Contract

(NU/1433-44) Senseful AI: The Provision of Business Consultancy to Assist Commercialisation of University Research

  • Newcastle University
  • Durham University
  • Northumbria University Newcastle Newcastle
  • University of Sunderland
  • Teesside University
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  • University of Bath on behalf of the SETsquared
  • University of York

F03: Contract award notice

Notice identifier: 2022/S 000-033466

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-038853

Published 25 November 2022, 11:00am



Section one: Contracting authority

one.1) Name and addresses

Newcastle University

Newcastle University, Procurement Services, Kingsgate

Newcastle

NE1 7RU

Contact

Mrs Natalie Morton

Email

natalie.morton@ncl.ac.uk

Telephone

+44 1912086396

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKC - North East (England)

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.ncl.ac.uk

Buyer's address

https://www.ncl.ac.uk

one.1) Name and addresses

Durham University

The Palatine Centre, Stockton Road

Email

Edwin.e.milligan@durham.ac.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKC - North East (England)

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.durham.ac.uk

one.1) Name and addresses

Northumbria University Newcastle Newcastle

Newcastle upon Tyne

Email

Hugh.Rhodes@northumbria.ac.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UKC - North East (England)

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://northumbria.ac.uk

one.1) Name and addresses

University of Sunderland

Sunderland

Email

Cheryl.Holmstrom@sunderland.ac.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://Sunderland.ac.uk

one.1) Name and addresses

Teesside University

Middlesbrough, Tees Valley

Email

David.Pratt@tees.ac.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.tees.ac.uk/

one.1) Name and addresses

University of Bath on behalf of the SETsquared

Claverton Down, Bath

Email

pb487@bath.ac.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.bath.ac.uk/

one.1) Name and addresses

University of York

Heslington, York

Email

james.kitson@york.ac.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

https://www.york.ac.uk/

one.2) Information about joint procurement

The contract involves joint procurement

The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body

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

(NU/1433-44) Senseful AI: The Provision of Business Consultancy to Assist Commercialisation of University Research

Reference number

DN637976

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

As a professional philologist whose research rests at the intersection of linguistics, anthropology, and the cognitive sciences, Dr William Short (PhD, University of California, Berkeley) has pioneered the development of an approach to the description of the conceptual systems of historical societies through the close analysis of language and text. As part of this research, Dr Short developed an innovative search engine technology that enables the identification of relations between concepts within large text corpora, independent of how those concepts happen to be expressed lexically. Seeing this tool’s potential to make searching textual data of all kinds more efficient, more productive, and more rewarding, Dr Short has launched Senseful AI to commercialise the technology for data providers hoping to offer advanced, sophisticated search functionalities to their users.

We are looking for an Executive with the initial brief of the executive will be to:

Phase 1 Opportunity validation and business plan creation

Review existing business ambitions and options for optimal route to market and generate a viable business plan with realistic funding requirements built on sound market research

Phase 2 Spinout approval

Work with University of Exeter’s technology transfer office and founder academics to develop business case to obtain approval and sign-off for the spin-out company creation

Phase 3 Complete necessary stages for being “ready to spin”

including company formation relevant legal agreements.

Phase 4 Securing seed investment into the company

Achieve investor engagement, commitment and completing a Term Sheet and investment completion, to cover funding required by the business to deliver against the business plan.

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: £30,000

two.2) Description

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UKC - North East (England)

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

This is a Further competition from DPS framework NU1433 - The Provision of Business Consultancy to Assist Commercialisation of University Research.

As a professional philologist whose research rests at the intersection of linguistics, anthropology, and the cognitive sciences, Dr William Short (PhD, University of California, Berkeley) has pioneered the development of an approach to the description of the conceptual systems of historical societies through the close analysis of language and text. As part of this research, Dr Short developed an innovative search engine technology that enables the identification of relations between concepts within large text corpora, independent of how those concepts happen to be expressed lexically. Seeing this tool’s potential to make searching textual data of all kinds more efficient, more productive, and more rewarding, Dr Short has launched Senseful AI to commercialise the technology for data providers hoping to offer advanced, sophisticated search functionalities to their users.

We are looking for an Executive with the initial brief of the executive will be to:

Phase 1 Opportunity validation and business plan creation

Review existing business ambitions and options for optimal route to market and generate a viable business plan with realistic funding requirements built on sound market research

Phase 2 Spinout approval

Work with University of Exeter’s technology transfer office and founder academics to develop business case to obtain approval and sign-off for the spin-out company creation

Phase 3 Complete necessary stages for being “ready to spin”

including company formation relevant legal agreements.

Phase 4 Securing seed investment into the company

Achieve investor engagement, commitment and completing a Term Sheet and investment completion, to cover funding required by the business to deliver against the business plan.

two.2.5) Award criteria

Quality criterion - Name: Ability to meet the required programme / Weighting: (Pass/Fail)

Quality criterion - Name: Ability to meet the Job Description / Weighting: Pass / Fail and Weighted 70%)

Quality criterion - Name: Appointment as COO / Weighting: (Pass/Fail)

Price - Weighting: 30

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No

two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds

The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: Yes

Identification of the project

Northern Accelerator programme involving funding from both the European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) and Research England


Section four. Procedure

four.1) Description

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Restricted procedure

four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system

The procurement involves the setting up of a dynamic purchasing system

four.1.6) Information about electronic auction

An electronic auction will be used

four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No

four.2) Administrative information

four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure

Notice number: 2022/S 186-528050


Section five. Award of contract

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

1 November 2022

five.2.2) Information about tenders

Number of tenders received: 2

Number of tenders received from SMEs: 2

Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: 0

Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 2

Number of tenders received by electronic means: 2

The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No

five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor

Adelphi Digital Consulting Group Ltd

69 Berwick Street, London Greater London

W1F 8SZ

Country

United Kingdom

NUTS code
  • UKC - North East (England)
The contractor is an SME

Yes

five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)

Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £30,000

Total value of the contract/lot: £30,000


Section six. Complementary information

six.4) Procedures for review

six.4.1) Review body

Newcastle University

Tyne and Wear

NE1 7RU

Country

United Kingdom

six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures

Newcastle University

Tyne and Wear

NE1 7RU

Country

United Kingdom

six.4.3) Review procedure

Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures

The University will incorporate a standstill period at the point information on the award of the

contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification will provide full information on the

award decision. The standstill period, which will be for a minimum of 10 calendar days,

provides time for unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the

contract is entered into.

The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015 No 102) provide for aggrieved parties who

have been harmed or are at risk of harm by a breach of the rules to take action in the High

Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) within 30 days of knowledge or constructive

knowledge of breach.

six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained

Newcastle University

Tyne and Wear

NE1 7RU

Country

United Kingdom