Scope
Description
Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD), recognised as one of the world's leading conservatoires and a key institution within the City of London Corporation, currently utilises a Student Information System (SIS) to manage the entire student lifecycle from admissions and enrolment through to assessment, progression, and graduation. While this system has provided a solid foundation for both academic and administrative operations over several years, GSMD is now reassessing its long-term SIS strategy in response to sector developments, digital transformation ambitions, and the evolving needs of students and staff.
This Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) and Soft Market Testing (SMT) exercise aims to explore the current market landscape for higher education SIS solutions, including the latest offerings and alternative suppliers. The objective is to inform an options appraisal that will guide GSMD's future procurement approach, ensuring any subsequent tender is both feasible and aligned with the School's strategic direction.
The City of London Corporation and GSMD seek to:
• Identify innovative, robust, and cost-effective SIS solutions that support GSMD's digital transformation and sector best practice.
• Gather insights on deployment models, interoperability, user experience, compliance, and support arrangements.
• Inform an options appraisal and procurement strategy that delivers long-term value for students, staff, and the institution.
• Mitigate the risk of launching an unachievable or misaligned procurement by understanding market capabilities, indicative pricing, and implementation approaches.
Through this process, GSMD is particularly interested in:
• Cloud-based models (SaaS or managed service)
• Core SIS capabilities: admissions, enrolment, curriculum management, timetabling, assessment, progression, graduation, and reporting
• Interoperability via APIs or integration with systems .
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2030
- 4 years
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 72212190 - Educational software development services
Engagement
Engagement deadline
13 November 2025
Engagement process description
PME in this case is where City Corporation, at an early stage in development of its proposals but prior to formulating any formal procurement opportunity, seeks input from the market as to what might be the most attractive way of packaging and scoping a future procurement opportunity.
This exercise will provide an opportunity for City Corporation to obtain insight into how participants might approach the delivery of the service in question. It also gives useful early insight into the likely level of interest in a proposed project from that market.
Invited participants will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to the soft market testing or failure to attend any follow up face-to-face interviews that may be arranged.
Participants must also note that a response to this notice does not guarantee an invitation to participate in this or any future procurement that City Corporation may conduct, nor that City Corporation will procure any such supply and services or accepts any proposals offered.
City Corporation has developed a questionnaire (attached to the portal advert) that they would like interested parties to complete; interested participants MAY then be invited to meet with the project team to discuss in more detail the options.
As stated above, the outcome of the PME exercise will inform our procurement options appraisal with recommendations.
Further detailed reports will be prepared as appropriate in accordance with the City Corporation's tender and approval procedures, and in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2023.
This SMT will comprise:
• Submission of the SMT Questionnaire - your questionnaire must be received by the deadline.
• Any individual Supplier Meetings (if applicable) will be based on the questions and responses contained within the SMT Questionnaire. The City might invite market operators who submit the SMT Questionnaires to meetings and/or workshops, the City will advise if this will be the case.
Questionnaire must be returned by via the City of London Corporation Sourcing and Contracts portal https://cityoflondon.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/ by 12:00 Noon on 13 November 2025
Contracting authority
The Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PYQD-1693-MYXR
PO Box 270
City of London
EC2P 2EJ
United Kingdom
Telephone: 020 7606 3030
Email: CityProc.Operations@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Website: https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
Region: UKI43 - Haringey and Islington
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government