--- title: "Ofcom Skilled Persons" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077c72" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077c72" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077c72.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077c72.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "OFCOM" published: "2026-09-29" --- # Ofcom Skilled Persons Buyer: OFCOM Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077c72 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077c72) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077c72.json) ## Summary Ofcom intends to procure a Skilled Persons service to support its report powers under the Online Safety Act. The work is expected to involve experienced experts specialising in work areas set out for the service, with reports produced by skilled persons. Ofcom is seeking market views on how those work areas should be grouped, possible contracting models, payment mechanisms and how the service should be costed. This is a professional consultancy service, including systems and technical consultancy. Delivery is intended to cover the United Kingdom. Ofcom is using preliminary market engagement to understand how suppliers might approach delivery and to inform its procurement strategy before proceeding to a tender. The process is at planning: Ofcom has announced its intention to procure and is conducting preliminary market engagement, not inviting tenders. It expects to publish a future notice on 1 April 2027. The market questionnaire is due by 12 noon on 29 October 2026; Ofcom may also hold discussions with interested suppliers. The expected contract period runs from 31 August 2027 to 30 August 2031. The stated estimated value is £2 million gross. The procurement is arranged as one lot. Ofcom is seeking market feedback on how to group the work areas, contracting models, payment mechanisms and costing. No award criteria or procurement procedure are set out at this planning stage. The work is likely to suit suppliers with established expertise in the relevant Skilled Persons work areas, particularly specialists able to deliver reports under Ofcom’s new Online Safety Act powers. Systems and technical consultancy capabilities are relevant. Ofcom is interested in how suppliers would organise delivery, including the grouping of work areas, contracting arrangements, payment structures and approaches to costing reports; these are useful areas for prospective suppliers to consider when preparing for the later procurement. The single-lot structure may suit providers able to cover the service as a whole, while the stated suitability for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises indicates that such organisations are also considered suitable. The stated UK-wide delivery scope is relevant to suppliers able to serve clients across the United Kingdom. ## Notice Ofcom are keen to engage with suitably experienced suppliers capable of delivering a 'Skilled Persons' service. The Skilled Persons' report powers under the Online Safety Act are new powers for Ofcom. This Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise seeks feedback from the market and particularly from experienced experts who specialise in any of the identified Work Areas (detailed in the PME document), through responses to the PME Questionnaire . We are keen to engage to better understand the market in relation to: * the work areas and how they are grouped; * the different contracting models; * the different payment mechanisms; and * how to cost for the services of a Skilled Persons' report. The PME document can be found on Ofcom's eSourcing portal. Please see 'Engagement process description' below. ### Planning Information The purpose of this preliminary market engagement (PME) questionnaire is to seek input from market participants to inform and help us inform our procurement strategy. The PME will provide Ofcom with the opportunity to obtain insight into how potential Suppliers might approach delivery of the service in question and gain an understanding of the capability/interest from the market. This PME will be in the form of a questionnaire, and possibly some discussion between the Ofcom Project Team and interested Suppliers. If you would like to participate in the PME exercise, please access the PME document available via Ofcom's Jaggaer procurement portal at https://ofcom.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/. To access the PME documents interested suppleirs will need to be registered as a supplier on the Ofcom Jaggaer esourcing portal. Visit the URL above and click on 'Register here'. When registered log-in to Ofcom's Jaggaer esourcing portal and go to the PQQ page 'pqq_100 - Ofcom Skilled Persons', complete the questionnaire, attach it where indicated in the Technical envelope and Submit. Clarification questions can be submitted via the messaging facility within pqq_100. The closing deadline for submitting completed questionnaires is 12 noon, 29 October 2026. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091871-2026 | | 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 | 29 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 1 Apr 2027 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 31 Aug 2027 - 30 Aug 2031 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £2,000,000 | | 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 | OFCOM | | Locality | LONDON | | Postcode area | South East London | | Postcode | SE1 9HA | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East | | ITL 3 | TLI44 Lewisham and Southwark | | Local authority | Southwark | | Electoral ward | Borough & Bankside | | Westminster constituency | Bermondsey and Old Southwark | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support - 72220000 - Systems and technical consultancy services ## Release History - 29 Sep 2026 at 13:18 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091871-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091871-2026 29th September 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.ofcom.org.uk - https://ofcom.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/ - 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-077c72. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077c72.json.