---
title: "\"Airlock\" Output Checking System OCS Decision Engine Development Partner"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-064efd"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-064efd"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064efd.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064efd.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK BIOBANK LIMITED"
published: "2026-06-20"
---

# "Airlock" Output Checking System OCS Decision Engine Development Partner

Buyer: UK BIOBANK LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-064efd

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## Summary

UK Biobank Limited, located in Stockport, has awarded a procurement contract for the development of an "Airlock" Output Checking System (OCS) Decision Engine to Kainos Software Limited, based in Belfast. This project comes under the industry category of IT services, including consulting, software development, Internet, and support, with the contract valued at £2 million over an initial three-year period starting from 3rd July 2026, with potential extensions up to six years. The competitive flexible procurement method used involved an open invitation to tender, with the award stage being concluded on 22nd May 2026. This procurement process aims to enhance data security and compliance within trusted research environments by automating the assessment of data egress requests.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in IT consultancy, data security, and software development, particularly those capable of innovating in automated systems and heuristic rule applications. Kainos Software Limited's success in this tender highlights the competitive edge that large-scale IT service providers can bring, though it also opens avenues for SMEs equipped with specialised skills to emerge as contenders, particularly given the complex, scalable nature of the system envisioned. The integration of the Decision Engine with existing infrastructure underscores the necessity for bidders to possess robust capabilities in system interoperability and algorithm development.

## Notice

UKB is seeking to further improve its technical controls and intends to implement a functional mechanism to check data egress requests to ensure that participant record-level data is not being removed and does not contain information that can identify individual participants. This Output Checking System (OCS) functionality will allow UKB to enhance the security of the UKB-RAP, reduce the risk of advertent and inadvertent data breaches and importantly increase the trust and transparency of the UKB resource. UKB intends to commence a procurement exercise to procure a replacement for the current UKB-RAP in 2027, which will come into effect in 2028. The OCS will need to be integrated with the new UKB-RAP. Output checking processes for Trusted Research Environments (TREs) have to date been based on manual processes, with data analysts or administrators employed to review data egress requests to ensure they meet compliance standards. Given their reliance on human oversight of large data outputs, these systems are costly and do not provide a failsafe, and they cannot scale to the demands of UKB given its very large user base and continued growth. With over 20,000 publications (5,000 in the past year alone), a manual output checking process is neither desirable nor feasible. To develop and deliver the OCS, UKB is separating the procurement into two elements which will need to be fully interoperable: 1. OCS User Interface (UI) and Workflow (subject to a separate tender exercise via the CCS G-Cloud 14 framework): The development of a seamless UI and Workflow for the OCS, including secure movement of data and integration with existing UKB infrastructure. 2. The OCS Decision Engine (this procurement): The development of the core algorithms to allow an automated assessment of the data being egressed, giving an overall confidence assessment score and a Red/Amber/Green (RAG) rating for decision making The OCS Decision Engine The OCS Decision Engine is made up of two components: 1. Data Trust Engine: reviews the egressed file(s) from UKB-RAP to detect the presence of sensitive information. Through the application of transparent, heuristic rules and configurable thresholds, the Data Trust Engine will create a score for how 'disclosive' the egressed data is that, when coupled with the researcher confidence score below, provides a Red (fail), Amber (unclear) or Green (pass) egress rating. 2. Researcher Behaviour Engine: derives the overall credibility of a given researcher within AMS and UKB-RAP, and assigns a confidence score, which will dictate how human-review decisions are made for 'Amber' outcomes from the Trust Engine. This Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) is being issued to invite Bids for a development partner to design and deliver the OCS Decision Engine, which will include the Data Trust Engine and Researcher Behaviour Engine. The estimated contract value for the provision of services as set out in this Contract Notice and for the duration described is anticipated to be PS2m GBP UKB reserves the right to discontinue or delay the procurement process and may decide not to award a contract as a result of this call for competition. UKB shall not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred by any organisation in considering and/or responding to the procurement process. Tenders and supporting documents must be priced in pounds sterling and all payments made under the contract will be in pounds sterling, unless otherwise advised. UKB will incorporate a standstill period at the point the decision in relation to the award of the contracts is notified to bidders. The standstill period, which will be a minimum of eight (8) working days, provides time for unsuccessful bidders to lodge an appeal in regards to the award decisions, before the contracts are entered into.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The initial term for the Contract will be three (3) years, with the option for UKB to extend the contract by up to a further three (3) year period (1+1+1), i.e. up to a maximum total term of six (6) years (inclusive of the initial term)

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058281-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 20 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 17 Apr 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 21 May 2026 |
| Contract period | 2 Jul 2026 - 2 Jul 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £2,000,000 |
| Lots value | £2,000,000 |
| Awards value | £2,000,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UK BIOBANK LIMITED |
| Additional buyers | UK BIOBANK LTD |
| Locality | STOCKPORT |
| Post town | Stockport |
| Postcode | SK3 0SA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD35 Greater Manchester South East |
| Local authority | Stockport |
| Electoral ward | Davenport & Cale Green |
| Westminster constituency | Stockport |
| Delivery location | TLD North West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | KAINOS SOFTWARE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

## Release History

- 20 Jun 2026 at 07:55 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058281-2026
- 17 Mar 2026 at 10:05 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023855-2026
- 16 Feb 2026 at 15:18 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013938-2026
- 12 Feb 2026 at 12:49 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012869-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/058281-2026
  20th June 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023855-2026
  17th March 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/013938-2026
  16th February 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012869-2026
  12th February 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.mytenders.co.uk/Authority/NoticeBuilder/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=631859
  Process Overview and Guidance to Bidders
- https://www.mytenders.co.uk/Authority/NoticeBuilder/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=631828
  Bidder Questionnaire (comprising PSQ and Award Questions)
- https://www.mytenders.co.uk/Authority/NoticeBuilder/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=631829
  Specification
- https://www.mytenders.co.uk/Authority/NoticeBuilder/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=631830
  Pricing Response
- https://www.mytenders.co.uk/Authority/NoticeBuilder/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=631831
  Agreement

## Notice URLs

- http://www.kainos.com
- http://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk
- 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-064efd. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064efd.json.