Smaller suppliers invited to pitch for £2.9B UK defense tech framework

The Government Commercial Agency (GCA) - the UK procurement body formed from Crown Commercial Service and Cabinet Office commercial teams - is seeking greater input from customers and smaller suppliers as it develops a new version of its framework for security-focused digital and IT services. The GCA's current Digital and IT Professional Services (DIPS) framework, which runs until November 2027, is open only to buyers within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and its 17 suppliers are mostly large defense companies and consultancies. The agency wants its replacement to be open to more buyers and suppliers, according to a procurement notice published on May 18 and linked material. The notice says that DIPS 2, which the GCA plans to run for eight years from September 2027 to August 2035, will be available to a wider group of "customers with defence and security requirements" including some outside the MoD, potentially the Home Office and Foreign Office. It has a total possible value of 2.88 billion including VAT. In a supplier engagement session held in March, the GCA said it wants to increase the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which the government defines as companies with fewer than 250 staff along with turnover and balance sheet limits. It is considering having fewer lots than the six in DIPS 1 and outlined a range of options for this, including a possible lot specifically for projects worth less than 5 million. "We are learning lessons from Ukraine in terms of rapid technological development," Darren Corkindale, a deputy head for professional services in the Ministry of Defence's digital commercial service, told the session. He noted that the UK's Strategic Defence Review (SDR) is expected to include a clear focus on digital and technology including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and the electromagnetic domain, adding: "Never thought I'd really say this, but there's an emphasis in the SDR around transition to conflict, war readiness, war preparedness. Again, DIPS 2 needs to reflect that." The GCA plans to complete engagement with suppliers by the end of this year and publish its tender for the DIPS 2 framework in 2027. (R)