DWP Strategic External Resourcing Programme

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions, and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department, it administers the State Pension and a range of working age and disability benefits to over 20 million UK citizens. DWP is committed to doing everything it can to enhance the overall citizen experience of our citizens.

DWP’s Digital & Transformation Group (DTG) plays a central role in delivering DWP’s Strategy for 2030. DTG design, build and run the digital services that support millions of customers across the UK – from finding work to supporting families to retirement and later life. The focus is on making services simpler to use, better joined up, and ready to meet growing demand as customer needs become more complex. DTG is modernising systems and ways of working so customers can get the right help more easily and colleagues have better tools to do their jobs.

The Strategic External Resourcing Programme (SERP) is a high-value programme of work to implement a scalable resourcing model that will underpin all long-term DTG augmented resource requirements to enable a strategic shift from reactive and tactical contracting to planned, scalable and flexible-driven resources. The Programme is expected to be in the region of £1bn over multiple years and split across several agreements.

The aim is to consolidate the procurement and contract management of external augmented resources to enhance contract compliance, standardise contract management procedures, improve reporting practices and improve overall contract performance.

SERP is focussed on augmented resource contracts which can provide Digital Specialists and PMO roles, this includes: Engineering, Product & Delivery, User Centred Design, Architecture, Data, Cyber Security, PMO and Artificial Intelligence. The roles will largely align to the Government Digital and Data (GDaD), formally known as Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT), framework which can viewed at - https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/

It is to be determined whether any future agreements will be specifically aligned to practice areas, however, it is expected that even if they are, there will also be a requirement for multi-disciplinary agreements covering the entirety, or at least majority, of roles.

DWP is commencing market engagement to gather insights from suppliers to help shape and inform the direction of SERP. This process intends to facilitate DWP being able to examine the readiness, capacity and capability of all interested potential suppliers.

DWP’s initial analysis has identified the Digital Outcomes and Specialists (DOS) 7, RM1043.9 framework as the primary route to market. However, this is to be tested as part of the market engagement process and therefore all suppliers who are capable of delivering augmented resources are invited to participate.

The aims and objectives for this exercise will be to:

a) Brief interested suppliers on potential future activity within SERP.

b) Engage with suppliers to better understand:

i. The potential interest from the supply market

ii. The drivers within the market and how DWP may achieve increased value for money

iii. Potential routes for market for future commercial activity

It is expected that procurement activity will take place as part of SERP, however, no specific activity has yet been defined. Instead, following the conclusion of this market engagement exercise, DWP will collate and review the responses received, consider options in the marketplace, review its existing requirements, consider the most appropriate route to market, and update its commercial strategy.

If a decision is made to commence a procurement(s) as part of SERP, the relevant notices will be published in accordance with the selected route(s) to market. It is expected that once the relevant procurement(s) have been identified, further market engagement will be undertaken.