If you've been in public sector new business for more than a few months, you'll have heard of Digital Outcomes and Specialists. You may even have a vague plan to "get on the framework." But there's a meaningful gap between "we should probably do DOS" and actually doing it — understanding what the framework covers, when it's worth applying, and crucially, how to see the right opportunities before your competitors do.
This is that guide.
What is DOS7?
Digital Outcomes and Specialists (DOS) is a Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework — a pre-approved supplier list that allows central government departments, NHS bodies, local authorities, and other public sector organisations to procure digital and technology services without running a full open tender each time.
DOS7 is the seventh iteration of the framework, currently the live version. It was established in 2023 and runs for up to four years.
Buyers on DOS7 can procure:
- Digital Outcomes — project-based engagements: discovery phases, service design, UX research, digital transformation programmes
- Digital Specialists — individual roles and skillsets: UX designers, content designers, user researchers, delivery managers, product managers, developers
- User Research Studios — lab facilities for user research (less common for agencies)
- User Research Participants — recruitment support for research sessions
For design and digital agencies, Digital Outcomes and Digital Specialists are the two relevant lots. Digital Outcomes is where most agencies land the bigger, more interesting work — end-to-end projects rather than body-shopping individual roles.
Who can apply?
DOS7 is open to:
- UK-registered companies
- Organisations with a demonstrable track record in digital, design, or technology services
- Suppliers who can meet the CCS evaluation criteria
There is no minimum revenue threshold, which is one reason DOS7 is more accessible to mid-sized agencies than some people assume. A 15-person digital agency can and does compete successfully on this framework.
The application process involves registering on the CCS Supplier Registration Service, completing a standard selection questionnaire (covering things like financial standing, insurance levels, and GDPR compliance), and submitting a capabilities statement for the specific lots you're applying to.
Applications open periodically when CCS refreshes the framework — there are "application windows" rather than continuous open enrolment. If you missed the last window, you watch for the next one.
How DOS7 opportunities actually work
Being on the framework doesn't mean the work comes to you. Here's the flow:
- A buyer publishes an "opportunity" on the Digital Marketplace (digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk)
- Suppliers on the relevant framework lot can express interest and respond to the brief
- Buyers evaluate responses (usually on approach, team, and price) and select a supplier
The key word is opportunity. These are individual procurements — a council publishing a brief for a 10-week discovery, a government department looking for a user research specialist, an NHS body commissioning a new patient-facing service. You apply to each opportunity separately.
The volume matters. In any given month, there are dozens of active DOS7 opportunities published. Some are minor (a single specialist, short-term). Some are significant (multi-year programmes, full agency engagements worth £500k+). The brief descriptions on the Digital Marketplace are your first signal of whether an opportunity is worth pursuing.
The problem — and this is where most agencies fall down — is that the Digital Marketplace is not an easy system to monitor. Opportunities don't always get flagged by the alert services agencies are using. A relevant brief can be published on a Tuesday, close for expressions of interest by the following Monday, and never register on your radar.
The monitoring gap on DOS7
Let's be concrete about this.
DOS7 opportunities close fast. The typical expression of interest window is 5–10 working days. That's the time between "this brief was published" and "the buyer has shortlisted suppliers." If you're checking the Digital Marketplace once a week, you're already late to a meaningful percentage of relevant opportunities.
This is compounded by search limitations. The Digital Marketplace search is functional but not precise — it doesn't classify opportunities in ways that cleanly map to how agencies think about their own capabilities. "UX design" might appear under Digital Outcomes, Digital Specialists, or not at all if the buyer used different terminology in their brief.
The agencies that win DOS7 work consistently are the ones who are monitoring consistently — either someone is checking the platform every day, or they have a system that does it for them.
What makes a strong DOS7 response?
Beyond the logistics, the substance matters. A few things separate competitive responses from filler:
Evidence over assertion. "We have extensive experience in user-centred design" is worthless. "We delivered a discovery for a central government department in 2023, identifying 14 user needs and generating a prioritised recommendation that went on to inform a £2.4M Alpha investment" is not.
Specific, named team members. Buyers want to know who will actually do the work. A capabilities statement that describes "our talented team of UX researchers" without naming them will underperform against a response that introduces a named Senior User Researcher who led research on two previous government service transformations.
Understanding of the service standard. Central government buyers care that you understand GDS standards, the design history blog convention, and how to write a service assessment. Demonstrating fluency in the language of government digital — not just generic design-speak — signals that you've done this before.
