Find a TenderAwardedContract details notice

Published 27 Feb 2026, 14:27 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Learner Finds · UK public procurement notice

Official notice

Authority: University Centre Somerset College Group (Education)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable

Sectors: Business Services & Consultancy (79) Delivery: UK

Published estimate£1,733,333≈ £867k / year · £2,080,000 inc. VAT

Submissions closed 2 Apr 2026awarded 30 Jun 2026

Awarded to Free Courses UK

Contract term 2 yrsends 31 Jul 2028 · up to 31 Jul 2030 with extensions · starts 1 Aug 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Learner Finds - Recruitment of 19+ Learners for Distanced Learning Courses

CPV: Advertising and marketing services · Direct marketing services · Marketing services · Recruitment services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published

Lot #1AwardedRenewal 2 yrsSMEVCSEPublished value£1,733,333

Contract period: 1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2028 (2 yrs) · up to 31 Jul 2030 with extensionsValue: £1,733,333 exc. VAT · £2,080,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible

Extensions: Extensions allowed: Yes (2 x 12 months)

79340000 Advertising and marketing services 79342000 Marketing services 79342100 Direct marketing services 79600000 Recruitment 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: 60%Price: 40%

Published sub-criteria (2)

Quality Questionnaire: 60%
Price: 40%

Published award criteria (2)

Price
Quality Questionnaire

What this means for your bid

Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 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: Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 27 Feb 2026, 14:27 GMT
Last source update: 27 Jul 2026, 15:27 BST
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 1 Aug 2026
Authority reference: CA17290
FTS notice number: 2026/S 000-017979
Latest notice: Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV): Advertising and marketing servicesDirect marketing servicesMarketing servicesRecruitment services
Delivery area: UK
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-065e71 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: MultiQuote · Who buys & how to bid on MultiQuote

Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN

Access & registration note: Free

Submission deadline: 2 Apr 2026, 13:00 BST
Clarification deadline: 20 Mar 2026, 14:00 GMT
Submission channel: Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission: Allowed
Accepted languages: en

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

To access this opportunity, log in to suppliers.multiquote.com ↗ and view the opportunity. If you are not registered with MultiQuote, please visit suppliers.multiquote.com ↗, complete the registration form on the log in page and quote the title and reference of the notice in your registration.

Timeline

27 Feb 2026 → 1 Aug 2026 · 7 dates

Tender notice published238 days ago
27 Feb 2026, 14:27 GMT
Clarification questions by217 days ago
20 Mar 2026, 14:00 GMT
Submission deadline204 days ago
2 Apr 2026, 13:00 BST
Assessment summaries sent115 days ago
30 Jun 2026, 00:00 BST
Latest notice published88 days ago
27 Jul 2026, 15:27 BST
Contract starts83 days ago
1 Aug 2026, 00:00 BST
Award decision expected by82 days ago
1 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST

Notice history

5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 27 Feb 2026

Tender notice published
27 Feb 2026, 14:27 GMT
UK4
Contract award notice published
30 Jun 2026, 21:31 BST
UK6
Status changed to complete
30 Jun 2026, 21:31 BST
Contract details notice published
27 Jul 2026, 15:27 BST
UK7
Contract signature expected
31 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
scheduled

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £400,0001 award exc. VAT

Bids received 1

Contracts signed 1latest 27 Jul 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Free Courses UKSME1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2028 · up to 31 Jul 2030Extensions: Extensions allowed: Yes (2 x 12 months)	£400,000	30 Jun 2026	Awarded

Contracts

Learner Finds · Free Courses UKSME
Signed
27 Jul 2026
Value
£700,000
Period
1 Aug 2026 – 31 Jul 2028 · up to 31 Jul 2030 with extensions
Status
active
Extensions
Extensions allowed: Yes (2 x 12 months)

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
1final-stage tenders · 5 at stage one	0	0	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

University Centre Somerset College Group

Contracting authorityPublic undertaking GB-PPON: PHJQ-3398-CTLP Bath Road, Somerset, South West, TA6 4PZContact name, email, phone

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

FREE COURSES UK LIMITEDAwarded supplierGB-COH: 13562075 Office 1, Unit 2a, The Mill Walk, BIRMINGHAM, West Midlands, B31 4HLContact name, email, phone

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 Tender27 Jul 2026, 15:27 BST
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender30 Jun 2026, 21:31 BST
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender27 Feb 2026, 14:27 GMT