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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

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

Buckinghamshire Council · Transparency notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 30 Sept 2026, 08:32.

Opportunity overview

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.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

Published award value
£1.3m
Awarded
1 Sept 2025
Award ID
1
Status
active
Identifier
GB-COH 05440833
Location
London, UKI42, E1 6LT, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
25 26 436
Status
complete
Procurement Method
direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Why this procedure was chosen
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.

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Procedure reasons

Entry 1
Id
switchingDirectAward

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
complete

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Document Type
conflictOfInterest

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-PPON-PCLJ-2677-YQXD
Name
Buckinghamshire Council

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKJ13
Country
GB
Locality
Aylesbury
Postal Code
HP198FF
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
The Gateway, Gatehouse Road

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Identifier

Id
PCLJ-2677-YQXD
Scheme
GB-PPON

Contact

Organisation 2
Id
GB-COH-05440833
Name
Unboxed Consulting Limited

Roles

supplier

Address

Region
UKI42
Country
GB
Locality
London
Postal Code
E1 6LT
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
60-62 Commercial Street

Details

Vcse
No
Scale
large
Sheltered Workshop
No
Public Service Mission Organization
No

Identifier

Id
05440833
Scheme
GB-COH

Contact

Telephone
02071834250

Award information

Award 1
Id
1
Date
2 Sept 2025, 00:00
Status
active
Above Threshold
Yes
Main Procurement Category
services

Items

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
72212100
Scheme
CPV
Description
Industry specific software development services

Value

Amount
1,268,000
Currency
GBP
Including VAT
1,521,600

Documents

Entry 1
Id
053301-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK5
Description
Transparency notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
awardNotice
Published
2 Sept 2025, 16:36
Entry 2
Id
053316-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK6
Description
Contract award notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
awardNotice
Published
2 Sept 2025, 17:01

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-COH-05440833
Name
Unboxed Consulting Limited

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
1
Type
futureSignatureDate
Status
scheduled
Due
15 Sept 2025, 23:59

Related lots

1

Contract period

Ends
1 Sept 2026, 23:59
Starts
16 Sept 2025, 00:00

Standstill Period

Ends
11 Sept 2025, 23:59

Contracts and changes

Entry 1
Id
1
Title
Variation Agreement in respect of a Framework Order Form for services regarding the development of a Back Office Planning System between Buckinghamshire Council and Unboxed Consulting Limited
Status
active
Award ID
1
Date Signed
10 Nov 2025, 00:00
Above Threshold
Yes

Value

Amount
1,268,000
Currency
GBP
Including VAT
1,521,600

Period

Ends
1 Sept 2026, 23:59
Starts
10 Nov 2025, 00:00

Documents

Entry 1
Id
076401-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK7
Description
Contract details notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
contractNotice
Published
24 Nov 2025, 11:49

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Aylesbury · UKJ13 · HP198FF · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-059290-2025-11-24T11:49:44ZTransparency notice on Find a Tender ·