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Guidance

Digital and technology spend control version 6

Follow this guidance for digital and technology spend requests submitted via the get approval to spend service.

Updates to this page

From:
Government Digital Service and Central Digital and Data Office
Published:
23 February 2024
Last updated:
10 October 2025
Show all updates

  1. Removed Top 75 criterion from the Risk and Importance framework as this is no longer current. Also minor updates to 'Platforms and common components' and 'Resourcing contracts' descriptions for clarity

  2. New email address for GDS assurance team due to recent DSIT machinery of government transfer

  3. Clarification to question 3 on resource contracts.

  4. Updated the assurance inbox to gdsassurance@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk

  5. Added the requirement to publish a record using the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) for any algorithmic tools involved in decision making with public impact to the digital and data function’s strategic commitments. Removal of bullet referring to 'non agile phases' on Version 6 policy under Spend approval points. Several changes to the Risk and Importance policy. Financial threshold value changes for digital services and platforms and common components. Transaction threshold value per annum changes for digital services. Removal of the user needs question. The addition of a new spend category for 'resourcing contracts'. Changes to the spend category descriptions to be aligned with text on the Get approval to spend service. Minor editorial changes . Reformatting of table columns and cell contents to read from "low" to "high" .

  6. Changes to Version 6 policy to add missing links for Get approval to spend service and Strategic commitments Re-ordering of rows on digital and technology spend thresholds table in order of increasing threshold value Clarification to scope of digital and technology spend control

  7. First published.

This publication was withdrawn on

This guidance has now been replaced by the Digital Assurance Playbook.

Documents

Digital and technology spend control version 6

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Risk and Importance Framework

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Digital and data function’s strategic commitments

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Earned autonomy

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Assurance capability criteria

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Assurance capability criteria spreadsheet

ODS, 6.93 KB

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Set up an assurance board for digital and technology

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Create a digital and technology spend controls pipeline

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Details

Use version 5 of the digital and technology spend controls policy until GDS has told you to use this version. If you’re not sure which version to use contact your internal assurance team or GDS.

Contact

Email digital-spend-assurance@dsit.gov.uk for questions on the digital and technology spend control process.

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