Scope
Description
Summary of goods, services, or works: Procurement of licensing for the Salesforce Education Cloud platform and implementation partner to work with the university to build and deploy the platform.
Estimated contract value: £212,000.
Contract duration / term: 5yr Licensing cost + phase one implementation.
Justification: A broad market scan and sector benchmarking exercise has already demonstrated that while multiple CRM and SRS providers serve parts of the UK HE market, very few offer the unified platform, compliance depth, scalability and transformation potential required for Marjon's strategic direction. The following synthesises the key reasons for excluding other technologies.
Salesforce Education Cloud offers functionality which offers both immediate requirements and future improvements, offering sector specific and regulatory compliance as well as a modular and scalable platform.
Salesforce Education Cloud is the platform of choice for a growing number of UK universities seeking to modernise their technology estate, deliver a connected student experience and future proof their operations. Its unified, cloud-native architecture, sector-specific compliance, embedded AI and strong user community make it uniquely suited to the demands of UK higher education.
A successful Salesforce Education Cloud implementation depends not only on the platform choice but on selecting the right Salesforce Implementation Partner to design, configure, build and deliver a compliant, scalable and future‑proof solution. As with the CRM/SRS market review, Marjon undertook a structured, evidence‑based evaluation of multiple implementation partners to ensure the selected supplier reduces risk, delivers value, aligns to internal capability and supports both immediate and long‑term transformation objectives.
Contract 1. Salesforce Licenses
Supplier
Contract value
- £25,000 including VAT
Below the relevant threshold
Earliest date the contract will be signed
30 January 2026
Contract dates (estimated)
- 2 February 2026 to 1 February 2031
- Possible extension to 1 February 2032
- 6 years
Description of possible extension:
5 years (+1 optional year)
Main procurement category
Goods
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
Increased number of licenses and additional functionality
CPV classifications
- 48100000 - Industry specific software package
- 48510000 - Communication software package
- 48610000 - Database systems
- 48620000 - Operating systems
- 48700000 - Software package utilities
- 48810000 - Information systems
- 48820000 - Servers
- 48920000 - Office automation software package
Contract locations
- UKC - North East (England)
- UKD - North West (England)
- UKE - Yorkshire and the Humber
- UKF - East Midlands (England)
- UKG - West Midlands (England)
- UKH - East of England
- UKI - London
- UKJ - South East (England)
- UKK - South West (England)
Contract 2. Salesforce Implementation
Supplier
Contract value
- £130,000 including VAT
Below the relevant threshold
Earliest date the contract will be signed
30 January 2026
Contract dates (estimated)
- 2 February 2026 to 1 February 2027
- Possible extension to 1 February 2031
- 5 years
Description of possible extension:
Extension of Implementation work based on phased project delivery. Each phase to be its own contract of work. Duration tbd by the scope of work.
Main procurement category
Goods
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
Extension of Implementation work based on phased project delivery. Each phase to be its own contract of work. Duration tbd by the scope of work.
CPV classifications
- 48300000 - Document creation, drawing, imaging, scheduling and productivity software package
- 48500000 - Communication and multimedia software package
- 48600000 - Database and operating software package
- 48800000 - Information systems and servers
- 48900000 - Miscellaneous software package and computer systems
Contract locations
- UKC - North East (England)
- UKD - North West (England)
- UKE - Yorkshire and the Humber
- UKF - East Midlands (England)
- UKG - West Midlands (England)
- UKH - East of England
- UKI - London
- UKJ - South East (England)
- UKK - South West (England)
Procedure
Procedure type
Direct award
Direct award justification
- Prototypes and development
- Single supplier - technical reasons
Market engagement identified four qualified implementation partners. The preferred partner's submission demonstrated the highest capability across every supplier criterion, including UK HE sector expertise, Salesforce Education Cloud specialism, data migration and portal‑build competence, DevOps and release‑management maturity. They were the only supplier who would provide a comprehensive hour‑level breakdown evidencing a realistic and deliverable plan. The preferred supplier's approach most effectively mitigates regulatory, operational and delivery risks, offers clear value for money and aligns with Marjon's culture and transformation goals. Their proposal represents the strongest and safest route to achieving a compliant, future‑ready CRM capability.
Suppliers
NIMBUSPOINT CONSULTING LIMITED
- Companies House: 07879496
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PBWW-8829-MXBP
Whiting & Partners Ltd, Phoenix House 2 Phoenix Park
St. Neots
PE19 8EP
United Kingdom
Email: parminder.bharath@nimbuspoint.com
Website: http://nimbuspoint.com
Region: UKH24 - Bedford
Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): Yes
Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No
Contract 2. Salesforce Implementation
SALESFORCE UK LIMITED
- Companies House: 05094083
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PTXG-8329-VLGH
Floor 26 Salesforce Tower
London
EC2N 4AY
United Kingdom
Email: EMEA-GPS@salesforce.com
Website: http://www.salesforce.com
Region: UKI31 - Camden and City of London
Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): No
Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No
Contract 1. Salesforce Licenses
Contracting authority
University of St Mark & St John
- Companies House: 7635609
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PXPH-7561-BHLP
Derriford Road
Plymouth, Devon
PL6 8BH
United Kingdom
Email: procurement@marjon.ac.uk
Region: UKK41 - Plymouth
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government