--- title: "105017 - What works in AI Adoption within DCMS Sectors" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06d489" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d489" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d489.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d489.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT" published: "2026-07-27" --- # 105017 - What works in AI Adoption within DCMS Sectors Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06d489 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d489) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d489.json) ## Summary The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is engaging in a procurement process titled "105017 - What works in AI Adoption within DCMS Sectors". This initiative falls under the services category, specifically focusing on research and development and social research services. Located in London, UK, the project is in the planning stage with the procurement process set to be executed via a Competitive Flexible Procedure or through the RM6126 Research and Insights framework, as per the Procurement Act 2023. A virtual engagement seminar is scheduled for 8th September 2026, providing potential bidders an opportunity to understand the project scope better before the notice date of 21st September 2026. The project will commence on 8th March 2027 and conclude by 7th March 2030. This tender provides a substantial business opportunity, valued at £1.5 million (gross £1.8 million), and is above the threshold level, signalling significant engagement for interested parties. It is particularly suited for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs), as these entities can bring innovative methodologies to evidence-based research on AI adoption. Companies specializing in emerging technologies, data analysis, and social research will find this an unrivaled opportunity to influence AI policy and contribute to the development within DCMS sectors. The project, part of the wider DCMS Science and Analysis R&D Programme, promises to bolster R&D capability within the department, aligning with UK's strategic interest in technology advancements and policy efficacy. ## Notice DCMS are seeking to commission "what works" research into the impact and effectiveness of AI adoption interventions within DCMS sectors. We are interested in two broad sets of questions. The first is analysis of how businesses within DCMS sectors that are in the process of adopting AI achieve this, the challenges they face and the opportunities and benefits realised. We anticipate this will be explored through an ethnographic study that observes how individuals and teams actually use AI tools in their jobs. The second set of questions is what policy interventions work best to support businesses that wish to adopt AI, which we anticipate will be answered by testing hypothetical interventions through randomised control trials (RCTs). Bidders will be able to propose alternative methodologies if they think they suit these questions better; the core need for this project is to produce direct, robust evidence of what works, as opposed to what is self-reported (e.g. through interviews, focus groups, surveys, and similar) to work. This project will be commissioned either through a Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023, or through the RM6126 Research and Insights framework. This is part of the DCMS Science and Analysis R&D Programme, which supports R&D capability within the department. This project will run concurrently aside three other large projects across 2027-2030, these include; mapping the specific "user pathways" audiences take to find, consume, and value information; a continuation of previous research to develop data-intensive approaches for capturing engagement at unticketed cultural, heritage, and sporting events/activities/locations, e.g. using mobile app data to model how people participate in our events; and a continuation of previous research to design and improve methods for holistically tracking the long-term impact of major events, tested on a major event. ### Planning Information One Virtual Engagement Seminar (Tuesday 8th September 12:00 - 13:00) Please copy paste the below link into a browser to register. There will be an introduction to the research, allowing for time at the end for a Q&A on the prospective research. Please ensure you have registered to receive a Microsoft Teams meeting link to the seminar. https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=bplOgonFVkCVszLEnIpEx4FxwFXJMJlOkexCFt6L-ihUOFRQMTVIVFBHSUdOTEdMVFlJQ01WQllVUi4u&route=shorturl ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070954-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | 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 | 27 Jul 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 21 Sep 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 8 Mar 2027 - 7 Mar 2030 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £1,500,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1A 2BQ | | 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 - 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 73300000 - Design and execution of research and development - 79315000 - Social research services ## Release History - 27 Jul 2026 at 16:20 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070954-2026 - 27 Jul 2026 at 15:18 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070910-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070954-2026 27th July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070910-2026 27th July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.dcms.gov.uk - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=bplOgonFVkCVszLEnIpEx4FxwFXJMJlOkexCFt6L-ihUOFRQMTVIVFBHSUdOTEdMVFlJQ01WQllVUi4u&route=shorturl - 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-06d489. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d489.json.