There’s a question we’re hearing a lot from AV suppliers right now: “We’re already on the AV DPS, do we need to apply for NS4 as well?”
The short answer is yes, if NS4 is relevant to your business. The longer answer is worth understanding, because the two routes work in fundamentally different ways, serve different buyer needs, and require completely separate applications.
What is the AV DPS?
The Audio Visual Technical Consultancy and Commissioning DPS (RM6225) is a Dynamic Purchasing System run by GCA. It currently has 89 appointed suppliers and covers AV technical design, consultancy and commissioning services — things like designing conference room systems, collaboration zones and meeting spaces for public sector organisations.
The keyword is dynamic. A DPS is an open, rolling procurement vehicle. Suppliers can join at any point, there are no set application windows, and once you’re on it you stay on it until you choose to leave or are removed. Buyers use it for specific, often specialist requirements, particularly where they need AV design expertise and consultancy.
What is NS4’s Audio Visual Services lot?
Lot 8 of NS4, Audio and Visual Services, is a brand new lot covering AV and conferencing services for the public sector. It includes AV installation and design, conferencing recording, hearings, courtrooms, PA systems, collaboration spaces, and meeting room technology.
NS4 itself is a closed procurement framework, not a DPS. That’s a fundamental structural difference, and it changes everything about how it works.
The key differences
Open vs closed
The AV DPS is open. You can apply whenever you like, and new suppliers join on a rolling basis throughout its lifetime.
NS4 is closed. There is one application window — the ITT opens 21st August 2026 and applications close 2nd October 2026. Once that window closes, it closes. There are no reopening points, no rolling access, and no way to join the framework after the deadline has passed.
If you miss the NS4 window, you will not be able to access Lot 8 for the duration of the framework — which runs until April 2031 with optional extensions.
Scope and buyer intent
The AV DPS is primarily used for design and consultancy – buyers who need specialist advice on AV systems before they procure equipment and installation.
NS4 Lot 8 covers the broader AV delivery landscape: installation, integration, commissioning, conferencing recording, PA systems, courtrooms, collaboration spaces and meeting room technology. It’s aimed at buyers who want to procure AV solutions, not just receive advice about them.
The two routes serve overlapping but distinct buyer needs. Some buyers will use both at different stages of a project. Being on the DPS does not mean you’ll be found by buyers looking to procure through NS4.
How buyers access them
Through the DPS, buyers run individual mini-competitions among appointed suppliers for each requirement. It’s a relatively lightweight process.
Through NS4, buyers can either run a further competition among listed suppliers or, for simpler requirements, use Swift Buy — a single-stage competitive process introduced in NS4 specifically to make straightforward procurements quicker.
The commercial opportunity
The AV DPS is a useful route to market, but it’s limited in scope and primarily consultancy-focused.
NS4 Lot 8 sits within a £7bn framework covering the full breadth of public sector network and telecoms services. The buyer base is significantly wider – central government, NHS, local authorities, police, education and more. And with NS3’s AV-adjacent contracts expiring and buyers needing to re-procure, the commercial opportunity in Lot 8 is genuine.
Do I need to be on both?
That depends on your services. If you provide AV design consultancy, the DPS remains a valid and useful route to market for that work. If you provide AV installation, integration, conferencing technology or room solutions, or if you want access to the broader public sector buyer base that NS4 opens up, then Lot 8 is the route you need.
The two are not mutually exclusive. Many suppliers will benefit from being on both.
What does a strong NS4 Lot 8 application look like?
A few things to have in place before the ITT drops:
A qualifying Technical Ability Certificate (TAC). You need one per lot. The contract must have started or been signed after 21st August 2023, and it must be a genuine AV delivery contract, not a consultancy engagement. You cannot reuse the same contract as your TAC across multiple lots.
Concrete evidence. Assessors score against specific criteria, not general capability. Named contracts, quantified outcomes, specific challenges solved. “We have extensive AV experience” scores nothing. “We delivered a 47-room AV rollout for [public sector organisation], including boardroom integration and conferencing recording, on time and within budget” is evidence.
Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus. The exact level will be confirmed in the ITT, but CE Plus is the most likely requirement based on comparable GCA frameworks.
A Carbon Reduction Plan. Current, published, and PPN 015 compliant.
The timeline
The ITT opens 21st August 2026. Applications close 2nd October. That’s six weeks from ITT to deadline — and the preparation you do before the window opens determines whether that’s enough time.
If you’re an AV supplier who has been relying on the DPS as your public sector route to market, NS4 Lot 8 is worth serious consideration. But the window to apply is short, and it won’t reopen.
If you’d like to talk through whether NS4 Lot 8 is right for your business and what getting listed involves, our team can help.
👇 Book a free chat with our team to talk through your NS4 application 👇
