---
title: "Open Digital Planning - Back Office Planning System (BOPS) Development and Route-to market"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-059290"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-059290"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059290.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059290.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL"
published: "2025-11-24"
---

# Open Digital Planning - Back Office Planning System (BOPS) Development and Route-to market

Buyer: BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-059290

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## Summary

Buckinghamshire Council is overseeing the development and implementation of the Back Office Planning System (BOPS), a crucial part of the Open Digital Planning programme, aimed at transforming planning services across the UK. This procurement process falls under the services category and has been awarded to Unboxed Consulting Limited. The contract, which commenced on 10th November 2025 and will conclude on 1st September 2026, was negotiated through a direct award for the development of additional modules and route-to-market strategies for the BOPS project. The decision for a direct award was justified due to Unboxed Consulting Limited's prior involvement and expertise in developing the core platform, aligning with procurement laws under the Procurement Act 2023 to support innovation and efficiency. The project's primary location is Aylesbury, with partnership efforts extending to London.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities, particularly for large-scale enterprises specialising in industry-specific software development services. The direct award affirms Unboxed Consulting Limited's integral role, justifying its continued involvement due to their technical expertise and understanding of system architecture, which are imperative for maintaining alignment across interconnected digital initiatives. Innovative enterprises adept at contributing to digital transformation projects in the public sector can find this procurement process encouraging and insightful, highlighting the strategic benefits of maintaining programme stability and avoiding potential complications with new supplier engagement.

## Notice

Buckinghamshire Council is the national lead and contract holder for the Back Office Planning System (BOPS), a key component of the Open Digital Planning (ODP) programme, which is fully sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). BOPS is being developed in coordination with two sister products--PlanX (led by Lambeth Council) and the Digital Planning Register (led by Camden Council)--as part of a comprehensive digital transformation of planning services in the UK. This is for the provision of development of additional modules and route-to-market workstream for this project.

### Procurement Information

The direct award is justified on two grounds: prototypes and development, and single supplier (technical reasons). This contract is being awarded directly under Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023, which permit direct awards in cases involving specialised development activities and novel service delivery. The supplier has previously delivered the core platform and is uniquely positioned to provide the required enhancements due to their established technical integration and in-depth understanding of the system architecture. Engaging a new supplier would introduce material risks to interoperability, delivery timelines, and cost efficiency. The work forms part of a strategically funded programme involving multiple interdependent digital initiatives. Continuity with the incumbent supplier ensures alignment across workstreams, supports programme stability, and mitigates disruption to delivery. This approach is consistent with the objectives of the Procurement Act to support innovation, efficiency, and value for money in the delivery of public services. Buckinghamshire Council is the national lead and contract holder for the Back Office Planning System (BOPS), a key component of the Open Digital Planning (ODP) programme, which is fully sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). BOPS is being developed in coordination with two sister products, as part of a comprehensive digital transformation of planning services in the UK.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076401-2025 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Nov 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 Sep 2025 |
| Contract period | 10 Nov 2025 - 1 Sep 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £1,268,000 |
| Contracts value | £1,268,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL |
| Locality | AYLESBURY |
| Post town | Hemel Hempstead |
| Postcode | HP19 8FF |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ13 Buckinghamshire |
| Local authority | Buckinghamshire |
| Electoral ward | Aylesbury North West |
| Westminster constituency | Aylesbury |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | UNBOXED CONSULTING |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 72212100 - Industry specific software development services

## Release History

- 24 Nov 2025 at 11:49 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076401-2025
- 2 Sep 2025 at 16:01 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053316-2025
- 2 Sep 2025 at 15:36 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053301-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076401-2025
  24th November 2025 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053316-2025
  2nd September 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053301-2025
  2nd September 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-h6vhtk-059290. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-059290.json.