Government’s tax department is inviting firms to take part in a market engagement exercises, ahead of opening bids for a major tech support deal covering core trade and tariff services

HM Revenue and Customs has revealed plans to appoint a new “IT change” partner to help support maintain critical national infrastructure and support the delivery of the department’s services at the UK border.

The Chief Digital and Information Officer directorate of HMRC’s Borders and Trade operation (CDIO B&T) has published a commercial planning notice outlining its intent to launch a procurement procedure in the first few months of next year. The process will be “for the services of a supplier(s) to provide technical capabilities and services for the provision of IT change within CDIO B&)”.

The chosen supplier – which will be appointed in late summer 2026 to a two-year contract of unspecified value – will provide a range of technical services, including “critical national infrastructure support and maintenance”, as well as “business analysis, project management, service integration, transformation [and] innovation”, the notice says.

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“CDIO Borders and Trade is a cornerstone of the UK’s trade and customs infrastructure,” the document adds. “CDIO B&T plays a pivotal role in facilitating, controlling, and regulating this trade-ensuring the secure, efficient, and compliant movement of goods across UK borders. To help deliver this work, CDIO B&T requires external support that can complement existing teams and provide delivery and implementation capability across a range of technology and project management specialisms to ensure the systems that support the UK’s trade and customs infrastructure are developed and/or maintained.”

Prospective suppliers of the IT support contract are invited to take part in an ongoing market-engagement exercise. This process, which runs until 12 January, is intended to enable HMRC to “provide further information on envisaged requirements and the prospective procurement [and] gather market feedback through a short questionnaire on our proposed approach to fulfil the need for this requirement”.

Once this engagement procedure has been completed, the department intends to publish a formal tender inviting bids for the deal by the end of March, with evaluation of the bids to take place later in the spring – before entering into a contract with the chosen provider in September.

“Parties should note participation in pre-market engagement will not influence or provide advantage in any future procurement, and that the scope, services, values, and timelines referenced are indicative only and subject to change,” the planning notice adds. “Note: the procurement may not go ahead in this and/or any format, and any procurement is subject to relevant internal approvals.”