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C3’s AI-based payment-by-voice system

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Advances in AI are changing how voice can be used in payment journeys, especially in the contact centre. Our partner C3 – short for Computer & Communications Co. – is using that progress to make telephone payments easier for customers, while also improving security and providing full PCI compliance. We spoke to C3 director John Wood to learn more about the company’s payment solutions.

For many organisations, phone payments still create unnecessary friction. Customers may have to read out long card numbers, repeat information, or switch awkwardly between speaking to an agent and using a keypad. At the same time, organisations need to make sure payment handling is secure and compliant.

C3’s Payment By Voice capability is designed to remove that friction. Using an AI-driven voice recognition platform, it allows customers to provide payment details naturally over the phone, with information captured in real time for both assisted and automated services.

In an assisted payment journey, the agent can move the call into a secure voice capture mode while staying in control of the conversation. The customer simply speaks their card details, and the system captures the information directly, without the agent hearing the sensitive data. The agent can still see a live transcript, which helps the conversation continue smoothly.

The same principle applies in automated payment services. Instead of working through rigid menus and manually entering strings of numbers, callers can simply say their account or reference number, date of birth, postcode and card details. That makes the process feel more conversational and less stressful.

John says that this matters because it reduces effort for callers while lowering retries, errors and dropouts. He also emphasises that PCI compliance is often a deciding factor in payment projects, especially where live agents are still taking payments.

C3 positions voice as an enhancement rather than a replacement. Traditional keypad entry remains available for callers who are in a noisy environment, have privacy concerns, or simply prefer that option. That flexibility helps organisations improve the user experience without compromising security or accessibility.

As John points out, payments are not a marginal process. They are an essential part of service delivery, and making them easier and more secure can help organisations improve both revenue collection and customer satisfaction.

For councils, housing associations and other organisations handling high volumes of inbound payments, that creates a strong case for modernising the telephony experience. C3’s voice payment capability shows how AI can be used in a practical way, not as a gimmick, but as a tool to make payment journeys smoother, safer and easier to complete.

Bramble Hub is proud to offer C3’s payment solutions across the UK public sector via a selection of procurement frameworks.

Imperial Civil Enforcement to process penalty charge notices for North Northamptonshire Council

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Bramble Hub and our partner Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutions have won a contract to supply North Northamptonshire Council.

The project will deliver the processing of penalty charge notices for traffic management and bus lane enforcement. This includes the provision of a managed web system, secure payment reconciliation, and automated statutory mailing services.

North Northamptonshire Council is the unitary local authority responsible for providing public services to residents and businesses in Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, and Wellingborough.

Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutions provides fully integrated business processing and IT solutions for parking, environmental, and traffic management systems to public authorities across the UK.

This project was procured through the Vertical Application Solutions framework RM6259, under Lot 3 for Housing, Environmental and Planning Solutions.

Bramble Hub and 848 Group secure IT managed services contract with Greater Manchester Pension Fund

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Bramble Hub, and our partner 848 Group, have been appointed as IT Managed Services Provider for Northern LGPS Ltd, which operates pension funds including the Greater Manchester Pension Fund.

Under the two-year contract (with a further two-year extension option), 848 Group will deliver a fully managed IT service, spanning end-user device management, Microsoft 365 administration, identity and access management, service desk support, infrastructure oversight and cyber security operations.

848 Group is an independently owned IT Managed Services Provider and Microsoft Certified Solutions Partner, delivering cloud-first IT consultancy, managed services, and security solutions across the UK since 2010.

This project was secured through the GCA Technology Services 4 framework, under Lot 3 (End User Services).

Michael Page Consulting working with UKRI to analyse IT costs

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Bramble Hub, working with our partner Michael Page Consulting, has been awarded a contract by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to deliver an IT cost review.

The engagement will provide specialist consultancy to review elements of UKRI’s IT costs, helping the organisation gain valuable insight to support future decision-making. The work will be delivered over a focused engagement, drawing on specialist expertise while maintaining a practical, evidence-based approach.

UK Research and Innovation is the UK’s national funding agency for research and innovation. It brings together the UK’s research councils, Innovate UK and Research England to invest in research, innovation and the development of new knowledge that benefits society and the economy.

The contract has been awarded through GCA’s Management Consultancy Framework Four, Lot 4 – Finance.

ProfilerLive and Bramble Hub to provide competency platform to NHS trust

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Bramble Hub and our partner ProfilerLive have secured a contract with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to provide the ProfilerLive training and competency management platform, supporting the Trust’s Physiological Services teams.

Under the agreement, the ProfilerLive cloud-based platform will be provided, alongside onboarding, configuration, data migration and stakeholder training services. The solution will support the management of staff training, competency assessment and compliance activities across the service.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, providing acute and specialist healthcare services across multiple hospital sites in London. The Trust delivers a broad range of clinical, research and teaching activities, serving a diverse patient population across the capital.

