✓Tender information last checkedLast checked 15 Oct 2026, 16:21.
Opportunity overview
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wish to give notice of planned procurement opportunity in relation to two linked but separate future procurements for DWP payment contingency services (together referred to in this notice as the “Payment Contingency Services (“PCS”)).
The intention of the PCS is to ensure DWP has robust contingencies in place to make benefit and pension entitlement payments to its customers on the dates they are due. The PCS are invoked only in exceptional circumstances where there is a delay in DWP releasing Bacs payment file(s).
The DWP intends for the relevant services to be provided under two separate, interdependent contracts (both of which are required to allow for invocation of PCS) as follows:
Short Term Payment Contingency (“STPC”) : This service reformats Bacs payments files into Faster Payment files for onward submission into the Faster Payment infrastructure
Sponsor Bank (“SB”) : This service is required for the settlement of funds with the Bank of England.
Please note that as these are separate procurements, different procurement processes and/or commercial approach may apply to each procurement. In addition, each procurement may be awarded, delayed, or withdrawn independently of the other.
This notice relates specifically to the SB procurement. A separate UK3 Planned Procurement Notice has been issued for the STPC procurement, which can be found on Find a Tender Service.
Please note that:
- Further information and relevant guidance will be provided in or with the UK4 Tender Notice, published on Find a Tender Service website.
- UK 4 Notice and associated procurement documents provided with that notice will outline how and when to express your interest to participate in the procurement process.
- All procurement activities will be managed via DWP online portal (Atamis).
- Procurement related documentation will be issued via Atamis. Full guidance on registration and system navigation will be provided in or with the UK4 Notice.
- It is mandatory for any interested suppliers to register on the new Central Digital Platform (CDP) which is part of the enhanced Find a Tender Service in order to participate in any future procurements. Details of how to register will be included in or with the UK4 Notice.
- The DWP will not be liable for any expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice.
- The information provided in this notice is for indicative purposes only. The DWP reserves its rights to amend any of the information included in the notice.
- DWP reserves the right to add or remove stages throughout the procurement process or to reduce the tendering period in future (in accordance with the PA 23). The DWP also reserves the right to decide not to proceed with this procurement.
- Please note, that involvement in Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) which was taking place 12/05/2026 or the One-to-One supplier events taking place between 01/06/2026 and 05/06/2026 are not a pre-requisite for participating in the procurement process. Please see the following link to the UK2 PME Notices for both STPC and SB - Short Term Payment Contingency Service - Find a Tender and Sponsor Bank Service - Find a Tender .
- This procurement will be conducted using the new procurement regime – Procurement Act 2023.
- It is currently anticipated that this procurement will follow a one stage Competitive Flexible Procedure.
Classification
CPV66000000 — Financial and insurance services
Lots
Lot 1£1.2m
Documents and notices
Planned procurement notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
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.
Amendments to the Notice:
Tender Notice Publication Date
Clarification Period Date
Tender Submission Date
Estimated Award Decision Date
Estimated Contract Value
Description: removed word "Lot1" and "Lot2" as these are independent procurements.
Buyer location · London · UKI32 · SW1H 9NA · United Kingdom
Notice and amendment history
6 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.
6 VERSIONS
1
009643-2026Pipeline notice on Find a Tender ·
2
040520-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
3
053510-2026Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender ·
4
063771-2026Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender ·
5
075447-2026Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender ·
6
097555-2026Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender ·
PROCURAAXIS ANALYSIS
ProcuraAxis Analysis
Our approved analysis of the opportunity appears below the official tender information.
ANALYSIS PREVIEW
Opportunity intelligence at a glance
Early-stage planned DWP procurement for a Sponsor Bank service within Payment Contingency Services. The Sponsor Bank service is intended to settle funds with the Bank of England when contingency arrangements are invoked following delays in DWP releasing Bacs payment files. A separate procurement will cover Short Term Payment Contingency file reformatting.
Who this may suit
Potential fit for organisations able to provide sponsor-bank/payment-settlement services involving the Bank of England. Tender participation requirements and final scope remain to be confirmed in the future UK4 Tender Notice.
Key points identified
Core serviceSponsor Bank service for settlement of funds with the Bank of EnglandEvidence: “Sponsor Bank (“SB”): This service is required for the settlement of funds with the Bank of England.”
Contingency contextSupport payment contingency arrangements where DWP delays release of Bacs payment filesEvidence: “The PCS are invoked only in exceptional circumstances where there is a delay in DWP releasing Bacs payment file(s).”
Central Digital Platform registrationMandatory for interested suppliers participating in a future procurementEvidence: “It is mandatory for any interested suppliers to register on the new Central Digital Platform (CDP) ... in order to participate in any future procurements.”
92% approved-analysis confidence6 supplier criteria identified4 risks or unknowns
ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.
Early-stage planned DWP procurement for a Sponsor Bank service within Payment Contingency Services. The Sponsor Bank service is intended to settle funds with the Bank of England when contingency arrangements are invoked following delays in DWP releasing Bacs payment files. A separate procurement will cover Short Term Payment Contingency file reformatting.
Who this may suit
Potential fit for organisations able to provide sponsor-bank/payment-settlement services involving the Bank of England. Tender participation requirements and final scope remain to be confirmed in the future UK4 Tender Notice.
