Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
The University of Keele
Procurement Office, Directorate of Finance, Innovation Centre 2, Keele University Science and Innovation Park, Staffordshire
Keele
ST5 5NH
Contact
Darren Pearce
Telephone
+44 1782734124
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKG24 - Staffordshire CC
Companies House
Company number RC000655
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofkeele/aspx/Home
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Education
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
VEAT Notice Intention to award a public services contract for provision of HE specific research, best practice & market insights consultancy.
Reference number
KU/443/EE/MB/2023
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Intention to award a Public Services contract under Regulation 32 (2) (b) (iii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for the provision of higher education specific research, best practice and
subject specific market insights consultancy. The services works will be delivered on a 36 month contract.
The Negotiated Procedure without Prior Publication is being followed and is justified under Regulation 32 (2) (b) (iii).
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £343,622.50
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
The University requires a consultancy service with extensive expertise in the global HE sector, providing wide ranging benefits. Market insight reports tailored to subject areas combining demand information related to subject interest and economic activity. Extensive partnerships allowing insight across the UK & global HE sector. Wide-ranging networking activity. Ability to provide activity specific expertise for a wide range of professional service and academic activities, supporting ongoing development and project activity, with extensive understanding through bespoke research.
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated without a prior call for competition
- The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights
Explanation:
EAB provide a holistic and unlimited partnership that combines research and consulting to help higher education leaders respond to their greatest challenges and move strategic initiatives forward. Keele will gain access to 15+ years of ongoing and wide-ranging research on every major functional domain in higher education. This includes proven best practices and detailed solutions surfaced from peer institutions and syntheses of higher education data, research, and information into easily digestible, action-oriented resources focused addressing specific goals and challenges.
EAB ensures impact and ROI by assigning an individual Strategic Leader who learns your organisation and culture to steer your team to the right answers and resources. This expert is responsible for facilitating change management, providing decision support, and convening cross-functional teams on subjects of strategic importance.
This combination of research and unlimited holistic expert support is unique and unavailable elsewhere. Further evidence of the specific unique characteristics of partnership are provided here:
- EAB is the only organisation that provides original best practice research and unlimited strategic support that is cross-functional and comprehensive across the full range of issue areas in higher education, including academic affairs, enrolment management, student affairs, online and professional education, business affairs, information technology, estates, the research enterprise, and advancement, as well as the broader educational ecosystem. No other vendor to our knowledge has expertise that is solely dedicated to Higher Ed and spans the entire campus that can be used for any and all strategic priorities.
- EAB is the only organisation that combines cutting-edge best practice research, implementation support, and consultative services at a fixed rate and without limitations. EAB partnerships provide unlimited access to and utilisation of these services, eliminating costs beyond the annual partnership fee or single project. EAB is uniquely positioned to achieve such economies of scale as a result of the vast resources and expertise at its disposal. Typical vendors charge based on the number of projects or time spent with the University. Because of EAB's unlimited model it provides a scale of economies for partners not possible with any other vendor.
- In addition to global best practices, EAB also provides custom market insights research projects on demand for our partners. EAB's has a proprietary partnership with a real-time labour database that allows for unlimited analysis for employer demands down to the skills level to help inform curricular design. This is then combined with student demand data as well as a robust competitive curriculum review to provide detailed and comprehensive market intelligence reports fully customised to the individual partner needs. No other vendor to our knowledge has the ability to combine global best practice research with custom market intelligence reports.
- EAB has the largest global network of Universities across the world providing the opportunity to have a truly global perspective to ensure partners have access to the best solutions and innovations from anywhere in the world. This also enables networking and formal partnerships not available through traditional partners.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
Section five. Award of contract/concession
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
31 March 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
EAB UK, LLC
2445 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
Washington DC
Country
United States
NUTS code
- US - United States
Justification for not providing organisation identifier
Not on any register
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £343,622.50
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
This is a VEAT notice to show our intention to award a public services contract using the Negotiated Procedure without prior publication (Regulation 32 (2) (b) (iii)). A subsequent award notice will be published in due course.
It is the intention of the University pursuant to its obligations under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, that a contract for services will be awarded to the stated provider on the basis that:
- the University and EAB UK, LLC have both agreed the contract terms, and
- the successful completion of the 10 days Standstill period.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court of England and Wales
Royal Courts of Justice, Strand
London
WCA2 2LL
Country
United Kingdom