Large and SME consulting firms on government's DOS4 framework

The UK government has selected nearly 3,500 large, mid-sized and boutique consulting firms, digital agencies and technology providers for its Digital Outcomes and Specialists 4 framework (DOS4).

The Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework aims at helping the public sector with the insourcing of external resources for their digital transformation work. Run by Crown Commercial Service on behalf of the Cabinet Office, DOS4 is the fourth iteration of the framework. It is part of the Digital Marketplace, an online service for public sector organisations to find people and technology for digital projects.

With an estimate contract value of £1.57 billion, DOS4 is significantly larger than its predecessor – DOS3 had a contract value of £1.2 billion – on the back for the growing demand for digital transformation support required by ministries, municipalities and other public sector bodies. 

Bidding for DOS4 kicked off on the 8th of July 2019, and following a competitive tender process, 3,475 suppliers were selected across four lots for the framework. Firms selected include some of the largest and most well-known consulting firms in the country, including McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Accenture, PA Consulting Group and the Big Four, alongside mid-sized players such as Gate One, Chaucer Consulting, and hundreds of small consulting and technology firms.

The contract for DOS4 formally started on the 1st of October, and runs for an initial term of 12 months, with an optional one-year extension. According to the government, over 90% of the suppliers on the framework are SME companies, with the total number of suppliers nearly 50% higher than on the DOS2 framework. 

Among the consulting firms selected for DOS4 are:

Large international consulting firms: Accenture, Arcadis, Atos Consulting, BearingPoint, Capgemini, Cognizant, Deloitte, Ecorys, EY, Grant Thornton, Hitachi Consulting, Infosys, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, North Highland, Oliver Wyman, PA Consulting Group, PwC, Sopra Steria, Wavestone. 

UK-origin mid-sized consulting firms: Actica Consulting. Amey Consulting, ASE Consulting, Baringa Partners, BJSS, Brightwave, Capita, Chaucer Consulting, Clarasys, Convedo, Foolproof, Gate One, Ignata Consulting, Moorhouse Consulting, Oaklins, Q5 Partners, The Berkeley Partnership, YLD. 

SME consulting firms: Adisys Consulting, BCMB Consulting, Savanti Consulting, Synergize Consulting, Vantage Consulting, Veracity Consulting.

The lots of the Digital Outcomes and Specialists 4 framework

• Digital Outcomes – project-based work on the research, design, development, delivery or ongoing support of digital services;
• Digital Specialists – for individual specialists that can work on a service or programme;
• User Research Studios – to provide facilities for researchers or participants to work in;
• User Research Participants – for suppliers who can recruit user research participants with a range of experience.