Procurement at DCMS
Details of DCMS purchasing arrangements and information for those looking to become a supplier or contractor.
DCMS is a small, policy-orientated department. Contracts and purchasing are organised centrally within the department. DCMS’s arm’s length bodies undertake their own contracts and purchasing activity.
The majority of DCMS’s central support services are outsourced to other government organisations, including its core information technology requirements. The department does not keep preferred supplier lists.
The DCMS Commercial team can be contacted by email: commercial@dcms.gov.uk
Public procurement regulations
As with other government departments and many other public bodies, DCMS is obliged to follow the relevant public procurement regulations. The most recent regulations applicable are the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
These regulations set value thresholds for contracts, above which certain procedures must be applied to the tendering and award of contract.
For DCMS, these thresholds are currently set at the following levels:
- Goods - £139,688
- Services - £139,688
- Works - £5,372,609
The regulations set out rules relating to advertising the requirement by way of a Notice through the ‘Find a Tender’ service, including:
- the manner in which tenders may be sought
- minimum timescales for tendering
- the criteria which may and may not be applied to the selection of tenderers, and
- the contract and technical specifications that may be applied
In February 2025, a new Procurement Act will replace the existing public procurement regime and change the way the public sector buys goods and services, bringing a range of benefits for suppliers. For further information visit the Transforming Public Procurement landing page and read this factsheet for suppliers.
Procurement policy
DCMS follows government policy on procurement, as set out in guidance from the Cabinet Office under the Crown Commercial Service (CCS).
This has 2 basic objectives:
- to achieve continuing improvement in value for money based on whole-life cost and quality
- to enhance the competitiveness of suppliers through the development of procurement systems and practices
DCMS is also committed to developing the use of e-procurement as a way of improving efficiency.
DCMS procurement strategy
Wherever possible and cost-effective, DCMS uses central framework arrangements set up by the Crown Commercial Service or by other government departments.
Where a suitable framework agreement is not available:
- multiple quotations are sought for requirements with an estimated value between £5,000 to £10,000 (excluding VAT)
- requirements with an estimated value of more than £10,000 (excluding VAT) will be advertised using the GOV.UK Contracts Finder, where applicable
- requirements with an estimated value of more than £100,000 (excluding VAT) will be advertised using the GOV.UK ‘Find a Tender’ service, where applicable
For most of the competitive procurement competitions, DCMS uses the Atamis eSourcing portal. Prospective suppliers are requested to register on the Atamis DCMS Supplier Portal in order to tender.
All requirements go through the Commercial directorate.
Individual tendering procedures will be tailored to the specific needs of the contract. However, DCMS will seek to apply the following general principles:
- specifications will focus on the required output
- all tenderers will have the same chance and be treated fairly and equally
- tender documents will be clear and easy to understand
- over-specification will be avoided
Client-contractor relationship
DCMS officials will seek to preserve the highest standards of integrity, objectivity, fairness, efficiency and professionalism. In turn, contractors are expected to meet these same standards.
Ethics in procurement require high standards of conduct which ensure that the probity of officials and the propriety of their actions is above question. This means that:
- all dealings with officials should be fair and even-handed
- all DCMS contracts contain provisions relating to corrupt gifts
Sustainable procurement
DCMS is committed to adopting good environmental practice and ensuring that its commercial activity adds social value. While always ensuring best value for money, procurement can play a vital role in assisting green policy objectives and supporting local communities, businesses, charities and social enterprises.
DCMS incorporates environmental factors into purchasing decisions in a number of ways, including:
- when specifying goods, less environmentally damaging products are specified wherever possible (for example, any woods used for furniture orders should be from either a recycled wood products or from a sustainably grown sources)
- calculating the whole-life cost of specifying an environmentally friendly product
Under EC procurement directives, tenderers will not be excluded from bidding on non-economic grounds. Tenderers can be excluded if they fail to meet specific green procurement requirements, but not because of other general environmental considerations.
DCMS encourages all suppliers to participate and contribute in achieving net zero; whilst not mandatory, the department may request information about the activities that the supplier originations are undertaking to support, reduce and offset their carbon footprint.
DCMS encourages all suppliers to consider the following sustainability principles and guidance:
- actively manage potential impacts on the environment and local community and identify opportunities to deliver environmental and social value
- encourage more sustainable behaviour in supply chains by exemplifying best practice in supporting net zero aims
- promote the use of responsible sources and responsible use of resources throughout the supply chain
More information about some of the net zero initiatives that suppliers may wish to consider can be found in the department’s annual report.
The Carbon Trust provides practical guidance on sustainability for SMEs in its Journey to Net Zero for SMEs Guide.
SME and VCSE action plans
DCMS has developed action plans to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) organisations, to bid for DCMS contracts. This allows DCMS to benefit from the skills and experience of charities and social enterprises when purchasing goods and services, helping to create more compassionate public services as well as supporting the UK economy.
Read the DCMS supply chain action plans:
DCMS supply chain action plan - small and medium-sized enterprises
DCMS supply chain action plan - voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE)
Tenders
Evaluation of tenders
If you are tendering for a contract with DCMS, you will be informed of the broad evaluation criteria used for assessing bids as part of the tender documentation. Bids are usually assessed on the ‘most economically advantageous tender’ which includes both technical / quality and pricing factors.
All tenderers are assessed against the same criteria. This might involve you attending a presentation or interview where you can present your bid in more detail, or where DCMS can seek clarification.
DCMS will award a contract as soon as possible after the assessment process has been completed.
Unsuccessful tenders
Within the limits of some commercial confidentiality, DCMS will always offer unsuccessful tenderers the reasons why their bid failed. Such debriefing can be by phone or face to face. This should be viewed as a 2-way process.
The comments from the department should be viewed as constructive. They are aimed at making unsuccessful tenderers aware of certain weaknesses and strengths and enabling them to better compete for future work.
DCMS Commercial Pipeline
The DCMS Commercial Pipeline is a 24-month forward look of potential commercial activity to be undertaken by the Department. This is an indicative document which is routinely updated, and information shown in the pipeline is subject to change.
Read the most recent version of the pipeline:
If you have any questions about the DCMS commercial pipeline, please contact commercial@dcms.gov.uk.
Terms and conditions
DCMS uses a suite of standard terms and conditions proportionate to the requirement, which are issued to potential tenderers as part of the tender documentation.
DCMS issues purchase orders (POs) to support all contracts, as part of a Purchase to Pay (P2P) system.
Where purchases are not supported by a specific written contract, the PO includes .
If you have any questions about the DCMS terms and conditions, please contact commercial@dcms.gov.uk.