User Vision Joins the New DOS 7 Framework - Making Public Sector UX Procurement Simpler

User Vision Appointed to the DOS 7 Framework (RM1043.9)

We're pleased to announce that User Vision has been appointed as an approved supplier on the new Digital Outcomes and Specialists 7 (DOS 7) framework(this will open in a new window), reference RM1043.9, administered by the Government Commercial Agency (formerly Crown Commercial Service).

For public sector organisations, this means one thing above all else: accessing specialist user research, user-centred design, and accessibility expertise just got a great deal simpler.

What is the DOS 7 Framework?

DOS 7 (RM1043.9) represents a significant consolidation in government procurement, merging the scope of the previous Digital Outcomes 6 and Digital Specialists and Programmes frameworks into a single agreement - bringing project-based outcomes, larger-scale partnerships, and individual specialist roles under one umbrella.

The framework supports delivery across all Government Service Manual agile lifecycle phases - from discovery and alpha through to beta, live, and retirement - enabling user-centred design services that build digital products and services meeting citizen needs.

For buyers, DOS 7 means clearer lots, a unified place to find suppliers, and faster, compliant access to skills for programmes including AI adoption, data platforms, and user-centred services.

The framework is open to the full breadth of public sector buyers: central government departments, local authorities, education institutions, NHS and health bodies, criminal justice organisations, and defence.

Rather than running a full tender every time you need specialist capability, DOS 7 provides a pre-approved, compliant route to suppliers that have already been evaluated - saving procurement teams considerable time and cost.

The Lots We're Appointed To

User Vision has secured a place on three of the four lots:

Lot 1 – Digital Outcomes - This lot is for organisations that need a supplier to provide a full team to research, test, design, build, release, or iterate a digital service. Projects are defined by the results they need to achieve - such as a beta version of a service or a discovery report - making it suitable for end-to-end delivery of digital products. Under this lot, we bring together the full range of skills needed to deliver research-led, user-centred digital services that meet the Government Service Standard: user research, UX strategy, service design, experience evaluation, and accessibility - all within a single, coordinated engagement.

Lot 3 – Digital Specialists - This lot is for buyers who manage their own projects but need to plug temporary resource gaps with experts who have specific skills. Whether you need a senior user researcher to lead a discovery phase, a service designer to map end-to-end journeys, or an accessibility specialist to review compliance against WCAG 2.2 and the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations - we can provide experienced practitioners who embed seamlessly into your existing team.

Lot 4 – User Research Studios and Participants - This lot allows buyers to hire studio space to test digital services. Our three purpose-built research studios in Edinburgh - designed by researchers, for researchers - offer state-of-the-art facilities for moderated usability testing, remote research support, focus groups, and co-design sessions. They are built specifically with inclusive research in mind, supporting government teams in testing with the full diversity of citizens their services must serve.

Specialist Capability Across the Entire Delivery Lifecycle

What distinguishes User Vision on this framework isn't simply the range of lots we're appointed to - it's the depth of specialist expertise we bring to each of them.

Over 26 years, we've worked with government at every level: from HMRC and the Scottish Government to NHS bodies and local authorities. We understand the pressures public sector teams face - the demands of GDS assessments, the requirements of accessibility legislation, the need to evidence value for money, and the challenge of building and maintaining user-centred capability in-house.

Whether you're procuring under Lot 1 for a full project team, embedding a specialist through Lot 3, or hiring our studios for your own research programme under Lot 4, you'll be working with a consultancy that has been doing this since before digital public services were even a defined discipline.

Our services span the complete research and design lifecycle. We conduct the user research that uncovers genuine citizen needs. We design and evaluate services against usability and accessibility standards. We run experience evaluations that identify barriers before they reach citizens. And we provide UX strategy that gives teams the foundations to make confident, evidence-based decisions. Critically, inclusive design runs through all of it - not as a separate workstream, but as the way we work.

For public sector teams under increasing scrutiny to evidence WCAG 2.2 compliance, to meet the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations, and to demonstrate that services genuinely work for disabled users and those with access needs, having a specialist partner available through a pre-approved framework - one that can be engaged quickly and compliantly - is a meaningful operational advantage.

How to Work With Us Through DOS 7

You can find User Vision listed on the Digital Marketplace under framework RM1043.9.

If you have an upcoming discovery, a service requiring an accessibility review, a research programme that needs professional studio facilities, or a team that needs specialist UX capability embedded within it - we'd welcome a conversation.

Get in touch with our team →