Every April, central government authorities release 18-month procurement pipelines, detailing upcoming contracts anticipated to exceed the value of £2m. This release is a crucial resource for suppliers looking to proactively identify and win lucrative government contracts.
In our commitment to empower suppliers with actionable procurement insights, Stotles has meticulously aggregated these pipeline contracts from 16 central government ministerial authorities.
The result? An exclusive glimpse into a staggering £29.8b in planned central government contracts for 2023/2024 and beyond.
To help you effectively understand and capitalise on the opportunities at hand, this report provides insights on the aggregated data in two key sections:
Central Government’s Commercial Strategy: We offer an overview of where and how the central government plans to channel its pipeline contracts.
Buyer Trend Analysis: We outline the ten ministerial authorities with the largest procurement pipelines and delve deeper into the procurement roadmap for each buyer, outlining preferred routes to market and top business priorities.
Armed with this knowledge, you will be equipped to pinpoint major upcoming contracts and strategise your sales efforts effectively in 2024.
Understanding the government's commercial strategy is vital for suppliers aiming to secure upcoming pipeline contracts. This section of the report helps you understand pivotal commercial trends that are emerging from the £29.8b procurement pipeline, including:
1. Top sectors by pipeline value: Identify the top industries for government contracts and the suppliers likely to benefit.
2. Frameworks, Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPSs) and Tenders: Understand the preferred routes to market and which commercial agreements you should target.
3. Renewals, Re-Procurements and New Requirements: Understand the commercial strategy behind pipeline contracts and pinpoint the most competitive opportunities.
Read ahead to gain a clear understanding of central government's commercial strategy and position yourself effectively for upcoming contracts.
Across 777 pipeline contracts worth a combined £29.8b, we’ve manually classified spend categories to help you understand where the central government intends to focus major investments.
This section of the report breaks down the allocation of contracts across these top three industries, illustrating the top buyers in each sector and the potential suppliers that stand to benefit.
For suppliers more interested in understanding routes to market and commercial strategies across these pipeline contracts, skip ahead to the next section.
The largest category of expenditure we have identified is Digital Transformation, including IT, Software & Telecommunications contracts. With the upcoming pipeline containing over 386 contracts worth a combined £9.8b, the technology sector represents the biggest area of opportunity for suppliers.
This investment is largely emerging from three main buyers, who are responsible for over 59% of this total contract value:
With monumental opportunities up for grabs, we've used Stotles contract award data to help you identify the top central government digital suppliers likely to be competing for these contracts. The suppliers below have been ranked by the total number of contracts with central government authorities, reported with 48' and 72' CPV codes
To help readers of this report further research procurement activity of the suppliers mentioned above, we have granted access to their supplier profiles in Stotles. Click on the hyperlinked supplier names and browse their profile to identify potential partnership opportunities or qualify competitor activity
The second largest area of spending we’ve identified is on the Built Environment. We found 108 upcoming Construction, FM & Transport contracts worth a combined total of £8.9b.
This investment is largely dominated by three main buyers, who are procuring for over 80% of this total contract value, visualised below:
With monumental opportunities up for grabs, we've used Stotles contract award data to help you identify the top central government suppliers likely to be vying for these contracts. The suppliers below have been ranked by the total number of reported contracts with central government authorities in the last three years.
To help readers of this report further research procurement activity of the suppliers mentioned above, we have granted access to their supplier profiles in Stotles. Click on the hyperlinked supplier names and browse their profile to identify potential partnership opportunities or qualify competitor activity
Finally, the third largest area of spending across the central government is for professional services. We’ve identified 71 contracts for strategic consulting, legal and financial services across 15 buyers, worth a combined total of £1.1b.
This investment is largely dominated by three main buyers, who are procuring for over 60% of this total contract value, visualised below:
With monumental opportunities up for grabs, we've used Stotles contract award data to help you identify the top central government suppliers likely to be vying for these contracts. The suppliers below have been ranked by the total number of reported contracts with central government authorities in the last three years.
To help readers of this report further research procurement activity of the suppliers mentioned above, we have granted access to their supplier profiles in Stotles. Click on the hyperlinked supplier names and browse their profile to identify potential partnership opportunities or qualify competitor activity
Understanding the central government's spending priorities allows you to effectively align your business strategies for upcoming opportunities.
With Stotles, you can use historical contract award data to dive deeper into government procurement trends for your specific business verticals. To understand your total addressable market and identify potential opportunities, get started with Stotles for free.
Now that we've identified where upcoming central government contracts are heading, let's delve into procurement pathways to understand how central government buyers are intending to procure for their major upcoming contracts.
