Find a TenderAwarded without competition
Published 31 Mar 2021, 18:24 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Provision of Postal Service to the Student Loans Company Limited

Official notice

Authority: Student Loans Company (Central government)·Consortium: 2 public authorities

ServicesAward procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Awarded value£16,800,000published contract · exc. VAT
Awarded 1 Oct 2026no call for competition
Awarded to WHISTL UK LIMITED2 awards
Contract term 6 yrs 1 moends 7 May 2027 · extension options published · starts 1 Apr 2021

What is being bought

Published requirement description

This contract is for the collection of standard mail from Darlington, Bothwell Street, Hillington, Llandudno and our Transactional Print Supplier

CPV: Postal services related to letters

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Postal Services to the Student Loans CompanyAwarded 6 yrs 1 mo

Uplift of letters from SLC offices and an external supplier.

Contract period: 1 Apr 2021 – 7 May 2027 (6 yrs 1 mo)
Delivery: UK · UNITED KINGDOM
Extensions: Option to extend the contract for 2 periods of 12 months following the initial contract period

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached
Procedure method
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Legal basis
CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Awarded without competition
Procurement threshold
Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Direct award (no call for competition)
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
31 Mar 2021, 18:24 BST
Last source update
29 Oct 2026, 14:45 GMT
Authority reference
2020-SLC-495
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-102713
Classification (CPV)
Postal services related to letters
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-02a1c6 Find a Tender
Why no open competition
The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
Published justification

The procurement exercise took the form of a Further Competition utilising an existing framework RM6017 –Postal Goods, Services and Solutions

put in place by Crown Commercial Services. This framework was awarded in compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015

Publisher note: GO Reference: GO-20261029-PRO-39486740

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

1 Apr 2021 → 29 Oct 2026 · 2 dates
  1. Contract starts
    1 Apr 2021, 00:00 BST
  2. Notice published23h ago
    29 Oct 2026, 14:45 GMT

Notice history

1 event · 2 releases on Find a Tender
  1. Buyer details updated
    29 Oct 2026, 14:45 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 2
Awarded value £16,800,0001 contract exc. VAT · 1 repeated publication of the same award counted once
Bids received 3
Contracts signed 2latest 1 Oct 2026
Awarded toValueDateStatus
WHISTL UK LIMITED£16,800,000 †same award published again · counted once—Awarded
WHISTL UK LIMITEDProvision of Postal Services£16,800,000 †—Awarded

Contracts

  • Provision of Postal Services · WHISTL UK LIMITED

    Signed
    1 Oct 2026
    Value
    £16,800,000
    Period
    1 Apr 2021 – 7 May 2027
    Status
    active
    • Change Extended period of the same services required., Need for additional works, services or supplies by the original contractor/concessionaire: The contracts are being extended to facilitate their consolidation into a single contractual arrangement. Awarding a short-term contract to a new supplier would not be practical, given the time and resource requirements associated with implementation, knowledge transfer, and transition to new processes and service arrangements.
  • Contract 006741-2021-2020-SLC-495-1 · WHISTL UK LIMITED

    Signed
    11 Feb 2021
    Value
    £16,800,000
    Period
    … – 7 May 2027
    Status
    active

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
3bids · 3 electronic0——

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

2 public bodies on the notice

Student Loans Company

Contracting authorityCentral GovernmentBody governed by public lawEducation 10 Clyde Place, Glasgow, Scotland, G5 8DFContact name, email, phone

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • N/AMediation body Glasgow
  • Royal Courts of JusticeReview body London
  • Student Loans ComoanyReview body GlasgowContact phone

Bidders & participating suppliers

3 commercial parties on the notice
  • Whistl UK LimitedAwarded supplier04417047 Meridian House, , , , SL7 1TB, Fieldhouse Lane, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, UK, SL7 1TBContact phone
  • Whistl UK LimitedAwarded supplier04417047 Meridian House, Fieldhouse Lane, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, South East, SL7 1TBContact email, phone
  • Whistl UK LimitedAwarded supplier04417047 Meridian House, Fieldhouse Lane, Marlow, South East, SL7 1TB

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.