A new digital marketplace is being built to refresh how the public sector buys technology.

It is hoped the shake up will unlock £1.2 billion in annual savings, save time and give public servants the power to rate suppliers.

The National Digital Exchange (NDX) aims to make it faster and easier to buy the right technology and aims to drive forward the government’s Plan for Change: 'helping to deliver simpler, smarter, and more responsive public services for the people who rely on them, while ensuring better value for taxpayers'.

The platform aims to allow teams across the public sector to access pre-approved tech deals at nationally negotiated prices, with an AI-powered engine that matches them with suppliers based on what they actually need.

The platform is also designed to open the market to more UK tech firms, with a target to boost small business involvement in government contracts by 40 per cent within three years.

The recent State of Digital Government report found that 209 NHS secondary care organisations and 320 local councils go it alone when negotiating tech contracts.

With the new system, users will be able to rate and review what they’ve bought.

Minister for AI and digital government, Feryal Clark said: "We’ve all heard the stories - months of red tape, tech that doesn’t deliver, and money wasted. That’s not good enough for the people we serve.

"The National Digital Exchange aims to change that. It will make it faster, fairer, and focused on what works - with real reviews, upfront pricing and smart AI to match buyers with the right suppliers in hours.

"It’s a clear example of our Plan for Change in action: cutting waste, boosting innovation, and backing British tech to deliver better public services."