GCA has doubled its estimate for TePAS 3 to £20bn (excluding VAT). If you sell, or would like to sell, hardware, software and associated services to the UK public sector, TePAS (Technology Products & Associated Services) 3 is a framework worth your attention for the rest of the decade. This guide explains what the framework is, what it’s likely to cover, who can apply and how you get on it.
TePAS 3 tender expected by 31st January 2027
GCA has published its Preliminary Market Engagement Notice on Find a Tender: the tender (ITT) is now expected to open by 31 January 2027. That leaves less than four months to prepare, with Christmas in the middle. As this is also at the start of “March Madness” season resources are going to be super tight at this time!
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What is TePAS 3?
TePAS 3 (RM6398) is a Government Commercial Agency (GCA) framework for buying technology hardware, software and associated services. It is let under the Procurement Act 2023 and is open to central government and the wider public sector, including local government, health and education. An RM number is the reference number used for a Government Commercial Agency framework agreement. TePAS is also known as RM6398.
TePAS 3 is the next iteration of this technology products framework, following TePAS 2 (RM6098). GCA is building on TePAS 2, and while the scope hasn’t been finalised, the direction points to a leaner framework: fewer lots, keeping those that worked well, consolidating some and removing those no longer needed. If you know TePAS 2, the structure will feel familiar. If you’re not familiar with it though, don’t worry; this guide tells you everything you need to know.
Where G-Cloud is built around cloud services and DOS around digital specialists and outcomes, TePAS is GCA’s route for technology products: the devices, infrastructure and licences public bodies buy, plus the services that keep them running. For product suppliers and resellers, a single listing opens up buyers across almost every part of the public sector without tendering for each of them separately.
What TePAS 3 covers
TePAS 3 covers commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology and the services that go with it. GCA’s market engagement notice groups the proposed scope into 3 areas, which will be confirmed in the tender documents. The examples below are a selection from each area, and the notice makes clear the scope isn’t limited to them.
| Area | What it includes |
|---|---|
| Hardware | End user computing (laptops, desktops, tablets, smartphones, monitors, printers, peripherals); infrastructure hardware (servers, storage, switches, routers, networking and security hardware); multifunction print devices; assistive technology and technology-enabled care |
| Software | COTS software, open source software and software licences, bought outright or on subscription |
| Associated Services | Design, implementation, imaging, installation, service desk, support and maintenance, warranty, asset management, security management, device as a service, recycling, data cleansing and disposal |
How buyers can pay
TePAS 3 carries forward the flexible purchase models buyers already use under TePAS 2. Alongside outright purchase, hardware can be bought as a service, leased or paid for on a consumption basis. Software can be bought outright, licensed, leased or taken as a service.
This matters for your pricing. If you can offer leasing, device-as-a-service, or consumption models, you can compete for requirements that outright-purchase-only suppliers cannot.
Sustainability and circular IT
Under TePAS 2, sustainability and circular IT had a lot of its own, and that lot is under review for TePAS 3. Whatever the final structure, refurbished devices, recycling and extended non-OEM support are in the proposed scope, so buyers will still be looking for suppliers who can extend device life and manage disposal responsibly.
Aggregation
GCA also offers aggregation (collective buying), where several public sector buyers combine demand into one larger competition. If you can price at volume, aggregated competitions are worth tracking.
How TePAS 3 is likely to be structured
TePAS 3 will be divided into lots, and you apply to the lots that match what you sell. Nothing is fixed until the tender documents are published, but GCA’s engagement so far points to a slimmer structure than TePAS 2.
The broad hardware, software and information assured lots look set to carry over largely as they are. The sector lots and the sustainability lot are being reviewed, and the technology catalogue is proposed to run alongside the framework rather than as a separate lot. GCA has also floated a new lot for lower-value buying aimed at SMEs.
For reference, this is how TePAS 2 is structured today:
- Lot 1: Hardware, software and associated services
- Lot 2: Hardware and associated services
- Lot 3: Software and associated services
- Lot 4: Information assured technology
- Lot 5: Health and social care
- Lot 6: Education
- Lot 7: Sustainability and circular IT
- Lot 8: Technology catalogue
Lot choice is one of the most consequential decisions in your application. Bid for too few, and you shut yourself out of requirements; bid for lots you can’t evidence, and your scores will suffer.
Who can apply?
