We are commissioning digital agencies, charities, PLCs and other orgs that have relevant experience to work alongside the Catalyst core team and charities to help understand and respond to urgent challenges. These agencies/organisations are commissioned through an open procurement process (known as 'open briefs') to work with charities are known as 'digital partners'.

Urgent challenges include:

• Supporting civil society to respond to COVID-19: challenges are focused on the most urgent needs of organisations working with those hardest hit by this pandemic;

• Helping identify and pull in resources that could help charities through the current crisis;

• Building innovation and capacity with civil society organisations and across the sector;

• Building skills and knowledge within charities and civil society organisations, so they can make the changes they need to their services;

• Helping charities understand what their biggest challenges are, and what should be the highest priority;

• Designing and implementing new or improved services; and

• Capturing what is working (and what isn’t) to contribute to shared best practice.

Reuse and sharing widely

Catalyst strongly encourages the reuse of existing tools, systems and approaches where possible, with teams building on what has been already created if needed.

If the need has been identified to create something new, the digital partner will ensure that this could be of use to other organisations. Everything created by digital partners will be published on the Catalyst website to enable sharing and reuse.

Who can become a digital partner?

Due to the size of contracts being awarded, we cannot consider applications from individuals working on their own as freelancers, nor from those who have set up their own personal service company which basically employs only themselves. As part of the eligibility process we will check that you are a properly constituted organisation that is up to date in its filings at Companies House or equivalent.

In order to be eligible to become a digital partner, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be aligned with the values in the Catalyst Charter​

• Be incorporated in the UK (e.g. a registered entity with Companies House or charity with the Charity Commission)

• Be insured (£250k prof. indemnity, £5M public liability, £10M employers liability)

• Have the capacity/availability to engage

• Have up to date accounts and be financially viable long term

• Have privacy, safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion and GDPR policies

• Have the skills and experience necessary