it digital contracts

The TechFirst Women’s Programme is a UK Government workforce‑development intervention designed to increase the participation, retention and progression of women in high‑growth digital and frontier‑technology sectors. Evidence shows that women remain structurally under‑represented across the UK tech workforce, facing systemic barriers including biased recruitment practices, limited access routes, inflexible working patterns, and poor workplace cultures. At the same time, employers—particularly SMEs—are experiencing severe digital skills shortages across key frontier‑technology roles, including AI, cyber security, advanced connectivity, semiconductors, quantum technologies and engineering biology. These labour‑market failures are constraining innovation, productivity and regional growth, and disproportionately impact businesses unable to access or train technical talent. The programme will procure a women‑focused training and deployment model delivering employer‑aligned technical instruction, workplace‑readiness training, wraparound pastoral support, and structured mentoring. This will enable a target of 300 women to progress into meaningful entry and mid‑level roles in frontier‑tech sectors. Training will be co‑designed with employers to ensure alignment with real occupational needs in areas such as software engineering, cyber security, data engineering, cloud/DevOps, AI/ML operations and telecoms/network engineering. The programme should reduce the cost burden on SMEs, helping them to participate in the digital economy and adopt emerging technologies that would otherwise be inaccessible due to recruitment and training costs. The programme sets a target of 80% demployment into mid-career roles, and 20% deployment into early-career roles. The deployment phase will match participants to paid, high‑quality technical roles, with pathway support throughout onboarding and early retention. Delivery partners may deploy a contingent‑workforce approach, ensuring employment decisions into permanent roles remain open, merit‑based and compliant with the Equality Act 2010. The programme sets a target for 80% of deployments to SMEs, with flexibility where regional or sector‑specific SME demand is insufficient. This SME‑first approach strengthens regional innovation ecosystems and ensures benefits flow to the parts of the economy facing the most acute hiring barriers. The expected benefits of the programme include increased representation of women in frontier‑tech roles; improved retention through structured mentoring and culture‑focused employer support; expanded domestic early‑career pipelines; enhanced SME digital adoption; and reduced reliance on international recruitment for mid‑career tech roles. By addressing systemic inequality and market failure, the TechFirst Women’s Programme delivers a targeted, evidence‑based intervention that strengthens the UK’s technology workforce, boosts regional economic resilience, and supports long‑term productivity growth.

Following the successful delivery of the Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) regulatory sandbox, the Government intends to invest up to £7 million in further regulatory sandboxes and innovative regulatory tools, focusing on high-growth areas and complex mission types. As part of this programme, we are intending to develop a regulatory sandbox focused on re-entry activities in financial year 2026/27.

Following the successful delivery of the Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) regulatory sandbox, the Government intends to invest up to £7 million in further regulatory sandboxes and innovative regulatory tools, focusing on high-growth areas and complex mission types. As part of this programme, we are intending to develop a regulatory sandbox focused on re-entry activities in financial year 2026/27.

Following the successful delivery of the Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) regulatory sandbox, the Government intends to invest up to £7 million in further regulatory sandboxes and innovative regulatory tools, focusing on high-growth areas and complex mission types. As part of this programme, we are intending to develop a regulatory sandbox focused on re-entry activities in financial year 2026/27.

Following the successful delivery of the Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) regulatory sandbox, the Government intends to invest up to £7 million in further regulatory sandboxes and innovative regulatory tools, focusing on high-growth areas and complex mission types. As part of this programme, we are intending to develop a regulatory sandbox focused on re-entry activities in financial year 2026/27.

The final date and time for the submission of bids is Monday 18th May 2026 @ 11:0am DO NOT apply directly to the buyer. All tender information MUST be submitted through the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal. Overview The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is an intergovernmental research institute with its headquarters in Shinfield (UK), and sites in Bonn (Germany) and Bologna (Italy), and contributes to major European programmes including Copernicus (the Earth observation component of the European Union's Space Programme) and Horizon Europe (EU's flagship research and innovation programme). The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are funding and constructing a new net zero headquarters for ECMWF at the University of Reading's Whiteknights campus, with construction expected to complete between December 2026 and March 2027. As part of the project’s objectives, the building will need to meet the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard. To ensure this objective is met, DSIT are undertaking a procurement exercise to secure a supplier to support carbon offsetting objectives for the embodied carbon of the newly constructed headquarters. Key requirements for this procurement: • DSIT are looking to offset approximately 5165 tonnes of carbon (or equivalent green house gasses), as a one-off procurement via a broker to balance out embodied emissions as a result of the construction. • The allocated budget for this procurement is up to £2,500,000 inc VAT where applicable. How to Apply UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) will be using the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal for this procurement. To register on the Jaggaer eSourcing portal please use the link https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/ and follow the instructions to register as a supplier. If you are already registered on the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal and wish to participate in this procurement, please use the link: https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/. Once you are logged into the system you will be able to locate the Procurement you wish to leave a bid on by clicking the ITTs Open to All Suppliers and searching for the reference number itt_2573

The final date and time for Ongoing DPS Applications to be submitted is Friday 9th February 2029 at 11:0 am Suppliers who wish to join the DPS List must submit their Application Form on the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal. Application Forms can be submitted at any time during the period of validity of the DPS. The Contracting Authority will review and evaluate each Application Form to determine whether the Minimum Selection Criteria are met, notify the Supplier as to whether its Application Form was successful or unsuccessful and update the DPS List within 15 working days of receipt of the Application Form. Note. The Contracting Authority require 15 working days because of the need to examine additional documentation or to otherwise verify whether the selection criteria are met, as permitted by Regulation 34 (17) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. DO NOT apply directly to the buyer. All tender information MUST be submitted through the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal. Brief Description of Requirement UKSBS (Central Purchasing Body) on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) (the Contracting Authority) wishes to establish a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the provision of Scientific research & advice for Government. UKSBS is managing this procurement process in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as may be amended from time to time) (the "Regulations") This is a Services Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). The Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) shall be in operation until either the DPS exceeds its advertised value or an end date of 23rd February 2029, whichever occurs first. You can apply to join the DPS at any point and don't require any special IT equipment as a DPS eliminates unnecessary activity for you upfront. Full details of the DPS scope and Application information can be found within the notice attachments and within the attachment tab on the Jaggaer eSourcing portal How to Apply UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) will be using the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal for this procurement. To register on the Jaggaer eSourcing portal please use the link https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/ and follow the instructions to register as a supplier. If you are already registered on the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal and wish to participate in this procurement, please use the link: https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/. Once you are logged into the system you will be able to locate the Procurement you wish to leave a bid on by clicking the PQQs Open to All Suppliers and searching for the reference number PQQ_92.