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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

FCDO - UK-Estonia-Ukraine Trilateral DOS 6

7

Applications submitted

Two stage

Call-off procedure

Value

Outside scope

Off-payroll (IR35) status

19 August 2025

Application closing date

1. Context and requirements

• Work done so far:

  Link to Ukraine's WinWin 2030 Innovation Strategy: https://winwin.gov.ua/en Link to Minstry of Digital Transformation's AI Centre of Excellence Website: https://digitalstate.gov.ua/uk/news/tech/winwin-ai-center-of-excellence-launched-in-ukraine

• Which phase the project is in:

  Not started

• Existing team:

  The core HMG team consists of 2 x FCDO officials: Head of Tech, Ukraine Early Recovery and Reconstruction Dept, FCDO. Strategy and Tech lead, Ukraine Early Recovery and Dept, FCDO. The supplier will also be expected to work with technical leads within DSIT/GDS, as well as with technical and senior leads within the Government of Ukraine and Estonia.

• Address where the work will be done:

  Work can be completed remotely, but occasional travel to FCDO HQ (King Charles St, London, SW1A 2AH) will be required, as will possible travel to other HMG buildings (likely DSIT and GDS).

• Working arrangements:

  Day to day the supplier will not be required to work in FCDO offices, but must be able to travel to FCDO HQ for occasional, ad-hoc meetings. Any travel expenses and subsistence must be covered within the contract bid price.

• Provide more information about your security requirements:

  Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

• Provide more information about your security requirements:

  All must have BPSS as a minimum. Preference for contractors to already hold SC clearance.

• Latest start date:

  2025-10-01

• Enter the expected contract length:

  8 months

• Extension period:

  4 months

• Are you prepared to show your budget details?:

  Yes

• Indicative maximum:

  250000

• Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource:

  Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply

• Summary of work:

  FCDO's Ukraine Early Recovery and Reconstruction Department (UERRD) is seeking bids from suppliers with an in-depth knowledge of Ukraine's digital ecosystem and awareness of Estonia's ecosystem to deliver four projects as part of the UK-Ukraine-Estonia Trilateral Cooperation on E-Governance. The successful supplier will be able to demonstrate strong technical expertise in govtech, and particuarly the use of AI within government digital transformation. The supplier will also need to demonstrate versatility to provide expert advice and facilitation across data and digital public services from a technical and organisational perspective, and will have a proven track record of engaging with the Governments of Ukraine and Estonia in these areas. The Supplier is required for the period of September 2025 – April 2026 during the 25/26 Financial Year. Working in close collaboration with GDS, FCDO has allocated £250K for externally supported project activities this FY under the trilateral cooperation. We are looking for a supplier who is able to understand technical stakeholder needs in an international context, develop proposals in consultation with leads in the three countries that maximise impact within a tight budget. The projects may, for example, include visits, workshops, products or reports. The supplier will need to be agile and responsive, in particular to Ukrainian needs and constraints. While the Government of Ukraine is the primary beneficiary of the trilateral cooperation, activity is also intended to bring benefit to both the UK and Estonia, which must be evidenced in all proposals.

• Where the supplied staff will work:

  No specific location (for example they can work remotely)

• Who is the organisation using the products or services:

  The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine will be the main beneficiary of all projects with HMG as a secondary beneficiary. Govt of Estonia will need to be brought into the project and will both contribute in a way tbd and ideally also benefit as envisaged by the overall trilateral nature of the cooperation.

• Why the work is being done:

  Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation is a world-leader in e-governance/ govtech innovation, with its flagship DIIA app now being exported internationally and its code public as of March 2024. Ukraine is a close reconstruction and technology partner with Estonia, an established digital nation delivering 99% of its government services online. At the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023 in June, the UK provided a platform for the Government of Ukraine to present its vision for digitally-driven transformation and to showcase its excellence in e-governance. Ministers from the three countries signed a trilateral Memorandum on Cooperation in the field of digitalisation and e-governance in December 2023, with a focus on AI, data, digital services and digital innovations. The official launch of the collaboration was marked by an inward visit of senior Ukrainian and Estonian stakeholders in March 2024 Ukraine has since developed its global innovation strategy, WinWin 2030, overseen by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov. WinWin 2030 sets out the Government of Ukraine’s vision and state policy in the field of digital innovation, made up of priority areas and sectoral strategies including AI, Govtech and others. Ukraine is aiming to be in the top three countries globally for AI integration and implementation by 2030. In FY24/25, two projects were delivered under the trilateral cooperation, aligning to WinWin 2030 while bringing benefits to both the UK and Estonia: (i) a £100K project led by FCDO to support the development of MDT’s AI Centre of Excellence (enhanced by pro bono support from the implementer), and (ii) £200K project led by GDS focusing on digital governance collaboration to enhance UK digital public services through exchanges of expertise with Ukraine and Estonia on underlying architecture and the use of AI in chatbots.

• The business problem you need to solve:

  Please see SOR.

• First user type:

  Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation officials and Ministers.

