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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

What works in AI Adoption within DCMS Sectors

Department for Culture, Media & Sport · Tender notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 25 Sept 2026, 06:26.

Opportunity overview

Full information is provided within the specification. 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.

Classification

  • CPV73000000 — Research and development services and related consultancy services

Lots

  • Lot 1£1.5m

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
105017
Status
active
Procurement Method
selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
How to submit
The information and/or documents for this opportunity are available on the Atamis e-sourcing portal: https://dcms.my.site.com/login . You must register on this site to respond. If you are already registered you will not need to register again, simply use your existing username and password. Please note there is a password reminder link on the homepage. **Once registered on Atamis, click 'Find Opportunities' and register your interest. Once you have confirmed your interest, go to 'My Proposal and Quotes' to view the documentation.*** Please ensure you have clicked 'SUBMIT' after uploading your response. Please ensure you review all communications and follow any instruction provided to you. Any questions or clarification requests regarding this opportunity must be submitted exclusively through the Atamis portal messaging system before the Clarification Deadline. If you experience any technical difficulties please contact the Atamis eSourcing Helpdesk at: Support@atamis.co.uk **Please ensure you have registered on the Central Digital Platform to obtain your unique identifier. This is a requirement for all public sector contracts governed under The Procurement Act.*** It is available at www.gov.uk/find-tender
Expression Of Interest Deadline
23 Oct 2026, 17:00

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Procedure

Features
Under Section 3(2) and Schedule 2: Exempted Contracts, Part 2: Subject-matter Exempted Contracts, Paragraph 11: Research and development services, of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23), public contracts consisting solely of pure research and development that are intended for general public benefit are explicitly exempt from statutory "covered procurement" rules. As this contract qualifies for the R&D Exemption under Schedule 2, Paragraph 11 of the Procurement Act 2023, DCMS will operate outside of the statutory constraints of a covered procurement. Because this is an exempted contract, the statutory challenge regime and automatic suspension provisions under Part 9 of the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply. However, DCMS is committed to conducting a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory process in voluntary alignment with core PA23 principles This procurement is structured as a two-stage competitive procedure, Suppliers are invited to complete the Stage 1 Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) to participate in the shortlisting stage. Suppliers should read the PSQ Guidance document before completing the questionnaire. Bidders will be shortlisted based on pass/fail criteria and on their total weighted scores for the PSQ. The top 5 highest scoring candidates will be invited to Stage 2. The shortlisted candidates will be issued the Invitation to Tender (ITT) to submit their full technical proposal and commercial pricing for evaluation. This will be evaluated in accordance with the ITT guidance that will be released to the shortlisted candidates.

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
allowed

Languages

en

Enquiry period

Ends
14 Oct 2026, 17:00

Expected award period

Ends
8 Feb 2027, 23:59

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
active

Value

Including VAT
1,800,000
Amount
1,500,000
Currency
GBP

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
quality
Name
Quality
Description
Full details will be provided at ITT stage (Stage2). 70% will be weighted towards quality 10% will be weighted towards social value

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
80
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Type
price
Name
Price
Description
Pricing schedule will be provided within the ITT (Stage 2). 20% weighting will be toward price.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
20
Weight
percentageExact

Second Stage

Maximum Candidates
5

Selection criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
economic
Description
Suppliers are required to satisfy the baseline financial capacity conditions set out in Part 3 of the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). Bidders must self-certify and provide two years of verified financial statements demonstrating a minimum annual turnover equivalent to 1x the maximum estimated annual contract value (£400,000 per year). Where a bidder is a newly formed entity, or consortium relying on parent/associated entity support, alternative evidence of financial standing (such as parent company guarantees, bank references, or confirmed grant funding allocations) may be provided to satisfy this threshold on a pass/fail basis.
Criterion 2
Type
technical
Description
To demonstrate technical capability under Part 3 of the PSQ, suppliers must provide details of two relevant case studies from the past five years that illustrate experience of a similar size, scale, and complexity to this requirement. Bidders must complete either Route 1 (Q15a & Q15b) for formal commercial/public contract history or Route 2 (Q15c & Q15d) for non-contractual, grant-funded, or academic experience. Submissions across both routes will be scored and evaluated against four weighted criteria: Research Aims & Scope (10%), Methodological Design & Execution (40%), Deliverables & Practical Policy Impact (30%), and Project Delivery & Stakeholder Management (20%) DCMS will then shortlist the top 5 highest-scoring bidders to progress to Stage 2.
Criterion 3
Description
The department will use a two-stage competitive process. In Stage 1, candidate suppliers will be evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis against Part 1 (Supplier Information), Part 2 (Exclusions), and Part 3 Conditions of Participation (Financial Turnover threshold of £400k/year and Required Insurance Levels). Bidders meeting all Pass/Fail conditions will then be evaluated and ranked based on their response to Question 15 (Technical Ability Case Studies, completed via Route 1 or Route 2). Responses will be evaluated against four weighted criteria: Research Aims & Scope (10%) Methodological Approach, Design & Execution (40%) Deliverables, Outputs & Practical Impact (30%) Project Delivery & Stakeholder Management (20%) The top 5 highest-scoring suppliers based on total weighted score will be invited to Stage 2 (Invitation to Tender). In the event of a tie for the 5th shortlist position, a sequential tie-break methodology will be applied based on unweighted scores in Criterion 2 (40%), Criterion 3 (30%), and Criterion 4 (20%). If still tied, all tied 5th-place suppliers will be invited to Stage 2.
For Reduction
Yes

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Contract period

Starts
12 Feb 2027, 00:00
Ends
11 Feb 2030, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
73000000
Description
Research and development services and related consultancy services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UK
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Entry 2
Id
090755-2026
Document Type
tenderNotice
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Published
24 Sept 2026, 17:17
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
Id
GB-PPON-PJGD-5581-JPGD

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PJGD-5581-JPGD

Address

Street Address
100 Parliament Street
Locality
London
Postal Code
SW1A 2BQ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKI32

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · London · UKI32 · SW1A 2BQ · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UK · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

4 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

4 VERSIONS
  1. 070910-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 070954-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  3. 086715-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  4. 090755-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·