Scope
Reference
1104
Description
This procurement will: -
deliver a single Service Provider for Aston who will be able to provide a fully functioning Research Grants Management System by December 2026.
deliver added value services over the duration of the Contract; -
deliver cost certainty for Aston through clearly articulated in the pricing schedule
Full details, including the tender documentation and award criteria, can be accessed on ProContract.
Total value (estimated)
- £596,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 12 February 2026 to 11 February 2029
- Possible extension to 11 February 2031
- 5 years
Description of possible extension:
Any subsequent extension to the contract will be agreed between Aston and the Supplier. It is likely that Aston will seek the Supplier to demonstrate improvements and/or price reductions before considering an extension. For any extension(s) to the contract, discussions with the Supplier shall be conducted sufficiently far in advance of the contract expiry date to arrive at an agreed position.
The ability to continually meet the University's Key Performance Indicators and service level agreement whilst delivering best value and sustained performance and support will impact the decision to extend.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 72260000 - Software-related services
Contract locations
- UKG31 - Birmingham
Participation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
8 December 2025, 12:00pm
Submission type
Tenders
Tender submission deadline
19 December 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
19 January 2026
Recurring procurement
Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 12 February 2030
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality | Functional and Non-Functional Requirements. |
Quality | 80% |
| Cost | Total price for complete implementation, including all licences, project management and ongoing costs over the period of the contract. |
Cost | 20% |
Other information
Payment terms
Invoices must be submitted electronically. Undisputed invoices will be paid within 30 days but must adhere to the University's payment policy. All invoices must quote a valid purchase order number.
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Competitive flexible procedure description
Stage 1 - Invitation to Tender (ITT) Stage
The ITT stage is composed of 3 sub-stages;
A) Procurement Specific Questionnaire
B) Quality Evaluation
C) Price Evaluation
Following an initial evaluation of the ITT stage, it is anticipated that a shortlist of up to 5 highest scoring tenderers from stage 1 will proceed to stage 2 of the Competitive Flexible Procedure. In the best interest of all parties, Aston reserves the right to invite more or fewer suppliers to stage 2, depending on the closeness of the scores. The provisional ranking will not be disclosed to tenderers. Tenderers who are not shortlisted will be eliminated from the tender process at this stage.
Stage 2 - Presentation/Interview Stage
Shortlisted suppliers will be required to attend a Presentation/Interview in-person at Aston University, along with a panel of key Aston stakeholders. A brief will be provided at least 10 days prior to the Presentation/Interview date. No separate weighting has been reserved for this stage. The purpose of this stage is to provide an opportunity to confirm that the proposals made are deliverable, as well as verify tenderer's understanding and capabilities. Aston therefore reserves the right to adjust tender scores following the presentations, resulting in a final tender score for each tenderer. The Costs scores from the pricing element will be recalculated in accordance with the original methodology to reflect only the tenderers remaining in the process for this stage.
Award Process
The University will select the preferred bidder from among the Tenderers (the "Preferred Bidder"). The University may do so either:
without further submissions, in which case the Preferred Bidder shall be the Tenderer whose submission scored highest at Stage 2 or
with further submissions, by first entering into negotiations with all Tenderers whose tender submissions satisfied Mandatory Requirements, and then inviting all of those Tenderers to submit revised submissions, in which case the Preferred Bidder shall be the Tenderer whose revised submission scored highest.
Preferred bidder
The Preferred Bidder will be notified that it is the preferred bidder. The University reserves the right to enter into negotiations with the Preferred Bidder in order to finalise the terms of the contracts (e.g. clarifications, specifications, optimisation and other negotiations to confirm financial commitments or other terms contained in the Preferred Bidder's tender submission and / or BAFO).
Where the University decides to enter into the contract without further negotiation and any standstill period has expired without any legal challenge being made, the University shall conclude the contract by issuing a contract award document. In addition, the University may send the Tenderer a legal agreement for signature for its records and in such circumstances the tenderer shall countersign and return the legal agreement to the University promptly (and no later than 7 days from the date of receipt of such legal agreement).
When the University has made a final decision to award the Contract, and after the expiry of any Standstill Period (being 8 working days from the date of the Contract Award Notice), the University will notify the successful Tenderer(s) of the University's decision to award the Contract.
If it has not already done so, the University will also notify any unsuccessful Tenderers including information on the characteristics and relative advantages (whilst respecting commercial sensitivity) of the successful Tender(s).
Quality - 80%
Price 20%
Application Lifecycle Management 18.0%
External Partner and Organisation Management 4.0%
Workflow and Automation 8.0%
System Integrations 10.0%
Contracts and Due Diligence 4.0%
Notifications and Communications 4.0%
Data, Records and Compliance 4.0%
Reporting and Analytics 10.0%
Non-Functional Requirements 2.0%
IT Non-Functional Requirements 13.0%
Cost 20.0%
Social Value 3.0%
Documents
Associated tender documents
https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?v=2
Suppliers are required to submit their tender response on our e-tendering portal ProContract. Suppliers must first register on the ProContract portal to enable access to the tender documentation. Please use the following URL https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?v=2
https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?v=2
Suppliers are required to submit their tender response on our e-tendering portal ProContract. Suppliers must first register on the ProContract portal to enable access to the tender documentation. Please use the following URL https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?v=2
Documents to be provided after the tender notice
Tenderers who are shortlisted will receive the presentation brief at least 10 days before the presentation date. All other documentation will be available upon registration.
Technical specifications to be met
https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?v=2
Suppliers are required to submit their tender response on our e-tendering portal ProContract. Suppliers must first regiser on the ProContract portal to enable access to the tender documentation. Please use the following URL https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?v=2
Contracting authority
ASTON UNIVERSITY
- Companies House: RC000904
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PTLB-7496-TPTR
Aston University
Birmingham
B4 7ET
United Kingdom
Region: UKG31 - Birmingham
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government