• First user type:

  HMG Officials (Government Digital Service and wider Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, FCDO, possibly wider HMG digital leaders) and possibly Ministers.

• First user type:

  Government of Estonia officials.

• First user type:

  Citizens will be the end-users of certain products which will be the focus of projects, for example, AI chatbots within government apps.

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• Select your pricing model:

  Fixed price

• Additional assessment methods:

  None

• Create your scoring criteria:

  3

• How many suppliers to evaluate:

  3

• Technical competence:

  60

• Cultural fit:

  5

• Social value:

  10

• Price:

  25

• Essential skills and experience:

  25

• Technical questions:

  75

• Describe the essential skill or experience:

  Proven track record of working with and delivering digitally-focused projects with the Government of Ukraine and Estonia.

• Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30:

  20

• Describe the essential skill or experience:

  Strong technical expertise and knowledge of the UK eco-system in areas to be covered by the project: AI, gov tech, government apps and digital public services.

• Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30:

  20

• Describe the essential skill or experience:

  Ability to combine technical expertise with broader consultancy skills (such as org design and strategy) and some admin support.

• Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30:

  20

• Describe the essential skill or experience:

  Ability to work closely with specialist and non-specialist HMG officials.

• Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30:

  20

• Describe the essential skill or experience:

  Ability to work with Ukrainian and Estonian officials, and to be credible with Ministers.

• Enter a weighting for this skill or experience in whole numbers, for example 30:

  20

• Explain the technical question:

  Describe the technical skills and expertise your organisation will apply to ensure the FCDO delivers against the priorities areas set out in the statement of requirements. Technical expertise includes but is not limited to: gov tech, AI, digital public service delivery, data management and use in AI, digital skills training for government, organisational design, workshop design and facilitation, knowledge of egovernance and AI eco-systems in the UK, Ukraine and Estonia. Please refer to the roles specified in the pricing schedule and describe how you would utilise these resources to deliver maximum impact.

• Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30:

  30

• Explain the technical question:

  Describe how you will go about shaping the workplan for this project, given the priority areas identified, and what sort of deliverables you envisage being able to deliver over the period of the contract. Please highlight any areas where you are be able to exceed or go beyond the stated requirements whilst remaining within the maximum budget.

• Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30:

  30

• Explain the technical question:

  Describe the planning and technical leadership expertise your organisation will bring to work with FCDO in order to deliver optimal outcomes for the Trilateral programme of cooperation. This includes but is not limited to: project / programme management including capacity to flex and respond to change and to manage risks, innovation and creativity, excellent cross-cultural stakeholder engagement and management.

• Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30:

  20

• Explain the technical question:

  Demonstrate your ability to provide core team roles with appropriate capabilities, able to engage appropriate HMG stakeholders and resource statements of work appropriately. Your answer should demonstrate your ability to: • Ensure staff skills are of an appropriately high quality to deliver the requirement. • Ensure there is a sufficient bench of security cleared personnel. • Resource a team at pace. • Flex capacity, priorities and timescales according to FCDO demand and Ukraine's needs/ developments on the ground. • Engage credibly with senior stakeholders up to DG and Ministerial level in Ukraine and Estonia. • Be capable of providing solutions and also to facilitate knowledge exchange with a view to supporting stakeholders to identify solutions • Provide admin capacity to support delivery of projects where needed.

• Enter a weighting for this technical question in whole numbers, for example 30:

  20

• Your question:

  Please describe how you will work as a team with our organisation and others. Focus on describing how your company values, culture, and stance on equal opportunities and diversity and inclusion in the workforce will create positive outcomes.

• Enter a weighting for this question:

  100

• Explain the social value question:

  Describe the commitment your organisation will make to ensure that opportunities under the contract deliver Improved health and wellbeing (Theme 5 under The Social Value Model, MAC 7.1 and 7.2). Please include: - Your ‘Method Statement’, stating how you will achieve this and how your commitment meets the Award Criteria, - A timed project plan and process, including how you will implement your commitment and by when. Also, how you will monitor, measure and report on your commitments/the impact of your proposals. You should include but not be limited to: A timed action plan, use of metrics, tools/processes used to gather data, reporting, feedback, improvement and transparency.

• Enter a weighting for this question:

  100

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• Publication of stage 1:

  August 12, 2025, 3:00 PM

• Clarification period closes:

  August 15, 2025, 3:00 PM

• Deadline for suppliers to submit their stage 1 responses:

  August 19, 2025, 3:00 PM

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Clarification questions and responses

There is 1 question and clarification relating to this opportunity.

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1. We have noticed that Document - 'ocds-pfhb7i-67904-TrilateralSOR.docx' is market Official Sensitive. Could we pleas ask if the Authority would consider removing the designation so we can share more broadly with our member firms? If that’s impossible, could permission be granted to share with our other member firms on partnership basis?

We can confirm that the document 'ocds-pfhb7i-67904-TrilateralSOR.docx' should be considered 'Official' rather than 'Official Sensitive'. You are able to share this document with partners.

Last Updated: 14 August 2025, 12:14

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