102451 Safety Tech Challenge Fund

Tender description

Managed Service requirement for design and administration of the Safety Tech Challenge Fund. A competition challenging UK Safety Tech firms to develop innovative technological solutions addressing the challenges faced by the move by online platforms to end-to-end encrypted environments. The service required will fall into 3 distinct phases: 1) Design and Preparation of the competition; 2) Launch and Application and 3) Development and Assessment. Lot 1: Description of procurement: DCMS requires an external supplier to deliver the Safety Tech Challenge Fund, a competition challenging safety tech firms to develop innovative technological solutions to address online abuse. The Supplier will be required to lead on the delivery of the competition, including designing and administering successive phases in line with the direction and timeframe specified by HMG, including the delivery, monitoring and assurance of grant funding to selected companies. The challenge should be launched and invite applications by August/September 2021, and be open until 31 March 2022. Throughout these phases, the Supplier will: be required to lead on the design, delivery and administration of the competition, including allocation of grant prizes; provide publicity and communications for the competition, working with relevant Departmental Press Offices. The Supplier will not: Make final decisions regarding the choice of firms to be awarded grants or prizes, except through the sift of applications at the assessment phase. The Fund sponsors (DCMS, Home Office, GCHQ) have decision-making authority in this regard The outcome of the challenge will be the development of technological solutions with the potential to create lasting impact by improving the capability of companies to detect harmful and illegal content and behaviour, while respecting user privacy. In doing this, the challenge will also aim to create an environment for the forging of partnerships and the exchange of expertise between safety tech innovators and those who use their products.