Find a TenderClosedTender notice
Published 12 May 2026, 15:16 BST

Official UK procurement notice

BNU-2512-346 Student Management System & Associated Services

Official notice

Authority: Buckinghamshire New University (Education)

ServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove threshold
Published estimate£9,000,000≈ £1.8m / year · £10,800,000 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 10 Jun 2026
Contract term 5 yrsends 7 Dec 2031 · up to 7 Dec 2036 with extensions · starts 8 Dec 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

BNU is undertaking a Competitive Flexible Procedure for the procurement of a Student Management System and associated services. Through this procurement exercise, BNU is seeking to upgrade its current Student Management System QLS, implemented around 2001. It is widely used across BNU to meet academic, legal, contractual, and business-related needs. This is an opportunity for the supply of Services to BNU. This opportunity requires Suppliers to demonstrate they have a proven track record of successfully delivering similar requirements to Universities at similar scale and who can deliver a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution within aggressive timelines. Suppliers are expected to provide a detailed proposal, aligned with BNU's terms and conditions as set out in the draft Contract, outlining their approach to delivering a fully operational Student Management solution. The system should be fully implemented by July 2029. The PSQ Guidance document which incorporates the PSQ, contains appendices which include the draft Requirement, the draft Invitation to Tender Questions/Award Criteria and the draft Contract. The PSQ Guidance document will be available to Suppliers upon receipt of expression of interest via the e-tendering portal InTend. The draft Requirement provides further detail for this opportunity.

This is a two stage Competitive Flexible Procedure. The closing date to respond to this Tender Notice is 10 June 2026 at 16:00pm. The process will be in two stages.

Stage 1 is a selection stage and includes enough detail for interested Suppliers to respond to the PSQ and Conditions of Participation. The Conditions of Participation are as set out in the PSQ.

Stage 2 is the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage. Suppliers responding to Stage 1 will be evaluated and down-selected to the 3 highest scoring Suppliers to participate in Stage 2. The procurement will not involve any negotiation or dialogue.

Please review the timetable within the PSQ guidance document set for more details. BNU is seeking to award a contract for an initial term of five (5) years (plus the Onboarding Phase at the start, as defined in the Draft Contract) with the provision to extend for a further five (5) years in one year increments, commencing on approximately 8th December 2026.

Key dependencies: Suppliers should note that the University is currently undertaking an ongoing Continuous Improvement Programme which is expected to continue throughout the Procurement and into the duration of any resulting contract. Further information in relation to how this may impact on the Requirements and the procurement process is included in the PSQ Guidance document.

  • The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Dec 2030, 23:59 GMT.
  • How the procedure runs: The procurement will be conducted using two stages. The first stage is a selection stage including PSQ and COP. Buckingham New University (“BNU”) will evaluate responses to the PSQ and shortlist the 3 highest scoring Suppliers. The shortlisted Suppliers from the PSQ stage will be invited to submit a Tender via the ITT (second stage). There will be no negotiation or dialogue as part of the procurement process.

CPV: Custom software development services · Educational software package · IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support · Software implementation services · System and support services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 5 yrsPublished value£9,000,000
Contract period: 8 Dec 2026 – 7 Dec 2031 (5 yrs) · up to 7 Dec 2036 with extensionsValue: £9,000,000 exc. VAT · £10,800,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: South East
Extensions: Five extensions in one year increments 1+1+1+1+1

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: 70%Price: 30%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Price: BNU may, in line with the provisions of section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023, exercise its right to refine award criteria as the procurement progresses. As stated in Appendix 7 and 8 of the PSQ Guidance Document, which can be downloaded from the InTend e-tendering portal.
  • Quality: BNU may, in line with the provisions of section 24 of the Procurement Act 2023, exercise its right to refine award criteria as the procurement progresses. As stated in Appendix 7 and 8 of the PSQ Guidance Document, which can be downloaded from the InTend e-tendering portal.
What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 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
Closed
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
Yes · next expected 1 Dec 2030
First published
12 May 2026, 15:16 BST
Last source update
12 May 2026, 15:16 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 2 Dec 2026
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-043538
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Custom software development servicesEducational software packageIT services: consulting, software development, Internet and supportSoftware implementation servicesSystem and support services
Delivery area
South East (UKJ13)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0696d4 Find a Tender
Contract terms summary

As stated in Appendix 7 (Q4 Invitation to Tender Question set) and Clause 11 of the Draft Contract, which can be downloaded from the InTend e-tendering portal: in-tendhost.co.uk/bucksnewuni/aspx/Home ↗

How it runs

The procurement will be conducted using two stages. The first stage is a selection stage including PSQ and COP. Buckingham New University (“BNU”) will evaluate responses to the PSQ and shortlist the 3 highest scoring Suppliers. The shortlisted Suppliers from the PSQ stage will be invited to submit a Tender via the ITT (second stage). There will be no negotiation or dialogue as part of the procurement process.

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: In-tend · Who buys & how to bid on In-tend
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · one account per buying organisation's portal · reCAPTCHA on signup
Requests to participate (first stage)
10 Jun 2026, 16:00 BST
Submission deadline
10 Jun 2026, 16:00 BST
Clarification deadline
29 May 2026, 23:59 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Via the e-tendering portal, InTend (in-tendhost.co.uk/bucksnewuni/aspx/Home ↗). Suppliers can register for an account via InTend. If you identify a technical issue, use the help feature or contact the Technical Support Team without delay via the following contact point at:

Phone: 0845 557 8079

Email: [email protected]

Timeline

12 May 2026 → 8 Dec 2026 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published168 days ago
    12 May 2026, 15:16 BST
  2. Clarification questions by151 days ago
    29 May 2026, 23:59 BST
  3. Submission deadline139 days ago
    10 Jun 2026, 16:00 BST
  4. Today
    28 Oct 2026
  5. Award decision expected byin 35 days
    2 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
  6. Contract startsin 40 days
    8 Dec 2026

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    12 May 2026, 15:16 BST
    UK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Buckinghamshire New University

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PZTZ-8956-MMQT Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe, South East, HP11 2JZContact email

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Bidding documents and specificationstenderBidding documents and specificationsAccess: Documents can be downloaded from the InTend e-tendering portal (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/bucksnewuni/aspx/Home)

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender