Gambling Harms Prevention Digital Service

Description

Terms and acronyms OHID - Office for Health Improvement and Disparities DHSC - Department of Health and Social Care LE – people with Lived Experience DA – people Directly Affected by gambling harms AO – Affected Others, or family and friends affected by someone else's gambling PGSI - Problem Gambling Severity Index Operators – Gambling operators or gambling companies GDS - Government Digital Service VCSE - Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise Shortlisted Suppliers: Number of suppliers the Authority intends to take forward to the further assessment stage: 5 Summary of the work: DHSC is seeking a digital delivery partner to design, build, test and support a new suite of digital services to reduce gambling-related harms across England, Wales and Scotland. Informed by the ongoing Discovery, the programme may include a website, self-help tool, mobile app and dashboards. The aim is to deliver an MVP by March 2028. Suppliers should provide multidisciplinary agile teams with strong GDS and accessibility expertise. Pricing model: Capped time and materials Pricing model: Other Provide further information: Each phase will be capped. Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource: Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Organisation the work is for: Department of Health and Social Care Where you want the supplier to work: No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Latest start date: 2026-11-02 Expected contract length: 1-05-00 Expected contract structure: Initial contract to run until March 2028 (approx. 17 months), with the option of two further 12-month extensions. A break clause will apply after Alpha, allowing DHSC to end the contract if GDS standards are not met or the project does not proceed. Estimated contract value (excl VAT): 2300000 Budget details: Funding is approved for the two-year programme; however, following Alpha, DHSC must return to spend control to unlock the remaining approved budget. Suppliers should cost proposals against the following indicative delivery phases: • Alpha: 4 months delivery + up to 1 month for assessment preparation, GDS assessment and any conditions • Private Beta: 6 months delivery + up to 1 month for assessment preparation, assessment and any conditions • Public Beta: 5 months of ongoing development The budget must also support user testing, accessibility audit/ rework, security/penetration testing, analytics/ data visualisation, evaluation and other delivery requirements. Suppliers should propose a flexible, value-for-money multi-channel approach, recognising that Discovery may identify opportunities across web, mobile and digital tools. The expectation is not to commit the available budget to a single service or channel. Why the work is being done: This procurement supports the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) Gambling Harms Prevention Programme, funded through the statutory Gambling Levy introduced in April 2025. Through the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), DHSC is responsible for leading gambling harms prevention activity in England and developing a new suite of evidence-based digital services that help people identify gambling-related harms earlier, access trusted information and support, and make informed decisions. The programme also supports wider government commitments, including the Men's Health Strategy. Current public-facing digital services remain within the GambleAware estate until no later than 2028. DHSC is developing replacement government-owned services before existing arrangements end to ensure continuity, reduce reliance on legacy platforms and meet statutory levy commitments. A Discovery phase commenced on 1 June 2026 and concludes in October 2026. Using an evidence-led, user-centred approach aligned to the Government Digital Service (GDS) Service Standard, Discovery has engaged with people experiencing gambling harms, affected others, VCSE organisations, subject matter experts and government stakeholders to identify where digital interventions can deliver the greatest preventative impact. Discovery outputs will provide the Alpha roadmap, including prioritised user needs, service recommendations and technical considerations. The successful supplier will work with DHSC to validate and iterate these through ongoing user research and evidence-led delivery. Expected outcomes include earlier identification of gambling harms, increased access to trusted support, continuous improvement through research and analytics, scalable services that meet the Government Service Standard and GDS assessments, and digital capabilities that can evolve beyond March 2028 Problem to be solved: Following the introduction of the statutory Gambling Levy, responsibility for gambling harms prevention transferred to government, creating the opportunity to establish independent, evidence-led digital prevention services. Public-facing digital services currently remain within the GambleAware estate and are expected to continue until no later than 2028. DHSC must develop and transition to replacement government-owned digital services before existing arrangements end. Failure to do so risks interruption to public access to trusted information and support, inability to meet statutory levy commitments, increased delivery risk from compressed timescales, reputational damage, and continued reliance on legacy platforms. A Discovery phase began in June 2026 to understand user needs, identify opportunities for digital intervention, and determine where digital services can have the greatest preventative impact. Research has included people experiencing gambling harms, VCSE organisations, subject matter experts, and policy and delivery stakeholders. Discovery will conclude before supplier mobilisation and will provide prioritised user needs, service propositions, technical recommendations, and a roadmap for delivery. The supplier will work with DHSC to translate Discovery findings into effective, evidence-based digital services through Alpha, Beta and Live. Solutions must be developed iteratively, validated through user research, and informed by analytics and performance data. The desired outcomes include: • Earlier identification of gambling-related harms. • Increased access to trusted information and appropriate support. • Improved user outcomes through evidence-based digital interventions. • Services that meet the Government Service Standard and successfully pass GDS assessments. • Scalable, maintainable digital services that continue to evolve beyond March 2028. • Product decisions informed by continuous user research, analytics and experimentation. Who the users are and what they need to do: The service will support people across a broad spectrum of gambling behaviours and experiences. This includes the general public seeking trusted information about gambling and gambling-related harms; people at low to moderate risk, where earlier intervention may help prevent harms escalating; and people experiencing higher or severe levels of harm who may need practical tools, advice and clear routes into formal support. As a Person experiencing gambling harms I need to understand whether my gambling is becoming harmful