ProfilerLive is a specialist training and competency management platform, designed to help healthcare organisations manage workforce capability, maintain competency records and support regulatory and governance requirements. The platform provides a structured approach to training, assessment and reporting, enabling organisations to maintain oversight of workforce skills and compliance.

This contract was awarded through the NHS SBS Cloud Solutions 2 framework, providing Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust with a compliant route to procure the solution and associated professional services.

Bramble Hub and Integrated Skills support Dundee City Council routing services

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Bramble Hub and Integrated Skills have secured a contract with Dundee City Council to provide RouteSmart and Smart Suite software and services.

The contract will provide Dundee City Council with continued access to advanced route optimisation and operational planning software, supporting the council’s ongoing service delivery requirements.

Dundee City Council is the local authority for Dundee, Scotland’s fourth-largest city, serving a population of around 150,000 residents. The council delivers a wide range of essential public services and supports the city’s continued economic, social and environmental development.

Integrated Skills is a specialist provider of RouteSmart solutions and operational optimisation services. Through its expertise in route planning, fleet efficiency and service management technologies, the organisation helps public sector bodies improve operational performance and resource utilisation.

The award was made through the  RM6259 Vertical Application Solutions framework from Government Commercial Agency (GCA), which provides a compliant route for public sector organisations to procure specialist software solutions.

GCA extends audit and assurance services framework

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The Government Commercial Agency’s (GCA) Audit & Assurance Services Two (A&AS2) framework has been extended by one year and will now run until 21 July 2029, giving public sector buyers a longer planning horizon for their assurance needs.

Bramble Hub participates as a thin-prime supplier on Lot 4 of the framework, which covers independent assurance beyond traditional internal and external audits, supporting robust risk, governance and value‑for‑money outcomes.

AI sovereignty: Liz Kendall’s landmark speech on Britain’s AI future

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“The countries which harness AI will not only lead the race to cure diseases, discover new materials and create trillion-dollar companies… but also build far more powerful militaries. Put simply, AI is now the engine of economic power and hard power. And the future is coming at us fast… not in the next few decades but the next few years.”

The UK government made a major statement of intent in late April when Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall, delivered a speech at the Royal United Services Institute that reframed artificial intelligence not just as an economic opportunity, but as a matter of national security.

For public sector buyers and suppliers, it’s a speech worth examining carefully, because the policy direction it sets out will shape how government buys and deploys AI for years to come.

Sovereignty without isolationism

The central argument Kendall made was nuanced. ‘AI sovereignty’ does not mean severing ties with global technology providers or retreating behind national borders. Instead, she defined it as reducing dangerous over-dependencies and building genuine resilience, ensuring that Britain retains meaningful leverage over the technologies underpinning its vital infrastructure.

This is an important distinction. The UK will continue to work with international partners and global technology companies, but the government has decided that in an uncertain geopolitical world, simply relying on dominant US or Chinese AI platforms is not a sustainable or safe strategy.

Backing British AI

“If we retreat from progress we retreat from the world, leaving this powerful technology to be exploited by other nations to their advantage and our disadvantage.”

The first practical commitment flowing from this vision is a decisive push to back British AI companies, particularly in sectors where the UK already holds genuine competitive strengths.

This builds directly on the UK’s new Sovereign AI Fund, launched just two weeks before Kendall’s speech. The Fund commits £500 million to a package of support for British AI startups, including:

  • Access to supercomputing infrastructure
  • Fast-tracked visas for international R&D talent
  • Legal fee support for companies choosing to incorporate in the UK

The message to the tech sector is clear: the government wants world-class AI companies to be built here.

For suppliers to the public sector, this matters because it signals a government preference for homegrown solutions when they are available. AI vendors and technology consultancies with a strong British footprint will be well-placed to benefit from this policy direction.

Setting AI governance standards

The second major thrust of Kendall’s speech was about international standard-setting. Rather than allowing the US and China to write the rules governing how AI is deployed globally, the the government is actively working with a coalition of “middle-power” nations – including Germany, Canada, Japan, and Australia – to help shape global best practice. Britain chairs an international network of AI Security Institutes, which will publish guidance on evaluating AI models at its next meeting. The ambition here is not merely technical: it is geopolitical. The UK wants to be a rule-setter, not a rule-taker.

For organisations operating across borders, or working with international clients, this growing framework of AI governance standards will increasingly define what responsible AI deployment looks like in practice.

Other UK initiatives

One of the most concrete announcements from the speech was a commitment to develop a UK AI hardware plan, focusing on chips and semiconductor technologies across the full AI stack. This plan, to be published in June, will focus on developing existing AI chip design capabilities in the UK.

Alongside the sovereignty agenda, practical AI deployment in government services is accelerating fast. An AI assistant called GOV.UK Chat is set to roll out to users of the GOV.UK app during 2026, with a wider website release planned once further testing is complete.

