01 Sep 2025

GOV.UK Agentic AI Companion Procurement

DSIT has launched the UK's first National AI Tender for developing a GOV.UK Agentic AI Companion.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has just published the UK’s first National AI Tender for developing a GOV.UK Agentic AI Companion.

This tender represents the UK government’s most ambitious AI transformation project to date. It is an opportunity to demonstrate frontier AI capabilities at national scale, transforming the connection between Government and 15+ million citizens, while building the template for AI-powered public services globally.

What’s being built

An AI companion that provides personalised, proactive guidance through major life events - starting with employment transitions but scaling to comprehensive government services. This isn't just a chatbot - it's a sophisticated agentic system that takes action, maintains context, and genuinely helps citizens navigate complex government processes.

Two-Tier Opportunity Structure

While the primary tender is pro-bono, substantial paid opportunities will follow:

Primary Partnership (Current Tender):

Lead engagement with frontier AI experts to develop core agentic AI capabilities
12-month pro-bono pilot with clear pathway to production deployment
Focus on highest technical risk areas - advanced AI reasoning and integration
Deadline: Friday 12 September 2025, 12:00 noon

Supplementary Procurements (Upcoming - Paid Contracts): As the pilot is developed, they will likely be running targeted paid procurements, for example:

Specialist AI capabilities and tools
Integration services and platforms
Security and compliance solutions
User experience and accessibility expertise
Data engineering and infrastructure
Evaluation and testing frameworks

DSIT would also like to encourage even companies not bidding for the primary tender to register interest for supplementary procurements.

If you’re a large tech/frontier AI company: The primary tender offers a chance to lead the UK's AI government transformation and establish the template for AI-powered public services globally.

If you’re an SME and/or Specialist Provider: While the primary tender is pro-bono (limiting participation), the supplementary procurements will offer substantial paid opportunities for companies with specialist capabilities. This staged approach ensures that innovation from across the UK tech ecosystem can contribute to the program's success.

If you’re a Platform/Infrastructure Provider: Both partnership opportunities and infrastructure requirements create multiple entry points depending on company capabilities and capacity.

Helpful links

These are subject to future governance and commercial approvals, and not confirmed, but DSIT would encourage interested parties to register on the following arrangements. They have stated these are not necessary but helpful.

Please send any procurement queries through the Jaggaer portal.

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