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Courier Services - Royal Mail

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

15 Oct 2026 at 10:33

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Open University has awarded a call-off contract for Royal Mail courier services. The requirement is to use Royal Mail as a courier for the university; the procurement is categorised as post and courier services (CPV 64100000). The buyer is The Open University, based at Walton Hall in Milton Keynes. The stated delivery location is the United Kingdom. This is a service requirement rather than a purchase of goods or works.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to Royal Mail Group Ltd. The award date was 7 October 2026. The contract runs from 7 October 2026 to 10 January 2028, with an awarded value of £832,440.15. The Open University used a selective procedure through a call-off from a framework agreement. The procurement was for a single service requirement, with no lots described. The tender submission deadline was 6 October 2026. The published information does not set out evaluation criteria or supplier eligibility requirements.

This award confirms demand at The Open University for a substantial, ongoing courier service delivered through a framework call-off. Suppliers seeking to compete for a comparable requirement at this buyer would need the operational capacity to handle the university’s courier needs across the United Kingdom, and the ability to supply through an applicable framework route. Royal Mail Group Ltd, a large supplier, was selected for this contract. The stated suitability assessment marked the opportunity as unsuitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises, indicating that comparable work is positioned for larger suppliers rather than smaller or mission-led organisations. Relevant strengths would therefore include nationwide courier operations and the scale to deliver a continuing service for a major university.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Courier Services - Royal Mail

Notice Description

Call-off contract for the use of Royal Mail as a courier by the OU

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-f787f494-0804-4915-80c8-66d5420de6c6
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0cb1b9ec-5e31-40eb-b63c-b86bfbc8a3bf
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Call-off from a framework agreement
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

64 - Postal and telecommunications services

CPV Codes

64100000 - Post and courier services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£832,440 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£832,440 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
7 Oct 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
7 Oct 2026 - 10 Jan 2028 1-2 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
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
MILTON KEYNES
Postcode
MK7 6AA
Postcode Area
Milton Keynes
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ12 Milton Keynes
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Milton Keynes
Electoral Ward
Monkston
Westminster Constituency
Milton Keynes Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Royal Mail Group Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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