Award

The Student Room - purchase of

LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

27 May 2025 at 14:44

Summary of the contracting process

Liverpool John Moores University has completed a procurement process to secure services from The Student Room, with the contract stage being the award scheduled for signature on 5th June 2025. This procurement falls under the direct procurement method, conducted below threshold and without competition, focusing on subscription services within the Higher Education sector across the United Kingdom. The procurement pertains to enhancing the university’s brand reputation and student recruitment objectives by engaging with prospective student queries on a prominent online platform. This contract, valued at £60,000, will be operational from 6th June 2025 to 6th June 2027, and has an extensive service delivery coverage across multiple UK regions.

The procurement of these services offers significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in digital platforms and communication services within the Higher Education industry. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that provide innovative solutions for enhancing student engagement and university branding could find such contracts particularly beneficial. By focusing on strategic partnerships with educational institutions, similar businesses can expand their service offerings and establish a strong presence in a competitive sector, capitalising on the increasing reliance of universities on digital platforms for brand management and student interaction.

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Notice Title

The Student Room - purchase of

Notice Description

The Student Room is a well-known tool used by prospective students to research Higher Education options. It is a discussion forum in which users can ask peers about universities and delve deeply into the student perspective. It is well-known in the sector and is a strong brand that prospective students are aware of and draw information from. UCAS have found from surveys that online student reviews are consistently one of the top factors when applicants are asked about the most important factors when making decisions about where to study. When enquirers are researching options using a search engine, posts in The Student Room frequently appear and can be positive or negative about the university. Having a paid subscription to the service enables us to respond to posts using official university profiles, enabling us to answer questions from enquirers and to help negate negative comments, thus increasing brand reputation and contributing to student recruitment objectives. Posts on The Student Room are public so it is important to put resources into such a visible forum. Not having a paid subscription would mean that queries from prospective students interested in study at LJMU would be left publicly unanswered or even picked up by competitors, many of whom have a presence on the platform. We work with a range of suppliers in the sector that provide a platform for enquirers to research Higher Education options. Each platform has its own characteristics and The Student Room is unique with its focus on forums and the fact that content posted on The Student Room is public and therefore has a wide reach. The latest statistics received from The Student Room demonstrated that, in the 12 month period up to March 2024, LJMU posts have reached 68.4k people

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05273c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027820-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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


CPV Codes

79980000 - Subscription services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£60,000 Under £100K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
27 May 20259 months ago
Contract Period
5 Jun 2025 - 6 Jun 2027 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
purchaseorderqueries@ljmu.ac.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LIVERPOOL
Postcode
L2 2QP
Post Town
Liverpool
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD7 Merseyside
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD72 Liverpool
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Liverpool
Electoral Ward
City Centre North
Westminster Constituency
Liverpool Riverside

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

THE STUDENT ROOM

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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