--- title: "Universal Credit: Future Telephony and Digital Support Offer 2022" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-d3cd278c-0ee5-4e36-a851-81abaf100d5d" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-d3cd278c-0ee5-4e36-a851-81abaf100d5d" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d3cd278c-0ee5-4e36-a851-81abaf100d5d.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d3cd278c-0ee5-4e36-a851-81abaf100d5d.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS" published: "2021-05-10" --- # Universal Credit: Future Telephony and Digital Support Offer 2022 Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-b5fd17-d3cd278c-0ee5-4e36-a851-81abaf100d5d [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-d3cd278c-0ee5-4e36-a851-81abaf100d5d) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d3cd278c-0ee5-4e36-a851-81abaf100d5d.json) ## Summary The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is currently in the planning stage of the procurement process for the "Universal Credit: Future Telephony and Digital Support Offer 2022." This initiative falls under the general public services industry category and is aimed at providing support for citizens in England, Scotland, and Wales with their Universal Credit claims. The engagement period concludes on 21st May 2021, with anticipated formal competition commencing in early Summer 2021. Contracts are expected to be effective from 1st April 2022 for an initial duration of one year. This tender presents a significant opportunity for growth, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations equipped to provide telephony and digital support. Businesses that specialise in digital communication solutions, social services, or government support services are well-suited to compete, as they can meet the requirements outlined by the DWP. Participating in this process could lead to substantial contracts aimed at delivering essential services to a projected 250,000 individuals seeking assistance with Universal Credit claims in the forthcoming year. ## Notice The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wishes to give notice of a potential funding opportunity for organisations to deliver and provide support for citizens of England, Scotland and Wales with making, completing and maintaining a new UC claim. We anticipate that any formal competition process may commence in early Summer 2021 in order to agree any new arrangement from 1st April 2022 (for an initial period of 1 year to 31st March 2022). Through this Request for Information (RFI) process we want to understand whether there are organisations who could currently, or would wish to, compete to provide support as set out in this document. We have asked some set questions below which we think will help us understand the appetite and readiness of existing or new organisations to act in this space. We invite feedback from all private and public organisations, including the Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise sector, to inform our strategy. This will help us to build our requirements and identify areas of innovation for supporting people to make a claim for UC. Feedback received will be used to develop any final Request for Proposal pack. This market engagement exercise is also designed to ensure that any final Request for Proposal pack provides all potential organisations with a clear understanding of DWP requirements to help reduce the number of questions that may be raised during any competition process. Information supplied in response to this RFI, and any discussions throughout the duration of the market engagement process, will not be subject to formal evaluation or scoring as this is not a formal application. To maximise the benefits from the market engagement and best inform requirements, respondents are encouraged to participate and be as open and detailed in their responses as possible. Depending on the response to this RFI, there may be further engagement exercises. Based on volumes previously seeking support, our planning assumption is that c250k people may seek support from the offer to make a UC claim in the 2022/23 year. It is anticipated that the funding referenced in this RFI will be used by organisations to support people, through telephony and digital/webchat channels only, with making, completing and maintaining a new UC claim. We are developing a separate face to face support approach based on those who need much more complex support so funding for face to face support is not part of this RFI. Responses to this document, and all other communications, queries and questions relating to this market engagement stage, must be sent via the email address: UCfuture.support@dwp.gov.uk Please note the deadline for completing and returning this RFI document is 21st May 2021 Further information is available in the attached documents. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/139c0cee-874b-4f32-93c0-c6fed3f6ac34 | | Notice type | Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Not specified | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 10 May 2021 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 21 May 2021 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1H 9DA | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | St James's | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 75 - Administration, defence and social security services - 85 - Health and social work services ### Codes - 75110000 - General public services - 75130000 - Supporting services for the government - 75310000 - Benefit services - 85300000 - Social work and related services ## Release History - 10 May 2021 at 07:15 - Planning - Market Engagement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/139c0cee-874b-4f32-93c0-c6fed3f6ac34 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/139c0cee-874b-4f32-93c0-c6fed3f6ac34 10th May 2021 - Early engagement notice on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/7160f43e-77dc-42cf-84cc-612f5d4512a9 - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/a9cd9e66-677a-4e23-b8ae-c7f17e7ca04c ## 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-d3cd278c-0ee5-4e36-a851-81abaf100d5d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d3cd278c-0ee5-4e36-a851-81abaf100d5d.json.