Tender

Provision of Student Communication Support Services

UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

11 Mar 2026 at 14:48

Tender

10 Mar 2026 at 10:47

Planning

23 May 2025 at 07:44

Summary of the contracting process

The University of Strathclyde, located in Glasgow, United Kingdom, is inviting tenders for the provision of Student Communication Support Services. This initiative targets services within the interpretation industry, particularly for students who are deaf or have hearing loss. The procurement process is in the tender stage, with an open procedure method. Recent amendments have extended the deadline to 9th April 2026, with the bid opening planned for the same date. The contract value amounts to £800,000, and the framework agreement allows up to 999 participants, indicating significant scope for bidding entities across various service categories.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses specialising in communication support services, notably those with expertise in British Sign Language interpretation, electronic note-taking, and live remote captioning. Companies with well-trained personnel capable of delivering high-quality support within higher education settings are particularly suited to compete. The procurement prioritises both quality and price, each accounting for 50% of the evaluation criteria, underpinning an opportunity for businesses to showcase innovative and cost-effective solutions. With potential contract extensions and modifications permissible under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, this tender offers a path for sustained engagement and business growth in the educational services sector.

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How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Provision of Student Communication Support Services

Notice Description

The University's Disability and Wellbeing Services requires the establishment of a Framework for various forms of Student Communication Support Services to support students who are Deaf or have hearing loss.

Lot Information

Provision of BSL Interpretation Services

The University's Disability and Wellbeing Services requires the establishment of a Framework for various forms of Student Communication Support Services to support students who are Deaf or have hearing loss. The Framework will comprise of two main elements. British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters are required to provide communication support to Deaf students during planned teaching activity such as lectures, labs and tutorials and to enable them to access all aspects of the wider University social experience outside of formal teaching sessions. Where necessary, they are also required to provide translation support outside of lectures and classes, both online or in-person, to aid Deaf students with direct study which can include podcasts, pre-recorded lectures and readings. Electronic notetakers (ENT) are required to provide a set of notes for Deaf or hard of hearing students who cannot take their own notes because they are either lipreading or watching a sign language interpreter. They are required to provide a summary of what is being said rather than a word-for-word account. All personnel delivering these services must be appropriately qualified, experienced, and trained in supporting disabled students within higher education settings. This contract requires the provision of band 1 and band 2 BSL Interpreters holding registration with the appropriate membership bodies and Electronic Notetakers holding signature level 3 and signature level 4 certification. The number of students that require these services varies from year to year and is not finalised until the start of each semester. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

Options: In line with Regulation 72 - Modification of Contracts During their Term, of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, this Contract may be modified without a new procurement procedure in accordance with this Part in some cases.

Renewal: The contract is subject to two up to 12-month extensions. Any extension is to be exercised at the University's entire discretion and will only be valid upon written notification to the Tenderer no later than 30 days prior to the expiry of the preceding term.

Provision of Electronic Note taking

The university of Strathclyde requires Electronic Notetakers (ENT) to provide notes for students who are deaf or have hearing loss in live time during any study related activities including lectures, seminars and meetings. The ENT will type a summary of what's being said into their computer, with the text appearing on the student's screen, to enable the student to interact with the ENT and add their own notes, as required.

Provision of Live Remote Captioning

The University of Strathclyde requires Live Remote Captioning (LRC) to be typed by palantypists who are accessing audio remotely, to enable students to access captions on their own device via a web interface.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-051fdc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021854-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

80 - Education and training services

98 - Other community, social and personal services


CPV Codes

79530000 - Translation services

79540000 - Interpretation services

80300000 - Higher education services

80340000 - Special education services

98300000 - Miscellaneous services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£800,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
8 Apr 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
24 Jun 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
February 2030

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active, Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
GLASGOW
Postcode
G1 1XU
Post Town
Glasgow
Country
Scotland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM3 West Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM32 Glasgow City
Delivery Location
TLM82 Glasgow City

Local Authority
Glasgow City
Electoral Ward
Anderston/City/Yorkhill
Westminster Constituency
Glasgow North East

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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