Department for Science Innovation & Technology - AI Coding Assistant Strategic Business Partner

Description

Pre-market engagement A combined Request for Information (RFI)/ Expression of Interest (EOI) was live from 11/09/2025 to 23/09/2025. Responses largely agreed with the feasibility, scope, proposed timelines and delivery methods of the project, and emphasised the need for clear milestones throughout the delivery process (which have been reflected in the essential and technical questions). Work done so far Between November 2025 and March 2025 GDS conducted a trial of AICA tools across the UK public sector, which has already demonstrated substantial benefits, indicating an average time saving of 56 minutes per day for each software developer using these tools. Which phase the project is in Not applicable Existing team Project sponsor: Chief Engineer for the UK Government, GDS Project lead: Senior Delivery and Change Manager, GDS Engineering Excellence Technical lead: Lead Technologist, GDS Engineering Excellence Content manager: Senior Content Designer, GDS Comms and governance manager: Senior Community Manager, GDS Address where the work will be done Government Digital Service, 7th floor, The White Chapel Building, 10 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 8DX Working arrangements The supplier staff will be able to work remotely for the duration of the project. The supplier staff might be asked to work in our London office on an ad-hoc basis to maximise knowledge transfer and integrate with team development processes. Expenses will be capped at £5,000 for the duration of the contract and all travel and subsistence will require prior approval and inline with Expenses Policy. Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Provide more information about your security requirements: Security Check (SC) Provide more information about your security requirements: All must have BPSS as a minimum. SC might be required to work alongside teams working on sensitive services and assets. Preference for contractors to already hold SC clearance, however we would be willing to sponsor the SC clearance process at the supplier's expense. One person in the team must have SC clearance. Latest start date 2025-11-17 Enter the expected contract length: 5 months Extension period: 7 months Special terms and conditions All expenses must be pre-agreed between the parties and must comply with the Cabinet Office (CO) Travel and Subsistence (T&S) Policy. All vendors are obliged to provide sufficient guarantees to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures so that the processing meets the requirements of GDPR and ensures the protection of the rights of data subjects. For further information please see the Information Commissioner's Office website https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-reform/overview-of-the-gdpr/ Any option to extend would be subject to internal approval and the relevant budgets. Write the term or acronym: AICA: AI coding assistants SDLC: Software Development Lifecycle Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: 4000000 Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Summary of work GDS requires a team to undertake a comprehensive set of activities that span evaluation, integration, adoption, and continuous improvement of AI coding assistant (AICA) tooling across multiple government organisations. This involves developing a robust evaluation report to identify the most suitable AICA tools, and ensuring seamless technical integration within existing software development environments. GDS also requires a team to design and deliver training resources, facilitate change management, and establish a network of community champions across the UK public sector to foster best practices and peer support. Maintaining a central repository for best practices and reusable artefacts, documenting key use cases with measurable benefits, and designing a blueprint for future phases all form essential components of this initiative. Throughout, governance and assurance frameworks must be defined and quality standards for AI-generated code established, ensuring the initiative delivers tangible value and remains adaptable to evolving needs. Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Who is the organisation using the products or services Government Digital Services Why the work is being done The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in software engineering, particularly through AI-powered coding assistants, presents a transformative opportunity to address these challenges. These tools have the potential to revolutionise the digital service delivery landscape by significantly increasing the productivity and effectiveness of our software engineering professionals. Preliminary analysis conducted by the Government Digital Service (GDS) has already demonstrated substantial benefits, indicating an average time saving of 56 minutes per day for each software developer using these tools. Recognising this potential, the Government Efficiency Accelerator initiative, a part of the Frontiers AI programme in GDS, has identified the adoption of AI in software engineering as one of the most impactful opportunities for efficiency gains across government. This project will use AI to update our software engineering practices from November 2025 to April 2026, with the potential to extend until April 2029. Objectives include: - Providing all engineers and developers with AI-powered tools. - Achieving full adoption of AI tools across the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). - Improving job satisfaction and retention. - Reducing costs for external contractors. - Speeding up delivery of digital services and increasing public value. - Cutting technical debt by boosting team efficiency. - Producing materials to support the communication of this programme of work, both across the public sector and externally. The business problem you need to solve The current adoption of AI Coding Assistants for Software Engineering across the UK Public Sector landscape the is fragmented and does not deliver its full value. Substantial investment in change and adoption is needed to fully transform engineering practices to harness the potential of these tools, which individual departments are not able to sustain. By procuring and actioning centrally, the project aims to ensure reusability and optimisation of resources and lessons learned. First user type: This project is aimed at Software Development Teams across the UK Government and broader public sector. As a Project Manager and Senior Leader, I need a framework that ensures the project is managed effectively and the AI tools are deployed responsibly. As a Technical Lead and Developer, I need a clear technical plan to integrate the chosen AI tool into our existing development ecosystem with minimal disruption. As a Senior Leader and Project Manager, I need a system to measure the impact of the AI tooling and demonstrate its value. As a Developer and Team Lead, I need access to high-quality training materials so I can learn how to use the new AI tools effectively and confidently. As an End-User and Manager, I need to understand why this change is happening and what support is available to ensure a smooth transition. As a Project Manager and End-User, I need a support network to help drive adoption, share knowledge, and foster a positive culture around the new tools. As a Developer, I need a single, trusted source of truth for guidance on how to use the AI tools effectively and in line with our quality standards. As a Senior Leader and Potential Adopter, I need to see tangible evidence of the tool's benefits to support its wider adoption. As a Project Sponsor and Senior Leader, I need a strategic blueprint to guide the long-term growth and evolution of this initiative.