Specialist Professional Services DPS
Framework Description
The London Borough of Waltham Forest's Specialist Professional Services DPS is a dynamic purchasing system for professional and consultancy services, split into 20 lots. It runs until 15 May 2034 and is open to new suppliers throughout. There is no cap on the number of suppliers admitted to each lot, and it was advertised on Find a Tender under notice 020188-2024.
Context & Use Case
Although set up by a London borough, the DPS can be used by UK public sector bodies, including central government departments and their agencies, NHS bodies and local authorities. Buyers run competitions among the suppliers admitted to the relevant lot when they need specialist expertise, from finance and audit to social care and public health, so admission opens doors to many potential buyers rather than one council.
Scope of Services
Lots 1–4: business strategy and transformation, governance and policy, finance and audit, procurement and sourcing Lots 5–8: HR and organisational development, legal services, ICT, project and programme management Lots 9–12: social care (adults and children), education, public health and wellbeing, environmental and waste Lots 13–20: further specialist professional services set out in the procurement documents
Lots
See framework link
Who Can Apply
Qualified, experienced professional services firms and consultancies, including SMEs and sole specialists, that can meet the requirements of one or more lots. As a DPS with no limit on numbers, any supplier that meets the criteria can be admitted, at any time before 15 May 2034.
Buyer Benefits
With no limit on admitted suppliers and a ten-year life, buyers get a broad and growing pool of specialists and can run quick competitions instead of full tenders. Twenty lots let buyers target the exact expertise they need, and the DPS gives smaller authorities and NHS bodies a ready-made route for specialist advice.
Next Steps
Read notice 020188-2024 and the DPS documents to see the 20 lot descriptions and selection criteria, then apply for the lots where you have strong public sector evidence. Prepare case studies, qualifications, insurance and policies. Once admitted, monitor invitations closely, because competitions can come from many different buyers.
How Athena Can Help
A national DPS with 20 lots rewards suppliers who choose lots carefully and answer competitions well. Athena's DPS lot selection and applications service matches your expertise to the right lots, writes the application and checks it before submission.
Once you are admitted, our consultancy bid writers turn your expertise into scored competition responses, and our public sector bid/no-bid tools help you decide which invitations from councils, NHS bodies and departments are worth answering.
