explore potential approaches to designing and building the Hub platform. The second will gather views from potential users on the features, functionality, and value the Hub should provide. Hub supplier’s roundtable: 30 June 2026 at 15:00 Hub user input roundtable: 7 July 2026 at 14:00 To express interest in attending one or both roundtables, please complete the following form by 17:00 on 29 June 2026. https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=BXCsy8EC60O0l-ZJLRst2IIOKOj1BN1Bh7fEKaHmEBxUQzZZTEI2VUMyWlhNRDFBVk4xRFdGSlNNTC4u A maximum of two attendees per organisation may attend. Following the Innovation Hub supplier roundtable, suppliers who attend the session on 30 June 2026 may be invited to provide further information through a follow-up clarification form.

Notice Details

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Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID: ocds-h6vhtk-06badf
Publication Source: Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058870-2026
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

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

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

72212900 - Miscellaneous software development services and computer systems

72230000 - Custom software development services

73100000 - Research and experimental development services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date: 23 Jun 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline: Not specified
Future Notice Date: 10 Jul 20263 weeks to go
Award Date: Not specified
Contract Period: 1 Jan 2027 - 29 Feb 2028 1-2 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 SCIENCE, INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
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 2EG
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/058870-2026
23rd June 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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