Responsible cyber behaviour call for bids: further guidance
Published 8 September 2022
© Crown copyright 2022
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-cyber-programme-international-responsible-cyber-behaviour-call-for-bids/responsible-cyber-behaviour-call-for-bids-further-guidance
1. Background
The National Cyber Strategy 2022 states that the UK will ‘shape global governance to promote a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace’ through a ‘more proactive approach, working with our allies and partners to ensure international rules and frameworks develop in line with our democratic values’.
The international debate on the future of cyberspace is increasingly contested. States who do not share the UK’s values exploit the challenges presented by a free and open internet to push forward their authoritarian visions for cyberspace, under the guise of security.
The UK believes that it is possible to address challenges in cyberspace without adopting authoritarian approaches while also enabling innovation, development and growth. In doing so, we will strengthen our partnerships with other countries and build a shared approach to upholding responsible cyber power internationally.
2. Proposal
We are now seeking proposals that will support the UK’s objective of facilitating the development of a shared approach, between the UK and other States, to define ‘responsible cyber behaviour’ by:
-
leveraging insight from thought-leaders to define shared priorities for a campaign to shape the future of cyberspace in line with UK values
-
running workshops to build support for responsible behaviour in cyberspace, including from those at the top of their field
-
conducting analysis to identify shared objectives and positions between a broad group of states
3. Guidance
Proposals should be aligned with and deliver measurable impact for the UK National Cyber Strategy, Pillar 4, Global Leadership, objective two: Shape global governance to promote a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace.
For measuring impact we expect proposals to have quantitative progress indicators and qualitative progress markers. The latter should be expressed in terms of what the implementer would ‘expect to see’, ‘like to see’ and ‘love to see’, as a result of their activities and interventions.
We also expect to see regular milestones alongside these progress indicators and markers. Some milestones might be quarterly, 6-monthly or annually. These milestones, indicators and markers will be used by the implementer and the FCDO to assess effectiveness of proposed activity.
4. Bidding
We expect the final programme of activity to run until the end of January or February 2025, with a capped budget of £2 million.
Prospective delivery partners and consortium leaders should provide layered bids reflecting activity that can be delivered at £0.5 million intervals (£0.5 million, £1 million, £1.5 million and £2 million).