Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Jisc Services Limited
4 Portwall Lane
Bristol
BS1 6NB
Contact
Claire Forkner
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
National registration number
02881024
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
https://uk.eu-supply.com/ctm/Company/CompanyInformation/Index/87175
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
PLOS OA Tiered Flat Fee Publishing Agreement 2025
Reference number
Proc2728
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 80000000 - Education and training services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
Jisc Services Limited has entered into a contract with Public Library of Science for Jisc members publishing in PLOS Biology and/or PLOS Medicine and/or PLOS Sustainability and Transformation. Jisc members pay an annual participation fee for un-metered (uncapped) publishing. Participating institutions will be part of a community supporting a new funding model for highly-selective open access journals.
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: £1,003,998.85
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Jisc Services Limited has entered into a contract with Public Library of Science for Jisc members to publish in PLOS Biology and/or PLOS Medicine and/or PLOS Sustainability and Transformation. Jisc members pay an annual participation fee for un-metered (uncapped) publishing. Participating institutions will be part of a community supporting a new funding model for highly-selective open access journals.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
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: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights
Explanation:
Public Library of Science is the sole rightsholder and supplier of this resource.
four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2024/S 000-033818
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
1
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
16 December 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Public Library of Science
2108 N Street Suite N
Sacramento
CA95816
Country
United States
NUTS code
- US - United States
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,003,998.85
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
The scope of the framework covers purchases by public sector organisations, including but not limited to the following:
· Higher Education institutions
· Further Education institutions
· Consortiums and any other Organisation or Body whose core purpose is the support or advancement of further or higher education or of research.
· Any other education institute such as Schools or Colleges
· Multi Academy Trusts and other such organisations established and acting on behalf Schools and Colleges
· Specialist Colleges Research Council establishments
· Charities and Third sector organisations
· Local Authorities
· Housing Associations
· NHS bodies and bodies acting on behalf of the NHS
· Emergency services and bodies acting on behalf of the NHS
· Regional Broadband Consortia and any other the organisations connected to or eligible to connect to the Janet network.
· JSL, Jisc, any Jisc subsidiaries and its members.
· Any other wider public sector organisation.
The framework is open to organisations in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, as well as members of NRENs outside the UK.
Many of the above organisations are members of higher and further education purchasing consortia. These consortia are independent organisations that provide a wide range of collaborative purchase agreements to their member institutions. Any member of one of these consortia will be eligible to purchase from this framework by virtue of its membership, as will members of any other similar purchasing consortium in higher or further education that might be formed during the lifetime of the framework.
The Framework is available for use by any National Research and Education Network (NREN) and the community it serves where the NREN has either a direct connection to Janet or the NREN is a member at any time during the period of this framework, or the consortium that operates GÉANT.
GÉANT is the pan-European research and education network that interconnects Europe’s NRENs. A list of members of the GÉANT consortium (GÉANT Partners) may be found at the URL below. GÉANT may also use this framework.
The framework is available for use by HEAnet, its subsidiaries, member institutions and customers to include schools serviced by the HEAnet school’s network. As HEAnet, the NREN of the Republic of Ireland, is connected both to Janet and is a member of the GÉANT consortium.
Membership lists for existing higher and further education purchasing consortia may be found at:
· https://www.lupc.ac.uk/member-list (https://www.lupc.ac.uk/member-list
· https://www.supc.ac.uk/about-us/our-members/our-members (https://www.supc.ac.uk/about-us/our-members/our-members
· http://www.nwupc.ac.uk/our-members (http://www.nwupc.ac.uk/our-members
· http://www.neupc.ac.uk/members (http://www.neupc.ac.uk/members
· http://www.hepcw.ac.uk/members/ (http://www.hepcw.ac.uk/members/
· http://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk/#!/members (http://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk/#!/members
· https://www.heanet.ie/who-we-are
https://about.geant.org/membership/members-associates-general-assembly-representatives/
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Jisc Services Limited
4 Portwall Lane
Bristol
BS1 6NB
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
Jisc Service Limited incorporated a standstill period at the point information about
the contract was shared by means of a VEAT notice. The VEAT notification provided information on the award decision. The standstill period, thereafter, which was for a minimum of 10 calendar days, provided time for suppliers to challenge the award decision before the contract was entered into. The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 article 91 provides 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)