HMRC is welcoming proposals for its $670MN (£500MN) CCaaS megacontract.
The UK tax authority wishes to replace its legacy systems with a comprehensive omnichannel solution.
Alongside the core product, it hopes the budget will cover the future acquisition and development of add-on solutions.
Additionally, the money should cover additional services. These include service design, implementation, configuration, run & support, and ongoing optimization services.
The contract will span eight years from 19 December 2025 to 16 December 2033. However, HMRC wishes to add a possible one- or two-year contract extensions.
The process has moved swiftly since the tender details were disclosed on 27 May 2025.
Now, prospective CCaaS providers may request to participate in the tender. The deadline for doing so is June 23, 2025, at 11:59pm (GMT).
How the Tender Process Works
In UK Government tendering processes, an Invitation to Tender (ITT) or Request for Proposal (RFP) is typically issued.
The buyer – HMRC in this case – publicly advertises the opportunity and provides a detailed document outlining the project, which represents the current stage of this tender.
Next, potential suppliers submit proposals in response to the ITT/RFP, detailing pricing, technical specifications, timelines, and other relevant information.
Following submission, HMRC conducts an evaluation based on the predefined criteria in the ITT/RFP.
The final stage involves selecting the winning bidder and formalizing the agreement through a contract award.
Possible Front Runners for the CCaaS Megadeal
While all are welcome to join a bid, multiple vendors are considered front-runners for the contract.
With Content Guru being the UK’s largest CCaaS provider, it’s one to watch, especially given how it recently secured a FedRAMP High certification.
The accolade rubberstamps a cloud service provider’s ability to serve the public sector and handle sensitive data.
While it is a US-based certification, it may resonate with global enterprises and government agencies that are especially cautious about security and compliance.
AWS is the only other CCaaS provider to publicly announce the FedRAMP High accolade, and, as a Gartner Magic Quadrant leader, it may well be in the running.
NICE is another big name in CCaaS and has won two mega-contracts in the public sector over the past 12 months alone. This could stand them in good stead should they put in a formal bid.
The great depth of the field in the CCaaS lineup extends to Microsoft, which has an extremely tight history with the UK government and is on the books across different departments. While its CCaaS solution may be less mature, never rule the tech giant out.
Many would suspect that industry stalwarts such as Cisco, Five9, and Genesys are also in the running.
Cisco is worth specific attention for its extensive expertise in security architecture, offering itself as a key differentiator in a crowded field.
Its expertise is particularly pertinent following a spate of cyber attacks in the UK, including those of government agencies.
Most recently, a cyber attack on the UK legal aid agency exposed data, including criminal records.
HMRC Is Also Looking for CRM Vendors in a Separate Tender
HMRC has also kick-started the tender process for a new CRM platform, setting a budget of $1.34BN (£1BN). It will likely soon start welcoming proposals for this, too.
The organization also hopes its provider will present specialist identification and verification (ID&V), fraud prevention, and Secure Digital Exchange & Communication (SDEC) software.
Possible frontrunners are Salesforce, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and ServiceNow.
