---
title: "Rocket Cobol Support and Maintenance 26-29"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-7404b41a-32ce-41bd-9c5b-a03f8b4d1814"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7404b41a-32ce-41bd-9c5b-a03f8b4d1814"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7404b41a-32ce-41bd-9c5b-a03f8b4d1814.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7404b41a-32ce-41bd-9c5b-a03f8b4d1814.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Department for Work and Pensions"
published: "2026-10-21"
---

# Rocket Cobol Support and Maintenance 26-29

Buyer: Department for Work and Pensions  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-7404b41a-32ce-41bd-9c5b-a03f8b4d1814

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## Summary

The Department for Work and Pensions procured support and maintenance for its Rocket COBOL software. This is a software support service, rather than a purchase of new software or general IT support. The service is associated with Manchester, where the department is based. The requirement is for maintaining and supporting a specific established COBOL system, so it is most relevant to suppliers with expertise in Rocket COBOL and the ability to support business-critical software for a government department.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Akhter Computers Limited on 14 October 2026. It was a selective call-off from a framework agreement. The estimated procurement range was £2,763,544.44 to £5,111,295.73; the awarded contract value is £2,763,544.44. The contract period runs from 31 October 2026 to 30 October 2029. The tender deadline was 5 August 2026. The opportunity was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. No lot breakdown or evaluation criteria are recorded in the process details.

This award confirms demand from the Department for Work and Pensions for continuing support and maintenance of its Rocket COBOL system, on a multi-year basis and through a framework call-off. Suppliers seeking to compete for a comparable requirement should be able to demonstrate practical Rocket COBOL support and maintenance capability, including the capacity to sustain an established system over a substantial service period. Experience supporting complex public-sector software environments would help a supplier show it can meet the buyer’s needs. The award went to Akhter Computers Limited, indicating that a specialist provider was selected for this requirement. The procurement was considered suitable for SMEs, so smaller firms with the relevant technical capability may be credible competitors.

## Notice

Provision for Rocket COBOL Support and Maintenance.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/83b47978-728b-4058-afa8-325153706a81 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Call-off from a framework agreement |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 14 Oct 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Oct 2026 - 30 Oct 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £5,111,295 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £2,763,544 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Department for Work and Pensions |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode area | Manchester |
| Postcode | M2 3AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Electoral ward | Deansgate |
| Westminster constituency | Manchester Central |
| Delivery location | TLD North West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Akhter Computers Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 48 - Software package and information systems

### Codes

- 48000000 - Software package and information systems

## Release History

- 21 Oct 2026 at 17:38 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/83b47978-728b-4058-afa8-325153706a81

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/83b47978-728b-4058-afa8-325153706a81
  21st October 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7404b41a-32ce-41bd-9c5b-a03f8b4d1814. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7404b41a-32ce-41bd-9c5b-a03f8b4d1814.json.