Payment Acceptance 2
Framework Description
Payment Acceptance 2 (RM6325) is a PCR 2015 framework, closed to new applications, from the Government Commercial Agency (GCA, formerly Crown Commercial Service) that lets public sector organisations take payments by card, digital wallet or online. It covers merchant acquiring, payment equipment and specialist payment consultancy through lot 2 and lot 3. It has a four-year term ending on 18 December 2027, with no extension. This framework is used by Crown Commercial and APUC.
Context & Use Case
Public sector organisations use RM6325 to set up merchant acquiring, payment gateways and terminals so citizens and businesses can pay in person, online or at unattended points such as car park machines. Payment consultancy helps buyers review their payment arrangements and set requirements for acceptance and issuance before they go to market.
Scope of Services
Lot 2: Acquiring and merchant equipment services, including merchant acquiring, payment gateways and point of sale and unattended equipment Alternative payment methods such as digital wallets Payment initiation (open banking) services Lot 3: Payment consultancy
Lots
Lot 2: Acquiring and Merchant Equipment Services; Lot 3: Payment Consultancy
Who Can Apply
Membership of RM6325 is fixed, so merchant acquirers, payment service providers and payment consultancies not appointed cannot join before it ends on 18 December 2027. Open banking providers can apply now to the separate RM6301 Open Banking DPS.
Buyer Benefits
Buyers can take card and digital wallet payments in person, online or at unattended points, and add open banking payment initiation, choosing only the services they need. Consultancy under lot 3 helps them review their payment arrangements and specify well before they buy.
Next Steps
Expect market engagement for the RM6325 successor during 2027, ahead of the 18 December 2027 end date. Monitor the GCA page for RM6325 and GCA's upcoming agreements, and prepare evidence on transaction pricing, security standards and public sector clients. Appointed suppliers should keep winning call-offs to strengthen references.
How Athena Can Help
Athena helps payment providers prepare for the RM6325 successor. We run a bid audit of past awards and use our framework re-tender preparation to collect pricing, security and client evidence before the procurement opens.
Appointed suppliers can use our merchant services bid writing for call-offs, including transaction pricing models. Our public sector payments bidding help covers council and NHS tenders let outside frameworks. We also check every submission for compliance.
