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RHUL-26113 Perpetual E-Book Aggregator

Royal Holloway and Bedford New College

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

12 Oct 2026 at 12:33

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Royal Holloway and Bedford New College bought a perpetual e-book aggregator, providing access to electronic books through the SUPC Library Books, e-books and Associate Services Framework. The purchase is categorised as goods, though the requirement is a digital library service for sourcing or accessing e-books. The delivery location is Egham, in the South East of England. The buyer is Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, a higher education institution; the requirement is therefore relevant to e-book aggregators and suppliers of academic digital content or library services. The awarded supplier is EBSCO International Inc. The procurement relates specifically to the aggregator and its use for the university’s e-book provision, rather than to printed books or general library services.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to EBSCO International Inc. on 17 August 2026, using the SUPC framework route for library books, e-books and associated services. The award value is £495,000. The contract period runs from 18 August 2026 to 31 July 2029. The recorded tender deadline was 17 August 2026. The published details do not set out a separate evaluation formula or criteria, so the stated outcome is the selection of EBSCO International Inc. through the framework route. This was a single award for the perpetual e-book aggregator requirement; no separate lots or award values are recorded. The contract covers delivery to Royal Holloway and Bedford New College in Egham.

For suppliers who did not win, this award is evidence that Royal Holloway and Bedford New College has a substantial requirement for a perpetual e-book aggregator, procured through a specialist higher-education library framework. A credible competitor would need to provide an established platform for academic e-book access and demonstrate the ability to support the university’s library service over a multi-year contract. The award went to a large supplier, indicating that scale and the capacity to deliver a continuing institutional service are relevant competitive factors. Suppliers focused on print-only books or unrelated library services would be less aligned with this requirement. Experience serving university libraries, dependable access to relevant digital book collections, and the operational capability to sustain an aggregator service would position a supplier more credibly when this specific requirement next returns to market.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

RHUL-26113 Perpetual E-Book Aggregator

Notice Description

Awarded to EBSCO International Inc for a Perpetual E-Book Aggregator via SUPC Library Books, e-books and Associate Services Framework LIB4061

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-0ba4386f-90f0-46f9-995c-a9bcde847b23
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ce52c5ff-1e70-4638-8c73-727201b80917
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Other -
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

22 - Printed matter and related products

CPV Codes

22000000 - Printed matter and related products

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£495,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
18 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
EGHAM
Postcode
TW20 0EX
Postcode Area
Twickenham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ25 West Surrey
Delivery Location
TLJ South East (England)
Local Authority
Runnymede
Electoral Ward
Englefield Green East
Westminster Constituency
Windsor

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

EBSCO Internation Inc.

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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