Any supplier that can meet the requirements for a lot can apply. That includes manufacturers, resellers, managed service providers, software vendors and specialist suppliers.
You don’t need to be on TePAS 2 to apply, and being on TePAS 2 doesn’t carry you across to TePAS 3. Every supplier – incumbent or new – has to apply and qualify.
GCA has said it wants SMEs on TePAS 3 alongside the largest providers, and it has run engagement sessions specifically for smaller suppliers. But open to all doesn’t mean right for all.
The barriers to entry
TePAS 3’s conditions of participation haven’t been published yet. TePAS 2 set a high bar, asking for several ISO certifications on top of Cyber Essentials, along with financial standing checks, insurance and a carbon reduction plan. It’s sensible to plan for something similar.
If you don’t hold those certifications today, getting them can take longer than the time left before the tender opens. That’s worth weighing up honestly before you commit time to a bid, and it’s exactly what our Framework Triage is designed to test.
How to get on TePAS 3
You get on TePAS 3 by winning a place in GCA’s competitive tender. The application window is fixed, and unless GCA sets TePAS 3 up to reopen during its term, it is your only chance to join. Missing it means waiting for TePAS 4.
The process runs in this order:
- Register on the Central Digital Platform. Under the Procurement Act 2023, suppliers share their core information through the Central Digital Platform. Do this before the tender opens, not during it.
- Watch for the tender notice. GCA publishes it on Find a Tender, with the tender documents on its eSourcing portal.
- Choose your lots. Match lots to what you can sell and evidence today.
- Check the conditions of participation. These typically cover financial standing, insurance, accreditations (ISO standards and Cyber Essentials), a carbon reduction plan and Social Value.
- Write and submit your bid. Quality questions are scored, so evidence and case studies carry real weight. Submit before the deadline, as late bids are not accepted.
- Award. GCA evaluates bids, announces successful suppliers, and the framework goes live.
Getting on is only half the job
Maybe not even half – a TePAS 3 listing gives you the right to compete. Work comes from what you do with it. On every large framework, many listed suppliers win little or nothing because they treat the award as the finish line. The suppliers who win plan for life on the framework before they submit their bid.
To find out how Advice Cloud can help get you listed on TePAS 3, just book a chat with us:
How buyers buy through TePAS 3
Under the Procurement Act 2023, buyers place orders, known as call-offs, in 2 ways:
- Award without competition. The buyer chooses a supplier against criteria set in the framework, without running a new competition. This suits straightforward purchases, and the work tends to go to suppliers the buyer already knows or can find quickly.
- Award with competition. The buyer invites suppliers on a lot to bid against a specific requirement. Only framework suppliers can take part, so the field is far smaller than an open tender, but deadlines are often short.
Under TePAS 2, the catalogue lot gave buyers a quick way to buy listed products. For TePAS 3, the catalogue is proposed to sit alongside the framework, so it’s worth watching how it will work once the tender documents land.
Each route needs a different approach. Award without competition rewards visibility and existing relationships. Award with competition rewards suppliers who can turn round a strong response quickly.
What winning suppliers do differently
- They bid with focus. They qualify each opportunity against their fit and capacity, then respond consistently to the ones worth winning. Regular, well-chosen bids build win rates and buyer familiarity.
- They know their buyers. They tell existing public sector customers they’re on TePAS 3 and get in front of organisations with known demand before a requirement is written. Knowing what each buyer values means they already have the right case studies and Social Value commitments to hand.
- They make themselves easy to buy from. A clear offer, pricing that covers the purchase models buyers want, a well-kept catalogue listing and named contacts make the buyer’s job simpler, which wins awards without competition.
- They build a bid library. Ready-to-adapt case studies and Social Value, sustainability and security responses turn a short deadline into a tailoring exercise.
- They keep on top of their obligations. Framework suppliers have ongoing contractual duties, for example, submitting regular management information (MI) on their sales and paying a management charge on them. Late or inaccurate returns can put your place at risk.
If your bid team is already stretched, plan now for who will handle further competitions once you are listed. Our Bid Support Services can cover the peaks, and we help listed suppliers grow their framework sales and pipeline.
Get help with your TePAS 3 application
Advice Cloud helps technology suppliers get listed on government frameworks and win work once they are on. We can help you choose the right lots, get your evidence in order and write a bid that scores.
Book a chat about TePAS 3 below, or find out about our Framework Triage service.