Realistic pricing. DOS7 is not the place to test premium pricing. Day rates and project fees are visible to buyers who've seen a lot of responses. Under-pricing has its own risks, but aggressive pricing on a well-evidenced bid is often decisive.
DOS7 vs open tender: which is more work?
A common question. The short answer is: being on the framework is work upfront; responding to individual opportunities is lighter than a full open tender.
An open tender might require a 100-page submission. A DOS7 expression of interest might run to 2–4 pages of targeted answers against a specific brief. Once you're on the framework, the per-opportunity cost is lower.
The investment is in (a) getting on the framework in the first place, (b) maintaining good case study materials, and (c) monitoring consistently.
Point (c) is where the gap opens up. The agencies with a person or a system watching for new opportunities convert framework membership into actual revenue. The agencies that got on the framework two years ago and check it occasionally are leaving significant contracts on the table.
Practical starting points
If you're not yet on DOS7:
- Check whether you meet the basic eligibility criteria (CCS website, current framework documentation)
- Watch for the next application window announcement — CCS publishes these on their website and the Digital Marketplace
- Start building case studies now, in the format buyers expect: the challenge, your approach, the outcome, measurable impact
- Register on the Supplier Registration Service so you're ready when the window opens
If you're already on DOS7 but not winning:
- Audit when you last checked the Digital Marketplace for new opportunities — and be honest about the frequency
- Set up a daily check (manual or automated) specifically for new opportunity publications
- Review your last three responses against the evaluation criteria — are they evidence-led, or are they generic?
- Ask yourself whether your pricing reflects the market
How Tandara helps
Tandara monitors UK procurement portals — including the Digital Marketplace where DOS7 opportunities are published — and delivers a daily digest of relevant tenders and opportunities to UK design and digital agencies.
Instead of checking four or five portals yourself, you get a filtered, prioritised email each morning: the opportunities that match your agency's profile, with enough context to decide in two minutes whether to pursue.
For DOS7, this means you see new opportunity publications the day they go live, not three days later when you happen to check.
14-day free trial. No card required. Start at tandara.co.uk.
Further reading
If you've been in public sector new business for more than a few months, you'll have heard of Digital Outcomes and Specialists. You may even have a vague plan to "get on the framework." But there's a meaningful gap between "we should probably do DOS" and actually doing it — understanding what the framework covers, when it's worth applying, and crucially, how to see the right opportunities before your competitors do.
This is that guide.
What is DOS7?
Digital Outcomes and Specialists (DOS) is a Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework — a pre-approved supplier list that allows central government departments, NHS bodies, local authorities, and other public sector organisations to procure digital and technology services without running a full open tender each time.
DOS7 is the seventh iteration of the framework, currently the live version. It was established in 2023 and runs for up to four years.
Buyers on DOS7 can procure:
- Digital Outcomes — project-based engagements: discovery phases, service design, UX research, digital transformation programmes
- Digital Specialists — individual roles and skillsets: UX designers, content designers, user researchers, delivery managers, product managers, developers
- User Research Studios — lab facilities for user research (less common for agencies)
- User Research Participants — recruitment support for research sessions
For design and digital agencies, Digital Outcomes and Digital Specialists are the two relevant lots. Digital Outcomes is where most agencies land the bigger, more interesting work — end-to-end projects rather than body-shopping individual roles.
Who can apply?
DOS7 is open to:
- UK-registered companies
- Organisations with a demonstrable track record in digital, design, or technology services
- Suppliers who can meet the CCS evaluation criteria
There is no minimum revenue threshold, which is one reason DOS7 is more accessible to mid-sized agencies than some people assume. A 15-person digital agency can and does compete successfully on this framework.
The application process involves registering on the CCS Supplier Registration Service, completing a standard selection questionnaire (covering things like financial standing, insurance levels, and GDPR compliance), and submitting a capabilities statement for the specific lots you're applying to.
Applications open periodically when CCS refreshes the framework — there are "application windows" rather than continuous open enrolment. If you missed the last window, you watch for the next one.