The government’s AI Commercial Strategy, which was published as part of the AI Opportunities Action Plan in January 2026, remains the operational guide for how departments will procure AI tools. Crucially, it prioritises buying from the market first before investing in building bespoke solutions in-house. For specialist technology suppliers and consultancies, this is good news.

The opportunity for suppliers

Britain’s direction of travel is unmistakeable. As the public sector moves from pilot AI projects to real deployment at scale, the government wants capable, trustworthy suppliers – most of all British ones – to help deliver it. Suppliers who can demonstrate expertise in AI integration, data governance, and responsible deployment are well positioned to benefit from the government’s push to develop our AI sector.

NHS capital investment is improving, but there’s still a long way to go

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Our partner Burrum River Advisory specialises in helping public sector organisations manage their investment strategies. In particular, Bramble Hub and Burrum have won contracts with several NHS organisations to help change the way capital is managed and allocated. Matt Custance from Burrum recently published an article examining what has changed for the better, and what still remains to be done. Matt brings both good and less good news:

The good news about NHS capital investment

  • Approval limits for providers have increased, so more schemes can in theory be agreed locally without always needing national sign‑off.

  • Business case processes are clearer and less duplicative than they were, which should make it easier to navigate the approvals journey.

  • There is more visibility of capital allocations over multiple years.

The less good news

  • The overall capital envelope remains tight and is still vulnerable to being used to shore up day‑to‑day financial pressures, rather than backing long‑term change.

  • Strong central controls and continuing Treasury scepticism mean that turning good ideas into funded, approved projects is still slow and uncertain.

  • Many systems struggle to turn strategy into a robust pipeline of well‑designed, “finishable” schemes, so progress on the ground can feel fragile and stop‑start.

Click here to read the full article at Burrum’s website

Public sector AI spending surges

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The UK public sector awarded £1.17 billion in artificial intelligence contracts in 2025, more than doubling the previous year’s spend and marking the biggest single year for government AI procurement on record.

The figures, drawn from public contract data and presented in Tussell’s AI procurement tracker, represent a 102% increase on 2024 – a surge that signals AI has moved firmly from pilot projects into mainstream government procurement. Across health, defence, education, and central government, public bodies are now committing significant budgets to AI-driven tools and services.

The milestone reflects a broader trend of accelerating technology investment across the public sector, which now spends an estimated £16.6 billion per year directly with technology suppliers, making it one of the largest and most stable markets for tech and digital consultancy firms in the UK.

Defence and education lead the way

While AI adoption is spreading across government, defence and education are seeing the most significant growth in overall IT spending. Defence contracts are being driven by demands for data analytics, cybersecurity, and intelligence capabilities, while the education sector is investing heavily in digital connectivity and infrastructure.

The education sector’s growing appetite for AI tools was underlined in February 2026 when the University of Kent became the first public sector body to award a contract directly to OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT platform. The agreement marks a significant moment for the industry: prominent AI firms are now active participants in the UK public sector supply chain, not merely aspiring ones.

From experimentation to procurement

For technology suppliers, the data confirms what many have seen on the ground: government buyers are moving beyond tentative experimentation. Budget holders who once requested small pilots are now commissioning multi-year contracts with defined deliverables. Procurement teams are developing more sophisticated evaluation criteria for AI products, and frameworks such as G-Cloud and TS4 offer routes to market for AI solutions.

The shift also brings new scrutiny. The Procurement Act 2023, now fully in force, demands greater transparency and rigour from both buyers and suppliers. AI contracts are no exception – public bodies are under pressure to document how AI tools are assessed for bias, accuracy, and data security before procurement decisions are made.

Opportunities for suppliers

For technology and consultancy firms targeting the public sector, the figures present a compelling opportunity – but also a competitive one. The Tussell Tech200 – which ranks the 200 fastest-growing government tech suppliers by revenue growth – contains numerous SMEs, with 56% of this year’s list being small or medium-sized businesses.

US-headquartered companies, including OpenAI, are showing the strongest revenue growth in the government market. However, nearly 70% of the fastest-growing tech suppliers are UK-based, suggesting that domestic firms still hold a structural advantage in navigating public sector procurement processes, building trusted relationships, and meeting requirements around data residency and national security.

What comes next

With the UK government’s annual spending review having allocated £86 billion for science and technology investment, the pipeline for AI and digital contracts is expected to remain strong through 2026 and beyond. Central government departments, NHS bodies, and local authorities are all at different stages of AI adoption, meaning the market is still growing rapidly.

For suppliers, the message is clear: government appetite for AI is no longer a question. The race now is to demonstrate value and build credibility within the public sector. Bramble Hub is a supplier on several tech-related frameworks, providing buyers a broad selection of trusted partners via a range of frameworks.

Bramble Hub works with a number of AI-specialist partners and can supply services via a selection of frameworks including G-Cloud and Technology Services 4.

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