Find a TenderAwardedContract details notice

Published 10 Dec 2025, 16:05 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Contract for Impact Evaluation of the OfS APP approach

Official notice

Authority: Office for Students (Central government)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable

Sectors: Business Services & Consultancy (79) Delivery: South West (UKK1)

Published estimate£345,000≈ £218k / year · £414,000 inc. VAT3% below published estimate

Submissions closed 21 Jan 2026awarded 24 Feb 2026

Awarded to Ecorys UK Limited

Contract term 1 yr 7 moends 30 Sept 2027 · up to 31 Dec 2030 with extensions · starts 9 Mar 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The access and participation plan (APP) is the main lever through which the OfS regulates equality of opportunity at the provider level. In the context of higher education, ‘equality of opportunity’ means that individuals are not hampered in accessing and succeeding in higher education as a result of their background or circumstances they cannot fairly influence. An APP is a strategic document that sets out how a provider will reduce the risks to equality of opportunity within their own context.

The OfS wants to evaluate the long-term impact of the OfS’s APP approach and would like to appoint a single supplier to deliver a theory based evaluation.

The aim of the evaluation is to understand whether the elements of the APP approach are effective in achieving change in provider behaviour and contributing to improving equality of opportunity for higher education students, from its initiation in 2018 to the 2023 reforms.

CPV: Evaluation consultancy services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published

Lot #1AwardedRenewal 1 yr 7 moSMEPublished value£345,000

Contract period: 9 Mar 2026 – 30 Sept 2027 (1 yr 7 mo) · up to 31 Dec 2030 with extensionsValue: £345,000 exc. VAT · £414,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: South WestEligibility: SME eligible

Extensions: 1

79419000 Evaluation consultancy services

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: 85%Price: 15%

Published award criteria (2)

Price
Quality

What this means for your bid

Price carries 15 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 1.5 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: Open 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: Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 10 Dec 2025, 16:05 GMT
Last source update: 8 Apr 2026, 12:13 BST
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 24 Feb 2026
Authority reference: PRN2470
FTS notice number: 2025/S 000-081649
Latest notice: Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV): Evaluation consultancy services
Delivery area: South West (UKK1)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05f318 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: Delta eSourcing · Who buys & how to bid on Delta

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

Access & registration note: Free Select account; no DUNS asked at signup

Submission deadline: 21 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline: 21 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel: Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission: Allowed
Accepted languages: en

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

www.delta-esourcing.com ↗

Timeline

10 Dec 2025 → 8 Apr 2026 · 8 dates

Tender notice published316 days ago
10 Dec 2025, 16:05 GMT
Clarification questions by274 days ago
21 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission deadline274 days ago
21 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Assessment summaries sent240 days ago
24 Feb 2026
Award decision expected by239 days ago
24 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
Contract starts227 days ago
9 Mar 2026
Standstill ends216 days ago
19 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
Latest notice published197 days ago
8 Apr 2026, 12:13 BST

Notice history

5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 10 Dec 2025

Tender notice published
10 Dec 2025, 16:05 GMT
UK4
Contract award notice published
9 Mar 2026, 11:41 GMT
UK6
Status changed to complete
9 Mar 2026, 11:41 GMT
Contract signature expected
20 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
scheduled
Contract details notice published
8 Apr 2026, 12:13 BST
UK7

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £334,5881 award exc. VAT

Bids received 128 from SMEs

Contracts signed 1latest 22 Mar 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Ecorys UK LimitedSME21 Mar 2026 – 30 Sept 2027 · up to 31 Dec 2030Extensions: 1	£334,588	24 Feb 2026	Awarded

Contracts

Contract 1 · Ecorys UK LimitedSME
Signed
22 Mar 2026
Value
£334,588
Period
23 Mar 2026 – 30 Sept 2027 · up to 31 Dec 2030 with extensions
Status
active
Extensions
1

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
12final-stage tenders	8	0	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Office for Students

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PYZM-6681-RPZP Westward House, Lime Kiln Close, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, South West, BS34 8SRContact name, email, phone

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

Ecorys UK LtdAwarded supplierGB-COH: 01650169 Albert House Quay Place, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 2RAContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender8 Apr 2026, 12:13 BST
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender9 Mar 2026, 11:41 GMT
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender10 Dec 2025, 16:05 GMT