How DOS7 opportunities actually work
Being on the framework doesn't mean the work comes to you. Here's the flow:
- A buyer publishes an "opportunity" on the Digital Marketplace (digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk)
- Suppliers on the relevant framework lot can express interest and respond to the brief
- Buyers evaluate responses (usually on approach, team, and price) and select a supplier
The key word is opportunity. These are individual procurements — a council publishing a brief for a 10-week discovery, a government department looking for a user research specialist, an NHS body commissioning a new patient-facing service. You apply to each opportunity separately.
The volume matters. In any given month, there are dozens of active DOS7 opportunities published. Some are minor (a single specialist, short-term). Some are significant (multi-year programmes, full agency engagements worth £500k+). The brief descriptions on the Digital Marketplace are your first signal of whether an opportunity is worth pursuing.
The problem — and this is where most agencies fall down — is that the Digital Marketplace is not an easy system to monitor. Opportunities don't always get flagged by the alert services agencies are using. A relevant brief can be published on a Tuesday, close for expressions of interest by the following Monday, and never register on your radar.
The monitoring gap on DOS7
Let's be concrete about this.
DOS7 opportunities close fast. The typical expression of interest window is 5–10 working days. That's the time between "this brief was published" and "the buyer has shortlisted suppliers." If you're checking the Digital Marketplace once a week, you're already late to a meaningful percentage of relevant opportunities.
This is compounded by search limitations. The Digital Marketplace search is functional but not precise — it doesn't classify opportunities in ways that cleanly map to how agencies think about their own capabilities. "UX design" might appear under Digital Outcomes, Digital Specialists, or not at all if the buyer used different terminology in their brief.
The agencies that win DOS7 work consistently are the ones who are monitoring consistently — either someone is checking the platform every day, or they have a system that does it for them.
What makes a strong DOS7 response?
Beyond the logistics, the substance matters. A few things separate competitive responses from filler:
Evidence over assertion. "We have extensive experience in user-centred design" is worthless. "We delivered a discovery for a central government department in 2023, identifying 14 user needs and generating a prioritised recommendation that went on to inform a £2.4M Alpha investment" is not.
Specific, named team members. Buyers want to know who will actually do the work. A capabilities statement that describes "our talented team of UX researchers" without naming them will underperform against a response that introduces a named Senior User Researcher who led research on two previous government service transformations.
Understanding of the service standard. Central government buyers care that you understand GDS standards, the design history blog convention, and how to write a service assessment. Demonstrating fluency in the language of government digital — not just generic design-speak — signals that you've done this before.
Realistic pricing. DOS7 is not the place to test premium pricing. Day rates and project fees are visible to buyers who've seen a lot of responses. Under-pricing has its own risks, but aggressive pricing on a well-evidenced bid is often decisive.
DOS7 vs open tender: which is more work?
A common question. The short answer is: being on the framework is work upfront; responding to individual opportunities is lighter than a full open tender.
An open tender might require a 100-page submission. A DOS7 expression of interest might run to 2–4 pages of targeted answers against a specific brief. Once you're on the framework, the per-opportunity cost is lower.
The investment is in (a) getting on the framework in the first place, (b) maintaining good case study materials, and (c) monitoring consistently.
Point (c) is where the gap opens up. The agencies with a person or a system watching for new opportunities convert framework membership into actual revenue. The agencies that got on the framework two years ago and check it occasionally are leaving significant contracts on the table.
Practical starting points
If you're not yet on DOS7:
- Check whether you meet the basic eligibility criteria (CCS website, current framework documentation)
- Watch for the next application window announcement — CCS publishes these on their website and the Digital Marketplace
- Start building case studies now, in the format buyers expect: the challenge, your approach, the outcome, measurable impact
- Register on the Supplier Registration Service so you're ready when the window opens
If you're already on DOS7 but not winning:
- Audit when you last checked the Digital Marketplace for new opportunities — and be honest about the frequency
- Set up a daily check (manual or automated) specifically for new opportunity publications
- Review your last three responses against the evaluation criteria — are they evidence-led, or are they generic?
- Ask yourself whether your pricing reflects the market
How Tandara helps
Tandara monitors UK procurement portals — including the Digital Marketplace where DOS7 opportunities are published — and delivers a daily digest of relevant tenders and opportunities to UK design and digital agencies.
Instead of checking four or five portals yourself, you get a filtered, prioritised email each morning: the opportunities that match your agency's profile, with enough context to decide in two minutes whether to pursue.
For DOS7, this means you see new opportunity publications the day they go live, not three days later when you happen to check.
14-day free trial. No card required. Start at tandara.co.uk.