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ICO FOI Concilliation Service - Pre Market Engagement

Information Commissioner's Office · Central government

In brief

Information Commissioner's Office has announced plans to buy IT and software work. This is an early notice: there is nothing to bid on yet, but it tells you a tender may follow.

The estimated value is £800,000 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 2 years, starting 1 March 2027.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Competition

Typical: a median of 5 bids per contract for IT and software contracts in this region (from 140 awards in the last 12 months).

What the notice says

The Information Commission (IC) is undertaking discovery for a future FOI Conciliation Service (FCS). We are inviting suppliers to this pre market engagement to share market insight on the feasibility, delivery approach and indicative timescales for a service capable of supporting the end-to-end handling and conciliation of Freedom of Information (FOI) complaints. Prior to commencing formal procurement, we are engaging the market to: •Refine and validate our understanding of the broader opportunity, to demonstrate best practice in the application of new technology whilst maintaining public trust. •Shape our requirements, drawing on sector best practices and supplier expertise to deliver a…Read the full description
The Information Commission (IC) is undertaking discovery for a future FOI Conciliation Service (FCS). We are inviting suppliers to this pre market engagement to share market insight on the feasibility, delivery approach and indicative timescales for a service capable of supporting the end-to-end handling and conciliation of Freedom of Information (FOI) complaints. Prior to commencing formal procurement, we are engaging the market to: •Refine and validate our understanding of the broader opportunity, to demonstrate best practice in the application of new technology whilst maintaining public trust. •Shape our requirements, drawing on sector best practices and supplier expertise to deliver a solution. •Gain insight into indicative delivery timelines, and the organisational conditions we would need to enable for success. •Leverage supplier experience in delivering technology solutions for similar organisations. •Test our current assumptions, identify proven or emerging delivery approaches, understand what products and features are available and ensure we are ready to progress The Premarket engagement will run for four weeks from 21st October 2026 and will inform the subsequent tender specification. It is intended to tender with a robust specification that clearly defines our requirements and enables us to identify the solution that best meets the needs of the FOI FCS service. Participation in this PME (Preliminary Market Engagement) is voluntary, and suppliers will not be disadvantaged in any subsequent procurement process by their decision to engage or not. To assist the Information Commission to develop its proposed service requirements, the Information Commission would appreciate responses from interested potential providers to a questionnaire which is available via the Delta eSourcing Platform. Please copy and paste this URL: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/992RKPA72P into your browser. For any technical queries regarding the Delta eSourcing Portal please contact Delta at helpdesk@delta-esourcing.com, or via telephone on [phone number removed]. Full PME documentation is available to you when you open the link/URL provided, which provides for you a full description of what the IC is looking for and a questionnaire for you to complete and submit via the Delta platform. Responses to the questionnaire should be submitted by: 12:00 noon on Wednesday 18th November 2026 For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Wilmslow:-Software-package-and-information-systems./992RKPA72P To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/992RKPA72P

How to bid

  1. Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
  2. Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
  3. Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 099433-2026

About the buyer

Procurements

15

Awards

13

Suppliers it has used most for IT and software

  1. Social Housing Emerging Disrupters 6

    Procurement for HousingNorth WestFacilities management, IT services and software

    Closing soon4 days leftFramework

    £250mframework ceiling
  2. Audio visual, digital signage and visitor management system

    Liverpool City Region Combined AuthorityNorth WestIT services and software

    Closing soon5 days left

    £300kestimated
  3. PRO005128-Goods-Framework-Water Saving Devices

    United Utilities Water LimitedNorth WestIT services and software

    Open7 days left2 lotsSuitable for SMEsFramework

    £15mframework ceiling
  4. TfGM Single View of the Network

    Transport for Greater ManchesterNorth WestIT services and software

    Open7 days leftExpress interest

    £1mestimated
  5. Procurement of an HR and Payroll System

    Look Ahead Care and Support LimitedNorth East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South WestIT services and software

    Open7 days leftSuitable for SMEs

    £1.5mestimated

From notice 099433-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 21 October 2026. We last checked for changes on 21 October 2026.