The UK’s new drive towards devolution is changing who buys technology in England – the latest announcements make that shift much more concrete. On 21 August, the government marked the first month of No10 North by confirming that high-performing civil servants will be seconded into mayoral authorities from autumn. In the initial pilot, each of the 18 existing mayoral strategic authorities is expected to receive between five and ten civil servants for six to nine months. The package has been described as the largest ever transfer of Whitehall capacity to local leaders, and is a direct response to requests made by mayors at the first meeting of the National Economic Council at the end of July.
The system allows local leaders to request the skills they need rather than this decision being made for them by central government. Alongside the secondments sit a Digital Devolution programme led by the Government Digital Service, an expansion of the Future Leaders Scheme to mayoral and local authority officials, and a Civil Service Fast Stream pilot in Yorkshire and Humber, with applications opening in October and successful candidates starting in September 2027.
The Digital Devolution programme is the part that should interest technology suppliers most. Its stated aims include creating a common data-sharing model between Whitehall and mayoral authorities, expanding AI and data skills training, and helping local leaders use technology to improve services and support economic growth.
A new kind of customer
Mayoral strategic authorities typically hold responsibility for transport, skills, housing and economic development across a wide area. They work through local authorities rather than delivering directly, and they run comparatively small core teams. That combination produces a distinctive set of technology requirements: data platforms that join up information across organisations, analytics to support decision making, and digital services designed around the specific needs of a region.
Seconded civil servants will bring programme and delivery experience, but their commitment is only for a few months, so they are likely to have an appetite for work that can be scoped, delivered and handed over within a short timeframe.
How suppliers should respond
The data-sharing agenda: A common model between central and mayoral government is a substantial piece of work covering standards, governance, information assurance and the practicalities of moving data between organisations with different systems and different risk appetites. Suppliers with real experience of multi-organisation data sharing, particularly in transport, skills or housing, are likely to be in demand.
Capability building: An explicit goal of this package is to leave local authorities more capable, and less dependent. Proposals that include skills transfer, documentation and a clear exit position will read far better than those that do not.
Engage early and locally: Mayoral authorities publish their own strategies and investment plans, and the priorities vary considerably between regions. Understanding what a particular mayor has promised their area is a better starting point than a generic public sector pitch.
At Bramble Hub, we have long worked with partners serving local and regional government, and we expect this to be one of the most active parts of the market over the next two years. Our thin-prime model exists to make that route simpler for both sides, giving authorities a straightforward contracting arrangement and giving our partners a clear path to delivery.
