Official UK procurement notice
Periodicals and Associated Services
Authority: APUC Ltd (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Authority undertook a procurement exercise to appoint a Subscription Agent to supply to manage the supply and delivery of periodicals and the associated services.
- Recurrence: December 2027
CPV: Journals · Magazines · Newspapers · Newspapers, journals, periodicals and magazines · Official journals · Periodicals · Serials
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 1 suppliers · 2 bids received (2.0 per place) · 1 appointed (full)
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).
Published sub-criteria (2)
- Technical: 60%
- Commercial: 40%
Published award criteria (2)
- Technical: 60
- Commercial: 40
- Economic & financial standing
Minimum level(s) of standards required:
Please refer to the “Qualification Envelope” of the ITT within PCS-T to answer the selection criteria
Please refer to Part IV Selection Criteria: Questions within 4B.5 of the SPD
Tenderers must confirm they can provide the following supporting evidence prior to award:
Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = GBP 5 Million
Product and Public Liability Insurance = GBP 5 Million
Please refer to Part IV Selection Criteria: Questions within 4B.6 of the SPD
The successful tenderer will be required to provide 2 years audited accounts, or equivalent if awarded to the Framework Agreement
- Technical & professional ability
Minimum level(s) of standards required:
Please refer to the “Qualification Envelope” of the ITT within PCS-T to answer the selection criteria
Please refer to Part IV Selection Criteria. Please refer to question 4C.4 of the SPD - : Technical and Professional Ability
section
Tenderers must confirm they have (or have access to) the relevant supply chain management and tracking systems to ensure a resilient and
sustainable supply chain. This includes confirmation that they have the systems in place to pay subcontractors through the supply chain
promptly (i.e. no later than 30 days after the invoice (or similar claim) relating to the payment is presented) and effectively, and provide
evidence when requested of:
a) their standard payment terms
b) ≥95% of all supply chain invoices being paid on time (in accordance with the terms of contract) in the last financial year
If the bidder is unable to confirm (b) they must provide an improvement plan, signed by their Director, which improves the payment
performance.
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Periodicals and Associated Services” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 1 suppliers, not a single contract.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
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
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · December 2027
- First published
- 9 Nov 2023, 08:39 GMT
- Last source update
- 13 Oct 2025, 10:38 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 5 Jul 2024 – …
- Authority reference
LIB1022 AP- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-064617- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0416f6Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Performance terms
SUBMISSION OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
Prior to the commencement of the Framework Agreement, the Contractor will provide the Authority with contact details of the Management Information contact who will be provided with a template spreadsheet/reporting schedule along with a username and password for the management information website www.ucsp.ac.uk ↗
The Contractors must provide the information on a quarterly basis, within 10 working days following the start of each quarter by logging into the website and uploading the template document. If there has been no spend for the quarter then this will still require you to log in and record a nil spend return.
Publisher note: Form of Tender - Tenderers were required to sign Appendix A – Form of Tender prior to award to confirm that their Tender Response is a complete, true and accurate submission. Freedom of Information - Where applicable Tenderers were required to complete Appendix B – Freedom of Information Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct - The Authority has developed Appendix D which sets out its expected standards for its supply chain in social, ethical and environmental compliance. Tenderers were required to sign Appendix D – Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct prior to award to confirm their commitment to assisting the Authority in achieving its objectives. General Data Protection Regulation - Tenderers were required to sign Appendix G – GDPR Contractor Assessment Form SCM RP Section 1 - Tenderers were required to confirm that they will commit to completing Appendix J - SCM RP Section 1 on award and review on an annual basis. It is for information only and will not be scored but is a requirement of this tender and will be included in the contractual terms. Prompt Payment - Tenderers were required to confirm that payment of subcontractors at all stages of the supply chain will be made within a maximum of 30 days and that this will be managed. Living Wage Status - Tenderers were required to provide details on their position on the payment of the Real Living Wage. (SC Ref:803065)
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 5 Jul 2024, 16:00 BST
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bids opened
- 5 Jul 2024, 16:00 BST
Timeline
20 May 2024 → 13 Oct 2025 · 4 dates- Next notice expected20 May 2024, 00:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown5 Jul 2024, 16:00 BST
- Bids opened5 Jul 2024, 16:00 BST
- Notice published373 days ago13 Oct 2025, 10:38 BST
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 5 Jun 2024- Published value updated to £38,000,0005 Jun 2024, 08:53 BSTwas £30,000,000
- Status changed to active5 Jun 2024, 08:53 BST
- Procurement method changed5 Jun 2024, 08:53 BST
- Deadline published: 5 Jul 2024, 16:00 BST5 Jun 2024, 08:53 BST
- Status changed to complete13 Oct 2025, 10:38 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast1 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.
Contracts
Contract 064617-2025-LIB1022 AP-1
- Signed
- 28 Feb 2025
- Value
- £36,000,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2bids · 2 electronic · 2 from abroad | 0 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Stirling Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court Sheriff CourtReview body
Framework contractors & participating bidders
1 commercial party on the notice- EBSCO INTERNATIONAL INCFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.