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The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has set out plans for GEA Pathfinder, a supplier engagement project to explore AI-based solutions that lift efficiency in government departments. The focus is on back‑office functions in finance and HR, targeting repetitive tasks and productivity bottlenecks.

Scope: applying AI to routine government work

Published in October 2025, the notice is short on operational detail but clear on intent. DSIT wants to work with suppliers to test where AI can reduce manual, repeatable work in the civil service. The emphasis is on practical gains in core corporate services such as HR and finance, where high‑volume processes create pressure on teams.

As a pre‑procurement, GEA Pathfinder signals discovery and market engagement rather than a fixed specification. It points to a cycle of exploration, piloting and evidence‑gathering before any full procurement.

The approach chimes with other public sector moves to trial AI in well‑bounded use cases:

• In March 2025, the Department for Transport began exploring options for an AI job application sifting tool for recruitment processes.
• In June 2025, the National Heritage Memorial Fund launched an AI tagging project to automate categorisation of historic grant data and speed up reporting.
• In June 2024, South Cambridgeshire District Council commissioned an AI tool to summarise Local Plan responses, stressing ethical considerations and GDPR compliance.

Taken together, these examples show a steady shift towards applied AI that targets administrative workloads and information processing. GEA Pathfinder aims to extend that logic to central government’s HR and finance operations.

Drivers: productivity and a wider AI adoption push

The stated goals are straightforward: reduce repetitive tasks and improve productivity. That aligns with a broader programme of market engagement around AI across government.

In July 2024, the Department for Work and Pensions ran an information exercise on generative AI services, signalling interest in new tools while testing supplier capability. In June 2024, UKAEA tendered an open‑source searching platform to support security and policy development, reflecting demand for better knowledge management.

Within DSIT’s own orbit, in March 2025 the Government Digital Service sought supplier input on earth observation data access and AI capabilities for the public sector, building on earlier work from the Geospatial Commission, which in August 2022 prepared an Earth Observation Pilot to test collective purchasing. These moves point to an emphasis on discovery, shared infrastructure and reuse.

The strategic backdrop has been in play for some time. In January 2023, the former business department commissioned an evaluation of options to expand AI and ML capability at Digital Catapult, focused on identifying investments that could accelerate adoption across the economy. GEA Pathfinder fits the same pattern of evidence‑led development and market engagement before scaling.

Suppliers: opening the door to a broader market

GEA Pathfinder is framed as an engagement with suppliers, not a single‑solution buy. That matters for two reasons.

• It can bring in a range of vendors, including smaller firms with niche tools.
• It allows DSIT to test multiple approaches to common problems before deciding what to scale.

Other parts of the public sector are also shaping procurement vehicles that aim to widen participation. In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence trailed a digital decision framework designed to engage small and medium‑sized enterprises on AI and machine learning for defence decision‑making. While the context differs, the message is similar: use open frameworks and market engagement to tap a wider supplier base.

Across Europe, public buyers are also prioritising security and governance for AI tooling in administrative settings. In September 2025, a German district sought a secure platform for generative AI in the public sector, with a strong focus on data protection, scalability and governance. That mirrors UK buyers’ emphasis on responsible use, seen in projects like Greater Cambridge’s AI summarisation work, which explicitly called out ethics and GDPR.

What to watch: scope, safeguards and proof of value

GEA Pathfinder is deliberately broad. The aim is to surface credible AI applications that reduce repetitive work in finance and HR and raise productivity. The next steps to watch are:

• Scope and use cases: which HR and finance processes DSIT chooses to prioritise, and how these relate to live initiatives such as recruitment sifting.
• Safeguards: how privacy, security and fairness are built in, echoing approaches seen in Cambridge’s planning project and UKAEA’s information platform.
• Supplier mix: whether the engagement brings in a diverse range of providers, including SMEs, as some frameworks intend.
• Evidence: what metrics DSIT uses to judge productivity gains and whether pilots translate into reusable patterns for other departments.

The public sector is now moving beyond strategy statements to hands‑on trials of AI in everyday operations. By concentrating on back‑office functions, GEA Pathfinder targets an area where the benefits are tangible and the risks can be managed. If DSIT can demonstrate clear savings in time and effort, expect similar discovery exercises to follow in other corporate functions and arm’s‑length bodies.

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