Key deliverables
Settlement of funds with the Bank of England for DWP payment contingency services
SUPPLIER REQUIREMENTS
6 criteria identified
Core service
99% confidence
Sponsor Bank service for settlement of funds with the Bank of England
View supporting evidence
“Sponsor Bank (“SB”): This service is required for the settlement of funds with the Bank of England.”
Contingency context
96% confidence
Support payment contingency arrangements where DWP delays release of Bacs payment files
View supporting evidence
“The PCS are invoked only in exceptional circumstances where there is a delay in DWP releasing Bacs payment file(s).”
Central Digital Platform registration
99% confidence
Mandatory for interested suppliers participating in a future procurement
View supporting evidence
“It is mandatory for any interested suppliers to register on the new Central Digital Platform (CDP) ... in order to participate in any future procurements.”
Supplier registration
99% confidence
Central Digital Platform registration is mandatory for future participation; registration detail is to be included in or with the UK4 Notice
View supporting evidence
“It is mandatory for any interested suppliers to register on the new Central Digital Platform (CDP) ... Details of how to register will be included in or with the UK4 Notice.”
Preliminary market engagement participation
99% confidence
Not a prerequisite
View supporting evidence
“involvement in Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) ... or the One-to-One supplier events ... are not a pre-requisite for participating in the procurement process.”
Other selection requirements
93% confidence
Unknown
View supporting evidence
The notice says the UK4 Tender Notice and associated documents will outline how and when to express interest.
COMMERCIAL AND DELIVERY
Contract intelligence
Commercial
Estimated lot value
97% confidence
£1,223,740
View supporting evidence
Lot 1 value_amount is 1223740 GBP.
Commercial approach
94% confidence
May differ from the linked Short Term Payment Contingency procurement; final approach unknown
View supporting evidence
“different procurement processes and/or commercial approach may apply to each procurement.”
Supplier costs
99% confidence
DWP will not be liable for provider expenditure, work or effort incurred in acting on this notice
View supporting evidence
“The DWP will not be liable for any expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice.”
Delivery
Delivery purpose
94% confidence
Contingent settlement of benefit and pension entitlement payments when PCS is invoked
View supporting evidence
“The intention of the PCS is to ensure DWP has robust contingencies in place to make benefit and pension entitlement payments to its customers on the dates they are due.”
Delivery trigger
96% confidence
Exceptional circumstances involving delayed DWP release of Bacs payment files
View supporting evidence
“The PCS are invoked only in exceptional circumstances where there is a delay in DWP releasing Bacs payment file(s).”
Delivery location
98% confidence
Unknown
View supporting evidence
The supplied London address is labelled “Buyer location”; no service-delivery location is stated.
PROCEDURE
How to respond
Opportunity status
99% confidence
Upcoming planned procurement; bidding is not stated to be open
View supporting evidence
display_status is “upcoming”, source_status is “planned”, and the notice is a “Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender”.
Procurement regime
99% confidence
Procurement Act 2023
View supporting evidence
“This procurement will be conducted using the new procurement regime – Procurement Act 2023.”
Anticipated procedure
94% confidence
One-stage Competitive Flexible Procedure
View supporting evidence
“It is currently anticipated that this procurement will follow a one stage Competitive Flexible Procedure.”
Tender portal
99% confidence
DWP Atamis online portal
View supporting evidence
“All procurement activities will be managed via DWP online portal (Atamis).”
Listed submission deadline
90% confidence
9 November 2026, 23:45 UTC
View supporting evidence
The supplied process and Lot 1 fields list submission_deadline as 2026-11-09T23:45:00Z.
Expression-of-interest process
98% confidence
To be set out in or with the future UK4 Tender Notice
View supporting evidence
“UK 4 Notice and associated procurement documents ... will outline how and when to express your interest to participate in the procurement process.”
RISKS AND UNKNOWNS
Points requiring attention
Early-stage scope and terms
99% confidence
This is indicative planned-procurement information. Final scope, requirements, commercial terms, timetable and participation instructions are unknown pending the UK4 Tender Notice.
View supporting evidence
“The information provided in this notice is for indicative purposes only” and the UK4 Notice “will outline how and when to express your interest”.
Procedure metadata inconsistency
99% confidence
The supplied process metadata states “selective”, while the narrative anticipates a one-stage Competitive Flexible Procedure. Neither interpretation should be treated as final.
View supporting evidence
process.procurement_method is “selective”; narrative states “It is currently anticipated that this procurement will follow a one stage Competitive Flexible Procedure.”
Timetable uncertainty
97% confidence
A submission deadline is supplied, but the notice also states that future UK4 documentation will explain how and when to express interest and DWP may add/remove stages or reduce the tender period.
View supporting evidence
submission_deadline is 2026-11-09T23:45:00Z; “DWP reserves the right to add or remove stages ... or to reduce the tendering period”.
Procurement may not proceed
98% confidence
DWP may amend information, delay, withdraw or independently award the Sponsor Bank procurement.
View supporting evidence
“each procurement may be awarded, delayed, or withdrawn independently”; “DWP also reserves the right to decide not to proceed with this procurement.”
ProcuraAxis analysis supplements, but does not replace, the original notice and tender documents. Always verify eligibility, deadlines and commercial terms with the issuing authority.
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