Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Travel Management Services
Authority: University of Strathclyde (Education)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Supplier shall provide a fully managed Travel Management Service that is cost-effective, responsive and aligned to the University's operational, sustainability and duty of care objectives. The service shall support traveller safety and wellbeing, facilitate informed low-carbon travel choices, deliver value for money, and provide a timely, efficient, user-friendly and high-quality customer experience.
- Recurrence: October 2030
CPV: Business travel services · Travel agency and similar services · Travel management services · Travel services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1The University of Strathclyde is seeking to appoint an experienced Travel Management…Renewal
The University of Strathclyde is seeking to appoint an experienced Travel Management Company to provide a comprehensive, cost-effective and responsive managed travel service for University staff and students. The contract will cover UK and international travel and associated services, including air travel, rail travel, accommodation, ferry and Eurostar travel, vehicle hire, airport transfers, visa support, meetings and conference bookings, longer-term accommodation, and individual and group student travel.
The appointed supplier will provide a fully managed service through an online booking tool and offline booking channels, supported by a dedicated account management and administration team and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year booking, travel advice, emergency assistance and disruption support. The service must support the University’s Travel Policy and approval processes, deliver access to appropriate fares and rates, including relevant Global Distribution System, direct-connect and New Distribution Capability content, and provide transparent pricing and price-matching capability.
The contract will also include comprehensive traveller risk management and duty-of-care services, including destination risk information, real-time traveller location and “who is where” capability, proactive alerts, emergency communications, escalation, relocation and repatriation support. The supplier must support accessible, student and group travel, and the University’s international and transnational education activities.
The supplier will be required to provide sustainability information and carbon-emissions data, management information, benchmarking, key performance indicator reporting, contract management, continuous improvement, training and promotion of the service. Further details of the requirements are set out in the procurement documents. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public
Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
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).
Published award criteria (2)
- Quality: 85
- Price: 15
- Economic & financial standing
The bidder should provide its (“average”) yearly turnover for the number of financial years specified in the relevant Contract Notice.
The bidder confirms they already have or can commit to obtain, prior to the commencement of the contract, the levels of insurance cover
indicated in the relevant Contract Notice (Professional Risk Indemnity Insurance).
The bidder confirms they already have or can commit to obtain, prior to the commencement of the contract, the levels of insurance cover
indicated in the relevant Contract Notice (Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance).
The bidder confirms they already have or can commit to obtain, prior to the commencement of the contract, the levels of insurance cover
indicated in the relevant Contract Notice (Public Liability Insurance)
Minimum: Bidders will be required to have a minimum “average” yearly turnover of 15,000,000 GBP for the last three (3) years. It is a requirement of this contract that bidders can hold or commit to obtain prior to the commencement of any subsequently awarded contract, the types of insuran… - Technical & professional ability
Please provide relevant examples of supplies and/or services carried out during the last three years as specified
Minimum: Bidders will be required to provide three examples that demonstrate that they have the relevant experience to deliver the services/supplies as described in part II.2.4 of the Contract Notice or the relevant section of the Site Notice. Examples provided should be relevant and prop…
- Price carries 15 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 1.5 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £60,000,000 (twice the annual value).
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How University of Strathclyde buys Travel agency and similar services (CPV 6351), and who usually turns up
University of Strathclyde’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Travel agency and similar services (CPV 6351) →
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 the winner is registered in the region where that contract was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered outside Scotland.
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 42 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.
Both shares are minimums: 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 bid13% / 25%
2–338% / 25%
4–635% / 31%
7+15% / 19%
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.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate41% / 13%
Within ±2%55% / 63%
Above estimate5% / 25%
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
Lot #1The University of Strathclyde is seeking to appoint an experienced Travel Management…CPV 6351Published estimate£30m
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.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid50%
2–321%
4–620%
7+9%
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.
Based on 1 comparable award. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£30m
Estimate£30m
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.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £179m7 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 1 live · £2.3m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=1 | |
Key TravelLarge | £118m6 awards in 36m · last 4 months ago | None on file | at estimate n=1 |
| £7.7m6 awards in 36m · last 10 months ago | 2 live · £200m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=2 | |
| £13m11 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | None on file | 10% below n=2 | |
| — | None on file | no comparable pairs |
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 · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- 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
- Yes · October 2030
- First published
- 23 Jul 2026, 14:18 BST
- Last source update
- 15 Oct 2026, 16:37 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 16 Nov 2026 – …
- Authority reference
UOS-37290-2025- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-097648- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d210Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Review procedure
An economic operator that suffers, or risks suffering, loss, or damage attributable to a breach of duty under the Public Contract (Scotland) Regulations 2015 (SSI2015/446) (as amended) may bring proceedings to the Sheriff Court or the Court of Session.
Publisher note: The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 32877. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/ A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows: Please see Procurement documents for full detail The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 32877. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 A sub-contract clause has been included in this contract. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2363 Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/ A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows: The University seeks to encourage Community Benefits as part of this contract. Delivery of Community Benefits will be monitored through management information provided by the supplier and as part of the Contract and Supplier Management process. Bidders are required to refer to the guidance and community benefits table in the tender documents and insert offered community benefits A methodology outlining how proposed Community Benefits will be implemented is required. (SC Ref:845753)
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via Public Contracts ScotlandTender documents are also served through a separate tool: https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ ↗
- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 16 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- —
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 120 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 16 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Timeline
20 Aug 2026 → 16 Nov 2026 · 4 dates- Next notice expected63 days ago20 Aug 2026, 00:00 BST
- Notice published7 days ago15 Oct 2026, 16:37 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Submission deadlinein 25 days16 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Bids openedin 25 days16 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 15 Oct 2026- Published value updated to £30,000,00015 Oct 2026, 16:37 BSTwas £24,000,000
- Status changed to active15 Oct 2026, 16:37 BST
- Procurement method changed15 Oct 2026, 16:37 BST
- Deadline published: 16 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT15 Oct 2026, 16:37 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Glasgow Sheriff CourtReview body
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice; the tender pack is on the portal.