Official UK procurement notice
UK_996 - Platform for hosting the Study UK online courses (MOOCs)
Authority: British Council (Local council)
Sectors: IT Services & Software (72) Delivery: UK
Published estimate£270,000≈ £270k / year · £324,000 inc. VAT33.3% below published estimate
Submissions closed 11 Sept 2026awarded 21 Sept 2026
Award (standstill) to FutureLearn Ltd
Contract term 1 yrends 1 Apr 2028 · up to 1 Apr 2033 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2027
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionA hosting platform for online learning courses, which would have, as a minimum, the following functionality: to host multiple online courses for 6,000 + learners for each course, ability to support texts, videos, questionnaires, tests, Q&A sections, test functions, possibility of adding educators and facilitators, collect learners' data and run reports. The platform provider should also be able to promote the courses through their marketing channels.
CPV: Application service providers
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£270,000
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).
How bids were scored
Published sub-criteria (4)
- Quality: 25%
- Methodology and Approach: 25%
- Commercial: 40%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (4)
- Social Value: Assessment of the bidder’s commitment to delivering wider social, economic and environmental benefits through the contract. This may include skills development, sustainability initiatives, community impact and responsible business practices.
- Quality: Assessment of the overall quality of the proposed solution, including functionality, reliability, security and ability to meet the Authority’s requirements. Bidders should demonstrate how their solution delivers a high-quality user experience and service.
- Methodology and Approach: Assessment of the bidder’s proposed approach to implementation, service delivery, governance and ongoing contract management. Bidders should demonstrate a clear and effective plan for delivering the services and achieving the required outcomes.
- Commercial: Assessment of the total cost and overall value for money of the proposal. This will consider the pricing submitted and the bidder’s ability to deliver the required services within the proposed commercial model.
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
- 12 Aug 2026, 07:25 BST
- Last source update
- 21 Sept 2026, 11:13 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 26 Sept 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-076462- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e1e8Find a Tender
How it was run
Official noticeRun through: TCS TAP eSourcing
Access & registration note: Free
- Submission deadline
- 11 Sept 2026, 18:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 28 Aug 2026, 14:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Not allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Supplier Self Registration (British Council MyProcurement): tap.tcsapps.com/tap2/ ↗
View Public Tender (British Council MyProcurement): tap.tcsapps.com/tap2sup/ ↗
Timeline
12 Aug 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 8 dates- Tender notice published74 days ago12 Aug 2026, 07:25 BST
- Clarification questions by58 days ago28 Aug 2026, 14:00 BST
- Submission deadline44 days ago11 Sept 2026, 18:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent35 days ago21 Sept 2026
- Latest notice published34 days ago21 Sept 2026, 11:13 BST
- Award decision expected by30 days ago26 Sept 2026, 00:59 BST
- Standstill ends24 days ago2 Oct 2026, 00:59 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 157 days1 Apr 2027
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 12 Aug 2026- Tender notice published12 Aug 2026, 07:25 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published21 Sept 2026, 11:13 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete21 Sept 2026, 11:13 BST
- Contract signature expected31 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecastAwards 1
Awarded value £180,0001 award exc. VAT
Bids received 2
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| FutureLearn LtdSMEPlatform for hosting the Study UK online courses (MOOCs)1 Apr 2027 – 1 Apr 2028 · up to 1 Apr 2033Extensions: One initial year with the option to extend for 5 consecutive 12-month terms. | £180,000 | 21 Sept 2026standstill to 2 Oct 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2final-stage tenders · 3 at stage one | 0 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- FUTURELEARN LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender