A new procurement document reveals that the department wishes to explore how technology and digital services companies could support the likes of career planning, application tracking, and help with interviews
The Department for Work and Pensions is seeking to engage technology providers – including artificial intelligence specialists – to help shape its plans for various types of support to be offered through government’s new Jobs and Careers Service.
First announced in 2024, the consolidated Jobs and Careers Service (JCS) will merge the current National Careers Service run by the Department for Education with the benefits and support provided via the DWP’s network of 646 Jobcentres, as well as its online tools such as the GOV.UK Find a job service. The DWP was allocated £55m to spend during the 2025/26 year on its work to develop the service, including £20m set aside for digital activity.
A commercial notice newly published by the department reveals that “the DWP Commercial Directorate is undertaking preliminary market engagement to inform the future procurements of employment support products – including artificial intelligence solutions – for use in JCS”.
There are 12 defined areas of citizen support where the DWP is keen to understand the potential role of technology, and what products and services are currently available.
These areas are: “career advice; career planning; skills-gap analysis; financial planning; career coaching; learning [and] training provision; job discovery; job market insights; CV support; job application support; application tracking; [and] interview support”.
Between now and the end of September, the department will run a programme of market-engagement that “will involve various strands of activity… and aims to help suppliers understand DWP’s objectives and early design considerations and enable the market to provide evidence-based feedback that may help shape DWP’s procurement approach”, according to the notice.
The first such activity will be a two-hour briefing hosted via Microsoft Teams on 2 April. At this event, digital experts from the DWP “will outline the purpose, objectives and its requirements for JCS”.
The notice adds: “Among the key objectives of JCS are: creating a digital, universal and fully inclusive service; and providing high-quality personalised support to help people into work, support training and get on in work. DWP Digital teams are progressing digital activity which will underpin JCS and DWP is keen to explore third party solutions which could support this new digital service.”
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Once the programme of engagement has been concluded in six months’ time, the department will decide how to proceed with potential procurement exercises to meet its various needs in the service areas covered by the JCS.
“DWP may decide to run multiple procurements – with each procurement covering an individual or a group of employment support categories – either in parallel or in a phased approach, in line with the priorities of the JCS programme,” the notice says. “Suppliers are invited to participate even if they are only interested in specific components of the wider scope.”
Firms wishing to take part in the imminent briefing event have until 11am on 31 March to register their interest.
Separately, the department is inviting companies to complete a request-for-information questionnaire and “provide information relating to their products that address the high-level requirements of the JCS employment support categories… [including] details of the products [and] services available from the supplier, route-to-market options, commercial models” and more.
Prospective RFI respondents have until 5pm on 17 April to request a copy of the questionnaire, which must then be submitted by 1 May.
After this procedure has been completed, the DWP “may choose to invite a limited number of suppliers on an individual basis to discuss potential solutions”. Some tech companies may also be asked to provide the department with a live demonstration of their product or service.
“The JCS Employment Support categories are being explored individually at this stage,” the notice adds. “DWP welcomes participation from suppliers able to deliver products that address one, multiple or all categories. No preference will be given to suppliers based on the number of categories they can cover. Non participation in this preliminary market engagement will not advantage or disadvantage a supplier’s ability to participate in any future procurement.”
In a recent piece written for PublicTechnology, the DWP’s former secretary of state Chloe Smith – who now serves as president of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development – outlined the role that AI tools could play in supporting government employment support services.