In government procurement, the route to market chosen can be the difference between an accessible opportunity and a closed door. Here's a concise guide:
To help you understand the competitive landscape in central government, we've analysed the routes to market for all 777 pipeline contracts, and visualised our findings in a pie chart below.
Our analysis shows that while frameworks dominate the landscape (56%), tender contracts still represent a significant opportunity, with 17% of upcoming contracts open for wider market competition.
These tender opportunities provide a £7.7b opportunity for suppliers; Stotles is your essential tool to identify, qualify, and win them. Our platform ensures you’re informed in real-time about open opportunities and provides deep insights into buyers decision making and supplier relationships. Click the banner below to sign up for free today
Now we understand the routes to market used most commonly by central government organisations, we can explore the commercial strategies of pipeline contracts to understand more about the competitive landscape.
In pipeline documents, upcoming contracts are categorised as one of the following:
To provide a clearer picture of the competitive landscape, we've analysed the commercial strategy of all pipeline contracts across central government and visualised the findings in the pie chart below.
Our analysis reveals that the majority of contracts; 70% (encompassing both re-procurements and new requirements), will create competition for new suppliers.
Within this, the 269 "New Requirement" contracts stand out as a golden opportunity for suppliers to prepare for. Successful suppliers should use Stotles to get alerted when these contracts hit the market.
For re-procurements: Don't be in the dark. Use our platform to identify which suppliers are already involved in the previous contract, giving you insights into your potential competition.
For new requirements: Understand the landscape better. Discover which suppliers have existing relationships with the government buyer, helping you anticipate potential bidders for the opportunity.
Harness the power of Stotles to navigate the procurement landscape with precision and stay ahead of the competition. Get started today with the link below.
To help you identify buyers with the most lucrative opportunities, we've compiled a table of the 10 ministerial authorities, ranked below by the total value of their pipeline contract plans.
In the sections that follow, we'll delve into the procurement processes of the top 8 authorities on our list. By understanding the unique needs and preferences of these key buyers, you can develop focused account plans that align with their requirements and increase your chances of winning contracts.
In each deep dive, we will cover:
Let's dive in and explore procurement trends for each of these top buyers.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has published 191 contracts worth £8.1b in its commercial pipeline. Below are the top 30, with the full list available here.
The MoJ is responsible for procuring over ten separate business areas units. Through their pipeline plan, we identified that 79% of the contracts are heading towards three key business units of the authority, namely:
Suppliers looking to win work with the MoJ should treat these departments separately, and look to identify relevant contracts, suppliers and decision makers within each department.
Across business units, MoJ demonstrates a preference for frameworks, with 117 (61%) of total contracts expected to be procured through framework awards. Of these, 106 will be procured via a “mini competition”, presenting competitive opportunities for suppliers on the framework.
For these contract opportunities, we recommend identifying the precise framework agreement the MoJ intends to use, before the contract goes live.
An additional 36 (19%) of MoJ’s contracts are expected to be released as a tender contract, worth a combined £2.6b.
For these more competitive contracts, it is essential new suppliers are proactive and engage ahead of tender to beat incumbent suppliers.
Despite being in the midst of the 18-month procurement timeline, there are still a multitude of opportunities for suppliers to get ahead of.
Of MoJ's 191 pipeline contracts, 44 contracts worth £6.4b have expected contract start dates after September 2023.
To get in front of these opportunities, we recommend suppliers track the MoJ's activity and setup Stotles alerts every time a new relevant contract hits the market.
This dataset should be the start of your journey towards identifying major upcoming opportunities with the MoJ. To qualify previous suppliers, identify lead decision makers and engage with upcoming opportunities, get started with Stotles today.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has published 135 contracts worth £5.1b in its commercial pipeline. Below are the top 30, with the full list available here.
The DfT is responsible for procuring for 7 business areas (BTP, DfTC, DVLA, DVSA, EWR, MCA, NLB). Through their pipeline plan, we identified that 79% of the contracts are heading towards three key business areas, namely:
Suppliers looking to win work with the Department for Transport should treat these departments separately, and look to identify relevant contracts, suppliers and decision makers for each body.
DfT has a preference for procuring via frameworks, with 65% of total contracts expected to be procured via these commercial agreements, worth a combined £2.7b. While tender opportunities are fewer in number, they have a higher average contract value, with the combined opportunity worth a total £2.2b. These contracts are likely to be extremely competitive, providing a valuable opportunity for new market entrants.
Despite being in the midst of the 18-month procurement timeline, there are still a multitude of opportunities for suppliers to get ahead of.
Of DfT's 135 pipeline contracts, 92 contracts worth £2.8b have expected contract start dates after September 2023.
We recommend focusing your efforts on these contracts, as they are the most likely to contain upcoming opportunities for supplier involvement.
