Official UK procurement notice
Online Academic Writing Support
Authority: University of Ulster (Education)·Consortium: 2 public authorities
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionOnline Academic Writing Support
CPV: Education and training services · IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Online Academic Writing SupportAwardedPublished value£1,800,000
The requirement is for a fully online academic writing and literacy support service. The service should
be equitably available to all Ulster University students and will allow students to avail of both
synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous academic writing and literacy support
What 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).
- Price
- Suitability
As stated in the procurement documents.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 9 Nov 2023, 16:13 GMT
- Last source update
- 7 Nov 2025, 17:37 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- 11 Dec 2023 – …
- Authority reference
project_27888- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-072217- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04172fFind a Tender
- Review procedure
Any proceedings alleging that the University is in breach of its duties under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 must be started in the High Court of Northern Ireland, in accordance with the time limits set out therein (including the requirement to start proceedings within 30 days beginning with the date when the economic operator first knew or ought to have known that grounds for starting proceedings had arisen). The University will not enter into the modifications proposed herein before the end of a period of at least 30 days beginning with the day after the date on which this notice is published in the Official Journal.
Publisher note: It is anticipated the contract will commence on 1st March 2024
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 11 Dec 2023, 15:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission","written"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 270 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 11 Dec 2023, 15:00 GMT
Timeline
11 Dec 2023 → 7 Nov 2025 · 4 dates- Submission deadline11 Dec 2023, 15:00 GMT
- Bids opened11 Dec 2023, 15:00 GMT
- Contract starts1 Mar 2024
- Notice published347 days ago7 Nov 2025, 17:37 GMT
Notice history
2 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 4 Mar 2024- Status changed to complete4 Mar 2024, 12:53 GMT
- Buyer details updated7 Nov 2025, 17:37 GMT
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studiosity PTY LimitedSME | £1,800,000 †same award published again · counted once | — | Awarded |
| Studiosity PTY Limited | £1,800,000 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 072217-2025-project_27888-1 · Studiosity PTY Limited
- Signed
- 1 Mar 2024
- Value
- £1,800,000
- Period
- 1 Mar 2024 – 31 Jul 2029
- Status
- active
- Change Ulster University has modified the contract with Studiosity Pty Ltd to migrate part of the service to Studio Plus, which provides AI-augmented academic writing feedback, while retaining human-to-human support through Connect Live. The contract term is to 31 July 2029, exercising the optional three-year extension included in the original tender. The total annual contract value remains £250,000 + VAT. This modification is necessary to maintain service continuity and platform interoperability. All other terms and conditions of the contract remain unchanged., Need for additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor/concessionaire: Studiosity provides a platform fully integrated with the University’s virtual learning environment, enabling continuity of academic writing support for students. Changing supplier at this stage would result in loss of service continuity, duplication of cost in system integration and staff training, and potential loss of student data. The modification allows migration to Studiosity’s enhanced service model while maintaining existing commercial arrangements and ensuring uninterrupted support for students.
Contract 006834-2024-1 · Studiosity PTY LimitedSME
- Signed
- 29 Feb 2024
- Value
- £1,800,000
- Period
- … – 30 Jul 2029
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1bids | — | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeDispute resolution & review bodies
- High Court of Justice in Northern IrelandReview contact point
- The UK does not have any such bodies with responsibility for appeal/mediation procedures. Instead, any challenges are dealt with by the High Court, Commercial Division, to which proceedings may be issued regarding alleged breaches of the PCR 2015 as amended.Review body
Bidders & participating suppliers
2 commercial parties on the notice- Studiosity LtdAwarded supplier
- Studiosity PTY LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Economic and financial selection criteria
- Technical selection criteria