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Technical Architecture services for DWP Tech Debt register

Department for Work and Pensions

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

03 Aug 2026 at 14:02

Award Notice
Award

03 Aug 2026 at 12:07

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Work & Pensions bought technical architecture and technical debt remediation services for its Tech Debt register. The requirement covers solution oversight, completion of quarterly technical debt items, design documents and DDA packs, delivery management, architectural governance, network configuration and change, disaster recovery planning and testing, and documentation and knowledge transfer. The services cover technology components including SAS, Informatica, Centric, Citrix and Oracle. Deliverables must meet DWP standards and receive approval through the relevant technical release or governance boards, with formal sign-off by a DWP technical lead where required. The work is for the Department’s programme and technology estate, with delivery associated with the North West of England.

The procurement has been awarded following a limited procedure without prior publication of a call for competition, using a framework-based route. Five bids were recorded. BedigitalUK Ltd received two active awards for the single requirement, with separate contracts valued at £1,450,950 and £3,626,650. Both awards were made on 12 March 2025 and signed on that date. The original contract period ran from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026; one amended contract runs to 31 March 2027. Evaluation was based on technical quality at 70% and price at 30%. The amendment added work after further analysis identified critical technical debt workstreams beyond the approximately 40 items initially scoped, under Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

This award shows demand from the Department for Work & Pensions for specialist technical architecture capability combined with practical technical debt delivery. A credible future competitor would need architects able to provide solution oversight, produce and defend design artefacts, work through technical governance and release boards, and manage delivery against outcome-based acceptance criteria. Relevant capability spans SAS, Informatica, Centric, Citrix and Oracle, alongside network configuration, defect resolution and disaster recovery design and testing. Suppliers should also be able to coordinate quarterly workstreams, prioritise and progress a substantial backlog, support risk and issue management, and provide clear documentation, demonstrations and knowledge transfer to departmental teams. Experience delivering to DWP standards and managing changing technical scope would be particularly relevant.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Technical Architecture services for DWP Tech Debt register

Notice Description

To provide Technical Architecture services for outstanding items on the Tech Debt register.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Supplier will provide Technical Debt remediation services as described in the GCloud Service Offering, service ID: 8728-3352-3498-405.
This Call-Off Contract is for Services, with outcome-based deliverables detailed in the
table below and will be operated as follows:
* The Supplier Staff will be under the day-to-day direction and control of the Supplier,
not DWP;
* Any quality and non-delivery issues will be raised by DWP directly with the Supplier
rather than the individual Supplier Staff;
* The Supplier will be held accountable by DWP for non-delivery of the Services that
are specified in this Contract, not the individual Supplier Staff;
* The Supplier can substitute the individual Supplier Staff to undertake the
Services within this contract.
The Supplier will deliver the following outcome-based deliverables (the "Services"):

#
Deliverable /
Outcome Details of Activities Acceptance Criteria Estimated Milestone Date
1 Complete
Q1 Tech Debit
Items, Design
Documents and
DDA Packs
Provide the level of solution oversight required from the architect
role provided as part of this service to complete the agreed tech
debt items for this quarter.
All relevant items are approved at technical release
board, completed to DWP
standards and formally signed
off by DWP technical lead.
30/06/2025
31
At the end of each quarter
documentation is to be provided evidencing the completion of the relevant tech debt
items.

3 Complete Q2
Tech Debit Items,
Design Documents and DDA
Packs
Provide the level of solution oversight required from the architect
role provided as part of this service to complete the agreed tech
debt items for this quarter.
All relevant items are approved at technical release
board, completed to DWP
standards and formally signed
off by DWP technical lead
At the end of each quarter
documentation is to be provided evidencing the completion of the relevant tech debt
items.
30/09/2025
4 Complete Q3
Tech Debit Items,
Design Documents and DDA
Packs
Provide the level of solution oversight required from the architect
role provided as part of this service to complete the agreed tech
debt items for this quarter.
All relevant items are approved at technical release
board, completed to DWP
standards and formally signed
off by DWP technical lead
At the end of each quarter
documentation is to be provided evidencing the completion of the relevant tech debt
items.
31/12/2025
5 Complete Q4
Tech Debit Items,
Design Documents and DDA
Packs
Provide the level of solution oversight required from the architect
role provided as part of this service to complete the agreed tech
debt items for this quarter.
All relevant items are approved at technical release
board, completed to DWP
standards and formally signed
off by DWP technical lead
At the end of each quarter
documentation is to be provided evidencing the completion of the relevant tech debt
items.
31/03/2026
6 Delivery management to complete all tech
Debt items
Delivery management and support
as required and specified by the
End Customer using existing techWork completed in line with
chosen delivery methodology
and DWP standards
31/03/2026
32
nology components wherever possible, while meeting user and business needs.
Support delivery activities across
the tech debt project and continuous improvement activities.
Proactively progress tech debt
items through to completion in a
timely manner.
Chair regular meetings to prioritise
tech debt items.
7 Adoption, application, and oversight of architectural governance,
ensuring that optimal approaches
are used.
The Supplier will provide Technical
Architecture expertise for items
on the Tech Debt register. Deliverables will be split (as a minimum)
across the following areas, SAS, Informatica, CENTRIC, Citrix and Oracle.
The Supplier will ensure the following:
Assure an appropriate best practice approach is driven and use Architecture knowledge to guide the
team through any challenges
Assistance with Tech Debt
workstream Risks and Issues as
needed
All design artefacts approved
at the appropriate governance
boards.
31/03/2026
8 Adoption, application, and oversight of architectural governance,
ensuring that optimal approaches
are used.
Develop and manage network
configuration and changes.
This will apply to any deliverables
on the tech debt register, as well
as any defects identified.
All design artefacts approved
at the appropriate governance
boards and defects resolved
to DWP standards
31/03/2026
9 Completion of DR
plan
Design & develop Disaster Recovery (DR) plans and test each stage
DR design and test signed-off
and approved at the appropriate governance boards.
31/03/2026
10 Produce any required documentation in accordance with DWP
standards,
Ensure all documentation is clear
and meets DWP requirements.
Demos will be required, where
there is a handover (knowledge
transfer) to DWP resource.
All documentation approved
in accordance with DWP
standards.
31/03/2026

Procurement Information

For Clarity and avoidance of doubt:<br/>This Contract was published on Contracts finder and is being reproduced on FTS in order to publish a Reg 72 PCR2015 modification to it.<br/>the original CF link is: <br/><br/>https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e3139ddd-af5e-42aa-b174-b14e860f1aed<br/> <br/><br/>The reason that 'award with no prior notice' was used here is because using Restricted Procedure Type required the PIN code of an F02 notice. As this was procured on a framework there was no F02 notice this option was chosen as a workaround to Atamis.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d9c8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073214-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

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
£5,077,600 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
3 Aug 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2025 - 31 Mar 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Department for Work and Pensions
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
SW1H 9NA
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
TLD42 Blackpool
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BedigitalUK Ltd

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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