Crisis Resilience Fund integrated software

Crisis Resilience Fund (CRF) As of 1 April 2026, the UK Government's new Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) will replace the Household Support Fund (HSF) to continue providing a safety net for low-income households facing financial shocks while also investing in longer-term financial resilience and community support. To approve the procurement of digital solutions via a direct award which can make eligible crisis payments via compliant and secure portals whilst maintaining effective and robust monitoring and evaluation of the fund for reporting purposes. The challenging timescales limit the possibility of undertaking a full procurement process and any delay in delivery risks financial hardship to residents and reputational damage. Specifically, this exception paper requests procurement of Plinth and Huggg software to meet the requirements of CRF.