Find a TenderAwardedContract award notice

Published 19 Dec 2025, 12:42 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

AI platform for use by Staff and Students at The University Of Kent

Authority: University of Kent (Education)·Consortium: 2 public authorities

ServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableAccelerated

Sectors: Software Packages & ERP (48)IT Services & Software (72) Delivery: North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)

+6 more

East Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)London (UKI)South East (UKJ)South West (UKK)

Published estimate£2,000,000≈ £960k / year · £2,400,000 inc. VAT

Submissions closed 16 Jan 2026awarded 10 Feb 2026

Award (standstill) to OPENAI UK LTD

Contract term 2 yrs 1 moends 1 Apr 2028 · up to 1 Apr 2031 with extensions · starts 27 Feb 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The University of Kent has procured an enterprise-grade Generative AI platform to support teaching, learning, research, accessibility, and operational efficiency. The platform must provide a secure, institutionally governed AI environment; support student learning and staff productivity; reduce institutional risk; and enable scalable, compliant AI use across the university. Full details are available in the documentation. Due to the academic timetable, there are limited opportunities in the year to implement with a target date of approximately April 2026.

How the procedure runs: The procedure is documented inside the Request for Proposal documentation.

CPV: IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support · Software package and information systems

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published

Lot #1AwardedRenewal 2 yrs 1 moPublished value£2,000,000

Contract period: 27 Feb 2026 – 1 Apr 2028 (2 yrs 1 mo) · up to 1 Apr 2031 with extensionsValue: £2,000,000 exc. VAT · £2,400,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: North East, North West, Yorkshire & Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South West

Extensions: nature of the solution is likely to evolve and change over the contract length and therefore the specification and deliverables are likely to change. · 3 x 12 month extension options to be exercised at the Authority's discretion.

48000000 Software package and information systems 72000000 IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2

Economic & financial standing
Detailed in the PSQ that will be supplied at Preferred Bidder stage
Technical & professional ability
Detailed in the RFP documentation including all legislatory and regulatory compliance.

What it takes to win
i
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more

How bids were scored

Quality: 80%Price: 20%

Published sub-criteria (2)

Technical: 80%
Commercial: 20%

Published award criteria (2)

Commercial
Technical

Conditions of participation2

Economic & financial standing
Detailed in the PSQ that will be supplied at Preferred Bidder stage
Technical & professional ability
Detailed in the RFP documentation including all legislatory and regulatory compliance.

What this means for your bid

Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record

Procedure method: Competitive flexible procedure
Legal basis: UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category: Services
Notice status: Awarded
Procurement threshold: Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime: Standard
Commercial structure: Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type: Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered: Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 19 Dec 2025, 12:42 GMT
Last source update: 10 Feb 2026, 18:44 GMT
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 30 Jan 2026
Authority reference: MR25_009
FTS notice number: 2025/S 000-085406
Accelerated: State of urgency
Latest notice: Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV): IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and supportSoftware package and information systems
Delivery area: North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)East Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)London (UKI)South East (UKJ)
+1 more
South West (UKK)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05fa54 Find a Tender

How it runs: The procedure is documented inside the Request for Proposal documentation.

Review and risk notes

Risks: To be explored through clarification with selected bidder.

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: EU-Supply (CTM) · Who buys & how to bid on EU-Supply

Public notice page · account needed to bidElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN

Access & registration note: Free · 5–10 minutes

Submission deadline: 16 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline: 9 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel: Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission: Allowed
Accepted languages: en

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_… ↗

Timeline

19 Dec 2025 → 27 Feb 2026 · 10 dates

Planning notice published313 days ago
19 Dec 2025, 12:42 GMT
Next notice expected312 days ago
20 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
Tender notice published310 days ago
22 Dec 2025, 13:30 GMT
Clarification questions by292 days ago
9 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission deadline285 days ago
16 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Award decision expected by271 days ago
30 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
Assessment summaries sent261 days ago
10 Feb 2026
Latest notice published260 days ago
10 Feb 2026, 18:44 GMT
Standstill ends251 days ago
19 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
Contract starts244 days ago
27 Feb 2026

Notice history

11 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Dec 2025

Preliminary market engagement notice published
19 Dec 2025, 12:42 GMT
UK2
Tender notice published
22 Dec 2025, 13:30 GMT
UK4
Status changed to active
22 Dec 2025, 13:30 GMT
Procurement method changed
22 Dec 2025, 13:30 GMT
Deadline published: 16 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
22 Dec 2025, 13:30 GMT
Buyer details updated
22 Dec 2025, 13:30 GMT
Contract award notice published
10 Feb 2026, 18:44 GMT
UK6
Status changed to complete
10 Feb 2026, 18:44 GMT
Procurement method changed
10 Feb 2026, 18:44 GMT
Buyer details updated
10 Feb 2026, 18:44 GMT
Contract signature expected
20 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
scheduled

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £3,257,0101 award exc. VAT

Bids received 63 from SMEs

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
OPENAI UK LTD20 Feb 2026 – 30 Apr 2028 · up to 30 Apr 2031Extensions: 3 x 12 month extensions subject to performance and budget approval up to a maximum of 5 years, 2 months and 20 days. · Options: Additional capability and capacity is anticipated, however currently cannot be predicted due to the fast speed of development of new functionality in the AI Sector.	£3,257,010	10 Feb 2026standstill to 19 Feb 2026	Standstill

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
6final-stage tenders	3	0	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

The University Of Kent

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PDYN-9654-JPQJ · GB-UKPRN: 10007150 The Registry,, Canterbury, South East, CT2 7NZContact name, email

Consortium members and other public bodies

University of KentContracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentGB-PPON: PDYN-9654-JPQJ Canterbury, Kent, South EastContact name, email, phone

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

OPENAI UK LTDAwarded supplierGB-COH: 14367667GB-PPON: PWPB-5541-NWZV Suite 1, 7th Floor 50 Broadway, London, London, SW1H 0BLContact email

Official documents & specifications (4)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Bidding documents and specificationstenderBidding documents and specificationsAccess: Login to https://uk.eu-supply.com/login.asp?B=UniversityKent

Notices published for this procedure

Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender10 Feb 2026, 18:44 GMT
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender22 Dec 2025, 13:30 GMT
Preliminary market engagement notice planningPreliminary market engagement noticeUK2Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender19 Dec 2025, 12:42 GMT