The UK government is inviting bidders for a £49 million contract, excluding VAT, to embed open banking technology into its Gov.UK Pay payments platform, according to Finextra. The contract is for an initial 36 month period from early July 2025, with two 12 month extension options.
Gov.UK Pay is used by central government, local authorities, police forces and NHS teams to take payments for their services digitally. Used by more than 1000 different public sector services, it has processed over 94 million transactions since 2016, with a total value of £6 billion GBP.
Following a request-for-information on the subject of a new supplier late last year, Government Digital Service (GDS) has now issued a market notice.
Government Digital Service (GDS), currently part of Cabinet Office „is seeking a payment service provider to underpin the GOV.UK Pay platform, specifically for processing credit and debit card payments and pay by bank (open banking) payments made by end users to services operated by local government, police, the armed forces and some other public sector organisations”.
The chosen PSP will have a 12-month onboarding period, before beginning service provision in 2026.
Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate: 19 March 2025, 11.59 pm – local time.
___________
GOV.UK Pay (‘Pay’) is a digital payments platform, developed and run by GDS. Pay is a payments product, providing a quick and easy way for the public to make payments for services online and via telephone.
Pay currently supports central government, local authority, police forces and NHS teams to take payments for their services digitally. It automates financial processes and reduces the administration burden on teams, saving time and money that can be reinvested in important public services.
Pay is a common tool that is built once and used many times by more than 1,000 different public sector services, saving the public sector time, money and reducing duplication of effort. It also offers a consistent, trusted and accessible user experience making it quick and easy for citizens to pay for public sector services. Pay has achieved significant realised benefits, saving public sector money.
Whilst the current contract handles only 17% of payments currently going through GOV.UK Pay it is used by more than 70% of all our services currently taking a payment and is the only option available which enables teams to start taking payments within one working day.
Banking 4.0 – „how was the experience for you”
„So many people are coming here to Bucharest, people that I see and interact on linkedin and now I get the change to meet them in person. It was like being to the Football World Cup but this was the World Cup on linkedin in payments and open banking.”
Many more interesting quotes in the video below:
