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PS26195 - New Futures Procurement Framework

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

27 Jul 2026 at 18:03

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

16 Jul 2026 at 12:41

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

02 Jul 2026 at 09:46

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Government Office for Science, within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, plans to establish a New Futures Procurement Framework for the UK public sector. It will provide government departments, agencies, arm’s-length bodies, public bodies and universities with access to futures, foresight and related professional services across the United Kingdom. The scope may include horizon scanning, trend and driver analysis, scenario development, strategic foresight, evidence gathering, policy and strategy analysis, workshops, panels, stakeholder engagement, training, coaching and knowledge exchange. Suppliers may also produce reports, briefings, presentations, methodologies, analytical products, policy summaries, guidance and practical tools, and support cross-government collaboration. The framework is intended to make it quicker and simpler for public bodies to commission specialist long-term strategic work.

This procurement is at the planning stage: the buyer has announced its intention to procure and has not yet invited tenders. An open framework is planned, using an open procedure, with direct awards envisaged for commissions below £50,000 and mini-competitions for higher-value or more complex requirements. The framework is expected to run from 4 January 2027 to 3 January 2033, with a possible extension to 31 October 2033, and one reopening point at year three. Its estimated value is £9,000,000 excluding VAT (£10,800,000 including VAT) over six years; this is not committed spend. The buyer expects a future notice on 19 August 2026, with indicative tender responses due by 28 September 2026, enquiries by 18 September 2026 and an award decision by 30 November 2026. A pre-market engagement session is planned for 6 August 2026.

The framework should suit consultancies, research organisations, independent practitioners and specialist partnerships with demonstrable expertise in futures and foresight methods. Strong candidates will be able to address complex policy questions, uncertain long-term trends and diverse evidence sources, while working effectively with senior stakeholders, analysts, policy officials and external experts. They should be capable of tailoring approaches to individual commissions and delivering clear project plans, milestones, deliverables, quality assurance, risk management and escalation arrangements. Relevant outputs include strategic analysis, workshops, briefings, training materials and practical tools. Suppliers will need to meet applicable government requirements for data protection, confidentiality, cyber security, accessibility and information management. The buyer welcomes new suppliers as well as existing framework members and identifies the arrangement as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

PS26195 - New Futures Procurement Framework

Notice Description

1. Introduction The Government Office for Science (GO-Science) will shortly be undertaking a re-procurement of the current Futures Framework to ensure continued access to these critical services. The intended value of the new Open Framework will be PS9,000,000 over a duration of six years. The Government Office for Science is the centre for Futures thinking in Government promoting strategic long-term thinking for better decision-making. The Framework will be a register of Futures practitioners from which HMG departments, Agencies and UK public bodies can quickly, and at low cost, identify and procure futures services to support longer-term strategic work and further develop these capabilities in government; ultimately creating better connections with external Futures expertise and building a stronger network of Futures practitioners within UK government. We encourage bids from new suppliers, as well as those who are on the existing framework. We will be holding a pre-market engagement session on Thursday 6th August 11:00am to 12:00pm 2. Aims & Objectives To ensure that government departments, agencies and public bodies can undertake longer-term strategic work, with confidence as widely and deeply as is needed, it is crucial that engaging suppliers in Futures, foresight and related work is straightforward and not time consuming. The aim of the framework is to assist Government to quickly and with minimal cost identify and procure Futures and related services . 3. Scope The framework will provide government departments, arm's-length bodies and other eligible public sector organisations with access to suppliers able to deliver futures, foresight and related professional services. This may include, but is not limited to: * Horizon scanning, trend identification and analysis of drivers of change. * Scenario development, strategic foresight and futures methodologies. * Evidence gathering, synthesis and analysis to support long-term policy and strategy development. * Facilitation of workshops, panels and stakeholder engagement activities. * Capability building, training, coaching and knowledge exchange in futures and foresight methods. * Development of tools, guidance, reports, presentations and other outputs to help Government understand and apply futures insights. * Support for cross-government collaboration, including projects co-funded or coordinated by GO-Science. The framework is expected to be an open framework with a maximum duration of six years and one reopening point at year three. The recommended commercial approach is to retain the ability to make direct awards below PS50,000 and to use mini-competitions for higher-value or more complex work. The estimated total framework value is PS9,000,000 over the six-year duration. This value is not a committed spend by GO-Science or any single department; expenditure will depend on demand from eligible organisations and will remain subject to their own internal approvals and budget controls. 4. Requirement Suppliers appointed to the framework will be required to provide high-quality futures and foresight services that can be tailored to the needs of individual commissions. Outputs will vary depending on the project but may include reports, briefings, slide packs, workshop materials, training materials, methodologies, analytical products, policy recommendation summaries and other practical tools for government users and, where agreed on a project-by-project basis, may be prepared to a standard suitable for publication.. Suppliers should be able to demonstrate appropriate expertise in futures and foresight approaches, including the ability to work with complex policy questions, uncertain long-term trends and diverse sources of evidence. They should be capable of engaging effectively with government customers, senior stakeholders, analysts, policy officials and external experts as required. For individual commissions, suppliers will be expected to agree clear project plans, milestones, deliverables, quality assurance arrangements and routes for escalation. They should provide named points of contact, respond promptly to queries, and manage risks or changes to scope in a transparent and proportionate way. The successful suppliers will be expected to comply with relevant government standards and requirements, including data protection, confidentiality, cyber security, accessibility and information management obligations where applicable. Commissioning under the framework will follow agreed governance and commercial processes. GO-Science will provide policy and subject matter input, while UK Shared Business Services will lead the procurement process and support ongoing commercial management of the framework. Individual departments and public bodies using the framework will remain responsible for securing any internal approvals required for their own commissions. Please note that this text may change between notice and the publication of the finalised tender document as we respond to responses from supplier outreach. Budgets: The proposed framework value of PS9,000,000 excluding VAT is based on current and anticipated demand for futures-related services across government, including evidence from increased use of the current framework and an indicative annual planning assumption of up to PS1,500,000. Supplier Engagement Session: To provide potential Bidders with an overview of the Futures Framework requirements, expectations and intended procurement process, we will be holding a pre-market engagement session on Thursday 6th August 11:00am to 12:00pm. To register your attendance on this session please follow the link below: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/5f943534-c092-4ad0-a86d-8dfc4fa459f5@2dcfd016-f9df-488c-b16b-68345b59afb7 Pre-market Engagement Questions: To help us ensure that the scope, value and structure of the new Futures Framework is fit for purpose, we have proposed a few questions within the link below that we would be grateful for your feedback on. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=FtDPLd_5jEixa2g0W1mvt7KtZ4KhJj5KoRx5Y7pHELRUNFZRN01VU1NUMFZGVElZM0xMNllWMlVOUS4u

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06c1fb
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070969-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£9,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£9,000,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
28 Sep 20262 months to go
Future Notice Date
19 Aug 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
4 Jan 2027 - 3 Jan 2033 Over 5 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 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
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

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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