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UK2 Notice Template

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology · Central government

In brief

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology has announced plans to buy research 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 £175,000 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 5 months, up to 8 months with extensions, starting 2 November 2026.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

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

Can I win this?

Competition

Usually high: a median of 8 bids per contract for this buyer (from 41 awards in the last 12 months).

What the notice says

Lot 1: Advanced Connectivity Technologies Workforce and Skills Study Indicative scope: Assess the current workforce demand in the ACT sector using vacancy data, to understand demand for key roles, skills and qualifications. Set out how this demand breaks down by region, demographics and earnings. Map education and training pathways, including undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, further education and apprenticeship routes. Assess current and emerging workforce and skills gaps by technology family, skill level, region and demographic characteristics. Develop five-year workforce and skills scenarios and identify practical interventions for government, industry, SMEs and training…Read the full description
Lot 1: Advanced Connectivity Technologies Workforce and Skills Study Indicative scope: Assess the current workforce demand in the ACT sector using vacancy data, to understand demand for key roles, skills and qualifications. Set out how this demand breaks down by region, demographics and earnings. Map education and training pathways, including undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, further education and apprenticeship routes. Assess current and emerging workforce and skills gaps by technology family, skill level, region and demographic characteristics. Develop five-year workforce and skills scenarios and identify practical interventions for government, industry, SMEs and training providers. Undertake structured stakeholder engagement and robust validation, sensitivity analysis and quality assurance. Indicative deliverables: Project plan and detailed methodology. Current workforce analysis report. Future workforce scenario analysis report. Stakeholder engagement summary. Final synthesis report and recommendations. Complete datasets, models and assumptions log. Policy and analytical presentations; publishable accessible outputs. Lot 2: Connectivity Sector Adoption and Future Networks Study Indicative scope: Synthesise UK and international evidence on adoption, implementation and scaling of advanced connectivity technologies and services. Assess benefits, barriers, enablers, delivery models, funding approaches, regulation, governance and place-based factors. Undertake comparative case study and policy analysis, supported by proportionate stakeholder engagement. Conduct a structured horizon scan of emerging technologies, services, use cases, risks and future demand drivers, including 6G. Develop evidence-based conclusions and prioritised policy, investment and intervention recommendations. Indicative deliverables: Evidence synthesis and comparative policy report. Horizon scanning output. Final synthesis report and prioritised recommendations. Policy briefing or slide deck for senior decision-makers. Case study annex and two presentations. Accessible, publication-ready source files and outputs.

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 087386-2026

About the buyer

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From notice 087386-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 15 September 2026. We last checked for changes on 27 September 2026.