This dataset should be the start of your journey towards identifying major upcoming opportunities with DfT. To qualify incumbent suppliers, identify lead decision makers and engage with upcoming opportunities, get started with Stotles today.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DwP) has published 78 contracts worth £4.4b in its commercial pipeline. Below are the top 30, with the full list available here.
We’ve analysed DWP’s contract dataset and have identified their investment priorities, based on spend category information. DwP plan on procuring:
DWP have a strong preference for utilising frameworks, with 39 of the 78 contracts in the pipeline confirmed to be procured through framework agreements.
The department has no contracts expected to be released via tender agreements, with the remaining contracts either classified as direct extensions or “N/A”. For suppliers on major CCS frameworks such as TePAS and G-Cloud, this buyer may be relevant for you. For suppliers not listed on major technology frameworks, we recommend targeting other buyers.
Despite being in the midst of the 18-month procurement timeline, there are still a multitude of opportunities for suppliers to get ahead of.
Of DwP's 78 pipeline contracts, 62 contracts worth £4.3b have expected contract start dates after September 2023.
We recommend focusing your efforts on these contracts, as they are the most likely to contain upcoming opportunities for supplier involvement.
This dataset should be the start of your journey towards identifying major upcoming opportunities with the DwP. To qualify incumbent suppliers, identify lead decision makers and engage with upcoming opportunities, get started with Stotles today.
The Home Office has published 52 contracts worth £3.2b in its commercial pipeline. Below are the top 30, with the full list available here.
The Home Office is responsible for procuring over 6 separate business areas units (Border Force, Commercial, Police and Fire, DDaT,ESMCP, HSG). Through their pipeline plan, we identified that 85% of the contracts are heading towards three key business units within the authority, namely:
Suppliers looking to win work with the Home Office should treat these departments separately, and look to identify relevant contracts, suppliers and decision makers for each body.
Across business units, Home Office has a preference for frameworks, with 24 contracts expected to go through these commercial agreements. CCS framework suppliers should directly engage with decision makers to identify which framework agreements will be used for upcoming contracts of interest.
Only 7 contracts are expected to go through tender contracts. Suppliers not already listed on framework agreements should zero their focus onto these tender opportunities.
Despite being in the midst of the 18-month procurement timeline, there are still a multitude of opportunities for suppliers to get ahead of.
Of Home Office's 52 pipeline contracts, 35 contracts worth £2.8b have expected contract start dates after September 2023.
We recommend focusing your efforts on these contracts, as they are the most likely to represent open opportunities for new supplier involvement.
This dataset should be the start of your journey towards identifying major upcoming opportunities with the Home Office. To qualify incumbent suppliers, identify lead decision makers and engage with upcoming opportunities, get started with Stotles today.
HMRC has published 79 contracts worth £2.2b in its commercial pipeline. Below are the top 30, with the full list available here.
The vast majority of HMRC’s spending is headed towards the IT & Software sector. Specifically, 47 of the upcoming 78 contracts are for this sector, providing a total £717m opportunity for digital suppliers.
Considerable opportunities are also available for professional services suppliers, including:
HMRC have an extremely strong bias towards frameworks. 49 contracts will be awarded via a competitive framework, and an additional 17 will be a direct award. With just six tender opportunities, this is not a buyer to approach unless you are already listed on major framework agreements.
Despite being in the midst of the 18-month procurement timeline, there are still a multitude of opportunities for suppliers to get ahead of.
Of HMRC's 79 pipeline contracts, 58 contracts worth £1.4b have expected procurement start dates after September 2023.
We recommend focusing your efforts on these contracts, as they are the most likely to represent open opportunities for new supplier involvement.
This dataset should be the start of your journey towards identifying major upcoming opportunities with HMRC. To qualify incumbent suppliers, identify lead decision makers and engage with upcoming opportunities, get started with Stotles today.
The Ministry of Defence Digital Department (MODD) has published 30 contracts worth £2.1b in its commercial pipeline. Below is a summary preview, with the full contract information available here.
The MoDD's budget is heavily focused on procurement for two major projects:
Compared to other ministerial buyers, MoDD prefers to procure via "competitive processes". Whilst it is not stated whether this is through open tender or a mini framework competition, 24 of the 30 contracts are designated for competitive routes, creating a £1.6b opportunity for new market entrants.
Despite being in the midst of the 18-month procurement timeline, there are still a multitude of opportunities for suppliers to get ahead of.
Of MoDD's 31 pipeline contracts, 16 contracts worth £1.4b have expected procurement start dates after September 2023.
We recommend focusing your efforts on these contracts, as they are the most likely to represent open opportunities for new supplier involvement.
This dataset should be the start of your journey towards identifying major upcoming opportunities with the MoDD. To qualify incumbent suppliers, identify lead decision makers and engage with upcoming opportunities, get started with Stotles today.
