Official UK procurement notice
Framework for the Provision of International Student Recruitment Programs
Authority: THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM (Education)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionInternational student recruitment is a strategic priority for the University, and a key channel of recruitment is international pathway programs. Currently, the University delivers its own international pathway programs at both its main campus in the UK and at its Dubai campus. Partnership with a 3rd party provides marketing and student recruitment services for the programs against agreed targets. The contract under which this partnership operates is due to expire in 2028 and the University is keen to consider alternative and innovative approaches and models.
We therefore welcome expressions of interest from third parties that can support the university in growing recruitment through its international pathways programs.
If you are interested in engaging with the University for this project, please register to our E-Tendering Portal (in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofbirmingh… ↗) if you are not already, and express interest against the Framework Agreement for the Provision of International Student Recruitment Programs.
CPV: Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 4 yrs from 1 Jan 2028
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedWhat it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
- “Framework for the Provision of International Student Recruitment…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM buys Business services: law, marketing, consulting (CPV 79), and who usually turns up
THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM’s UK market comparison describes the UK delivery area in the notice. The notice also lists non-UK areas, so the comparison may not describe the whole procedure. This notice is a framework or DPS, so only frameworks and DPS are compared. Whole-market view: Business services: law, marketing, consulting (CPV 79) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means registered in West Midlands.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered outside West Midlands.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 74 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid22% / 5%
2–333% / 22%
4–611% / 21%
7+33% / 52%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS. The notice sets up a supplier panel and a ceiling value; what the work actually costs is agreed later, on each call-off or mini-competition, and those publish as contract notices of their own. The award-vs-estimate record of this market therefore sits on the call-offs; this page shows it on the contracts, not on the panel that frames them.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Our matching links this notice to “Framework Agreement for the Provision of Sustainability Advisory Services” of this authority, but none of the 3 panel members sit in a category matching this notice.
Lot #1Estimate not published
The notice lists UK and non-UK delivery areas for this lot. The figures below use UK market history and may not describe competition across every area.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. Published delivery includes UK and non-UK areas, so the UK model may not describe every area. The bar shows 58 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid5%
2–322%
4–621%
7+52%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 2 Jul 2026, 19:14 BST
- Last source update
- 2 Jul 2026, 19:14 BST
- Authority reference
FRAM933/26- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-062497- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area in notice
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06c2daFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
2 Jul 2026 → 1 Jan 2028 · 3 dates- Planning notice published110 days ago2 Jul 2026, 19:14 BST
- Market engagement89 days ago23 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
International student recruitment is a strategic priority for the University, and a key channel of recruitment is international pathway programs. Currently, the University delivers its own international pathway programs at both its main campus in the UK and at its Dubai campus. Partnership with a 3rd party provides marketing and student recruitment services for the programs against agreed targets. The contract under which this partnership operates is due to expire in 2028 and the University is keen to consider alternative and innovative approaches and models.
We therefore welcome expressions of interest from third parties that can support the university in growing recruitment through its international pathways programs.
If you are interested in engaging with the University for this project, please register to our E-Tendering Portal (in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofbirmingh… ↗) if you are not already, and express interest against the Framework Agreement for the Provision of International Student Recruitment Programs.
Interested parties should note that the University of Birmingham is operating as a Non Contracting Authority and any process associated with this tender opportunity will be conducted outside of the Procurement Act 2023.
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Contract starts1 Jan 2028
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published2 Jul 2026, 19:14 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender