Involve Visual Collaboration Ltd v The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Facts

The claimant, Involve Visual Collaboration Ltd, is a limited company specialising in audio-visual collaboration solutions and the incumbent provider of audio-visual services to the Department for Work and Pensions, supplying the Health Assessment and Universal Credit directorates through a third-party platform known as "Attend Anywhere" under a contract dated 1 December 2021. On 25 June 2024 the defendant published an invitation to tender for a strategic video channels solution, requiring bidders to submit Qualification, Technical and Commercial Envelopes, with a minimum threshold score on Technical Merit questions including Question 6.4 on GOV.UK styles. The claimant tendered on 2 August 2024, proposing its SQOD platform with a masked URL. Three evaluators initially moderated a consensus score of 7, but one evaluator maintained that URL masking did not meet the requirement for integration within DWP web pages; the defendant re-opened moderation of all bids on that question, replaced an evaluator who had gone on maternity leave, and on re-moderation on 19 December 2024 agreed a score of 1. By contract award notice dated 7 April 2025 the claimant was excluded and the contract awarded to Accenture (UK) Limited. The claimant issued proceedings on 24 April 2025 alleging breaches of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, and this trial determined liability, causation and remedies save for quantum.