The UK government is building a digital marketplace to overhaul how the UK public sector buys technology.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) estimates the new approach could save the public sector £1.2 billion each year, as well as saving time and enabling public sector organisations to rate suppliers.
The National Digital Exchange (NDX) aims to make it faster and easier to buy the right technology, creating more responsive public services for the people who rely on them, while ensuring better value for taxpayers.
The platform aims to give public sector organisations access pre-approved tech deals at nationally negotiated prices. Crucially, the platform is designed to open the market to more UK tech firms, with a target to boost small business involvement in government contracts by 40 per cent within three years.
Feryal Clark, the minister for AI and digital government, said, “We’ve all heard the stories — months of red tape, tech that doesn’t deliver, and money wasted. That’s not good enough for the people we serve.
“The National Digital Exchange aims to change that. It will make it faster, fairer, and focused on what works — with real reviews, upfront pricing and smart AI to match buyers with the right suppliers in hours.”
DSIT added it is working closely with organisations including TechUK help the platform reflect the needs of both buyers and suppliers.