The Department for Education (DfE) has published 35 contracts worth £1.7b in its April 2023 pipeline. Below is a summary preview, with the full contract information available here.
The DFE's commercial pipeline is principally focused on Skills Bootcamps and Educational Support Services, including:
With education & training services contracts required across a variety of sectors, this is a relevant buyer to work with for suppliers from a wide range of industries.
This department did not publish framework/tender data. We recommend engaging directly with decision makers to understand intended procurement routes.
Despite being in the midst of the 18-month procurement timeline, there are still a multitude of opportunities for suppliers to get ahead of.
Of Department for Education's 35 pipeline contracts, 13 contracts worth £1.1b have expected procurement start dates after September 2023.
We recommend focusing your efforts on these contracts, as they are the most likely to represent open opportunities for new supplier involvement.
This dataset should be the start of your journey towards identifying major upcoming opportunities with the DfE. To qualify incumbent suppliers, identify lead decision makers and engage with upcoming opportunities, get started with Stotles today.
The Cabinet Office has published 56 contracts worth £1.2b in its April 2023 pipeline. Below is the top 30, with the full list available here.
The Cabinet Office is responsible for procuring over 15 separate ministerial business units. Through their pipeline plan, we identified that 80% of the budget is heading towards three business units of the authority, namely:
Suppliers looking to win work with the Cabinet Office should treat these departments separately, and look to identify relevant contracts, suppliers and decision makers for each body.
The Cabinet Office displays a balanced approach to procurement routes to market, presenting opportunities for both existing framework suppliers and new market entrants. Of the 28 confirmed contracts, 22 are designated for competitive processes, with just 6 expected to be direct awards.
With 23 contract procurement routes still to be confirmed, we recommend directly engaging with buyer decision makers to understand the potential strategies.
This dataset should be the start of your journey towards identifying major upcoming opportunities with the Cabinet Office. To qualify incumbent suppliers, identify lead decision makers and engage with upcoming opportunities, get started with Stotles today.
With the insights you've garnered from this report, you're poised to navigate the intricacies of central government procurement. The following steps are not just recommendations - they are essential actions that will position your business at the forefront of this dynamic market.
Start by using this report to pinpoint contracts over £2m that align with your business. For the vast upcoming opportunities under the £2m threshold, use Stotles to identify upcoming expiries with potential for re-procurement contracts.
After identifying a target list of opportunities, the next step is to qualify the commercial strategy of each contract. Determine whether the opportunity will procure through a framework, DPS, or tender. If there is a published intent to use a specific framework, check if you are listed. If you are not, is there a partner route to market to get involved?
Similarly, if this opportunity replaces an existing contract, it’s crucial to know which supplier won the first award. Use market intelligence tools like Stotles to identify and research your competitors to understand their strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge will help you position your bid accordingly.
For new projects, identify which suppliers have deep relationships with the buyer to anticipate potential competition. This can be done by reviewing historical contracts and benchmarking any recurring suppliers.
After you’ve identified suitable opportunities to focus your sales team on, the next step is to build effective relationships. Central government departments are vast and complex, with some authorities procuring on behalf of multiple business units. It's essential to identify the right decision maker in charge of the right programme and build relationships with them.
Start preparing your bid well in advance, ensuring it aligns with the buyer's requirements. While a well-prepared bid may not necessarily make you stand out, it's a necessary step in the procurement process.
By following these steps, you'll be better positioned to navigate the complex landscape of government procurement and increase your chances of winning central government contracts.
This report has provided a comprehensive analysis of the £29.8b in central government pipeline contracts for 2023/2024 and beyond. Armed with insights into the central government's commercial strategy, sector priorities, and preferred procurement routes, you are now equipped to navigate the complex landscape of government procurement.
The steps outlined above will guide you in capitalising on these insights and strategically positioning your business to win central government contracts. Remember, Stotles is here to support you every step of the way, providing the data, insights, and tools you need to identify and win government contracts.
This report aggregates pipeline contract information from the following 16 central government authorities, accessed on 5/10/2023:
These authorities were required to publish these documents in April 2023, and detail all contracts anticipated to exceed £2m for the following eighteen months. However, some buyers have included contracts for up to 5 years in the future, which are also included in our dataset (accessible here).
This information was accessed and aggregated on 05/10/2023. Please note that other ministerial bodies or departments may have since published datasets that are not included in this report. While we have strived for accuracy in our data collection and analysis, please be aware that the information in this report is based on manual data collection available at the time of analysis. As such, we cannot guarantee that the data is free from errors or omissions. We recommend diving deeper into the source documents before formalising your strategy based off this contract information.