So that I can take action before my situation worsens As a Person experiencing severe gambling harms I need to access appropriate support quickly So that I can receive the right help when I need it As a Person wanting to cut down gambling I need to find practical tools and techniques So that I can reduce my gambling safely As a Person wanting to stop gambling I need to create a plan and access ongoing support So that I can maintain recovery As a Friend or family member (affected other) I need to understand how to help someone So that I can support them whilst protecting my own wellbeing As a Member of the public I need to learn about gambling harms So that I can make informed decisions before problems develop As a DHSC service administrators/content editors I need to manage and publish trusted content So that information remains accurate, timely and accessible Preliminary market engagement: N/A Work done so far: A Discovery phase started in June 2026 to define the role of digital within the wider prevention ecosystem, identify where digital interventions can have the greatest impact, and establish the evidence base for future investment and delivery. Research has included engagement with: • people across a range of gambling risk levels (primarily low-medium risk but also a small number of people who have gone through treatment) • people with lived experience of gambling harms • voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations • treatment and support providers • internal government stakeholders • marginalised communities to understand barriers including stigma, accessibility and trust. This has provided a comprehensive understanding of user needs and the wider prevention landscape, ensuring future services complement rather than duplicate existing support. Discovery has also independently validated existing evidence from previous gambling prevention services, ensuring recommendations are based on robust, transparent research undertaken on behalf of DHSC. A key finding is that digital interventions are unlikely to be effective for people genuinely experiencing low levels of gambling risk, as many lack the motivation, capability and opportunity to change behaviour. Using the COM-B behaviour change model, Discovery concluded that the greatest opportunity for impact lies with people experiencing moderate to high levels of gambling-related harms, where digital services can encourage earlier help-seeking and improve outcomes. Discovery will provide the successful supplier with user research findings, prioritised user needs, service concepts, technical recommendations, ecosystem mapping and a prioritised roadmap. These outputs will form the foundation for Alpha, with suppliers expected to continue validating assumptions and iterating solutions through ongoing user research and evidence-led delivery. Current phase: Discovery Existing team: The supplier will work as part of a blended multidisciplinary team consisting of both DHSC civil servants and supplier personnel. The core government team currently includes: • 2 Digital Product Leads – overall product ownership, prioritisation, stakeholder management and strategic direction across separate product areas. • 1 or 2 User Researchers (throughout Alpha) – planning and delivering user research, insight generation and validation. • 1 Service Designer (throughout Alpha) – end-to-end service design, journey mapping and service blueprinting. • Internal Quality Assurance resource (planned through BETA) – supporting quality assurance, testing standards and release confidence. Suppliers should propose the multidisciplinary capability required to successfully deliver programme outcomes. This is expected to include (but is not limited to): • Delivery Manager • Technical Architect • Software Engineers • DevOps Engineers • Content Designer (English/Welsh bilingual) • Interaction Designer • User researcher (English/Welsh bilingual) • QA Engineers The supplier will also work collaboratively with wider DHSC policy, commercial, digital assurance, architecture and governance teams throughout delivery. Incumbent supplier: Yes Provide further information: Hippo provided short-term user research and delivery support during the early Discovery phase. Their involvement ended before ideation, concept development and final reporting began, so they have not had visibility of these outputs. Linked projects: N/A Working arrangements: The supplier will become an integrated part of the multidisciplinary delivery team and will be expected to work using agile methodologies aligned with Government Digital Service (GDS) principles. Supplier staff will be expected to participate fully in delivery ceremonies including: • Sprint Planning • Daily Stand-ups • Backlog Refinement • Sprint Reviews • Sprint Retrospectives • Show and Tells • Design and technical workshops. The programme operates primarily as a remote-first team. There is no expectation for routine attendance at DHSC offices. However, suppliers should be prepared to attend occasional in-person workshops, planning sessions or stakeholder meetings where this adds value to delivery. Similarly, DHSC staff may attend supplier offices periodically where beneficial to collaboration. The supplier should provide modern collaborative working practices and be comfortable working transparently using shared tooling and documentation. Security clearance: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Special terms and conditions: Due to the nature of this programme and the requirement for public confidence and independence, DHSC requires the successful supplier to identify and declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest. In particular, suppliers must disclose whether they currently provide, or have recently provided, services to commercial gambling operators or organisations whose primary business is the operation or promotion of gambling products. DHSC reserves the right to determine whether any declared relationship presents a conflict that cannot be appropriately managed and may exclude suppliers where this would compromise the integrity or perceived independence of the programme. Welsh and bilingual service requirements The service will need to support both English and Welsh users. Welsh language requirements must therefore be considered throughout the design and development process and should not be treated simply as a translation activity at the end of delivery. The supplier will be expected to provide access to appropriate Welsh/bilingual content design and user research expertise, ensuring that content, user journeys and research approaches consider the needs of Welsh-language users from the outset. DHSC recognises that this expertise may not already be embedded within the supplier's core team. Where required, the supplier will be expected to source appropriate specialist expertise through subcontracting or other suitable arrangements. Additional requirements The successful supplier will also be expected to: • comply with all relevant Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and assessments • meet WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards • comply with government cyber security requirements • comply with GDPR and UK data protection legislation