Scope
Reference
Proc2922
Description
Licensing Subscription Manager (LSM) is Jisc's e-commerce site that enables Further & Higher Education institutions and customers to search, purchase, and manage their subscriptions to e-books, e-journals, and databases negotiated by Jisc Licensing, and via its sister site www.chest.ac.uk, preferential licence agreements for software and online resources negotiated. It is the intention that the current LSM functionality is to be migrated to Salesforce Communications Cloud on Core, integrated with Jisc's Salesforce CRM, having product and pricing information configured in the Salesforce Enterprise Product Catalogue, and a new customer portal to be developed Salesforce Experience Cloud. The migration to Salesforce is an important strategic step for Jisc, with efficiency to be shared across Jisc directorates, gained from having customer relationship management (CRM), e-commerce and other data and workflows within one platform. The development is intended to be run in multiple phases; MVP (minimum viable product) Phase will be building and proving the end-to-end purchase of a subset of Chest products for a subset of customers in Salesforce. MMP (minimum marketable product) Phase will be building out the product model and purchasing journey to migrate all Chest products and go live to all customers.
Contract 1. Development of LSM platform
Supplier
Contract value
- £200,000 excluding VAT
- £240,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Earliest date the contract will be signed
27 October 2025
Contract dates (estimated)
- 3 November 2025 to 3 April 2026
- Possible extension to 2 November 2026
- 1 year
Description of possible extension:
Possible extension to circa 12 months
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Direct award
Direct award justification
Switching to direct award
Following an unsuccessful attempt in late 2024 to procure the required services via the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Digital Outcomes 6 Framework (Ref: RM1043.8), where only two insufficient bids were received from over 3,500 framework suppliers, Jisc undertook a structured Request for Information (RFI) exercise to gain a clearer understanding of the market landscape and supplier capabilities. As a result of the RFI, Salesforce was identified in July 2025 as the supplier best positioned to meet Jisc's specific requirements. The intention was to proceed via a compliant Direct Award call-off through an authorised reseller under the NHS SBS Digital Workplace Solutions Framework (Ref: SBS/19/AB/WAB/9411). Although contract discussions were initiated, they could not be concluded before the expiry of the framework. Jisc subsequently sought to utilise the next iteration of the framework; however, its launch was delayed due to factors outside Jisc's control. In light of these circumstances, and to avoid further delay, increased costs, and potential disruption to service delivery, a direct award is now considered the most appropriate and proportionate route. This approach is supported by the prior market engagement and aligns with procurement principles of value for money, urgency, and continuity of service.
Supplier
Salesforce UK Limited
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PTXG-8329-VLGH
Salesforce Tower, Floor 26, 110 Bishopsgate
London
EC2N 4AY
United Kingdom
Email: gmacaulay@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. Development of LSM platform
Contracting authority
Jisc
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PGYD-1575-ZHXX
4 Portwall Lane
Bristol
BS1 6NB
United Kingdom
Contact name: Chris Hallahan
Telephone: +44 2081482444
Email: Chris.Hallahan@jisc.ac.uk
Website: https://www.jisc.ac.uk
Region: UKK11 - Bristol, City of
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government