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Digital Asset Management

OAK NATIONAL ACADEMY LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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16 Jun 2025 at 10:49

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process conducted by OAK NATIONAL ACADEMY LIMITED, a central government public authority, involved the awarding of a contract for Digital Asset Management services to Cloudinary UK Ltd. This contract, with an active status, was initiated on 1st June 2025 and is set to conclude on 31st May 2026, with an option to extend further subject to performance and budget considerations. The process bypassed conventional competition under Section 41(1)(a) of the Procurement Act 2023, due to Cloudinary being the sole supplier capable of delivering the technical requirements needed for the Oak platform's unique digital infrastructure. The service location is within the United Kingdom, with Manchester as the buying organisation's address, and it pertains to the IT software development services category under direct procurement.

This contract presents growth opportunities for businesses with expertise in developing bespoke digital asset management systems. While the specific current contract may not be open to other contenders due to technical constraints, understanding the supply needs and specifications of organisations like Oak National Academy can guide businesses in aligning their capabilities with potential future opportunities. Companies that are adept at providing tailored technical solutions, especially in educational content delivery systems, could benefit from exploring comparable or related projects where similar constraints present unique challenges. Engaging in such specialised tenders can increase market presence and solidify supplier relationships with key public sector entities.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Digital Asset Management

Notice Description

This contract is being directly awarded to Cloudinary under Section 41(1)(a) of the Procurement Act 2023 on the basis that Cloudinary is the only supplier capable of delivering the required service for technical reasons. The contract supports the Oak National Academy's core platform, which enables free-to-access educational content aligned with the national curriculum. The Oak platform is uniquely reliant on Cloudinary's proprietary image and video processing infrastructure. This dependency is hard-coded within the platform's architecture and embedded across hundreds of thousands of content items used by schools across England. Replicating this technical solution, or migrating to an alternative provider, would result in disproportionate operational disruption, high cost, and unacceptable delay to service continuity, particularly during the academic year. Market testing has confirmed that no other supplier offers a solution compatible with Oak's existing content schema, metadata frameworks, or custom delivery APIs without fundamental redevelopment of the platform. As such, Cloudinary remains the only supplier technically capable of meeting the current requirements without significant re-engineering of critical systems. This contract is therefore not the result of an artificial narrowing of the parameters of competition, but a reflection of the bespoke and irreplaceable nature of Cloudinary's embedded role in Oak's educational content delivery system.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05490c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032500-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72212517 - IT software development services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£20,085 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Jun 20251 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Jun 20251 years ago
Contract Period
1 Jun 2025 - 31 May 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
OAK NATIONAL ACADEMY LIMITED
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
MANCHESTER
Postcode
M3 3AA
Postcode Area
Manchester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD33 Manchester
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Manchester
Electoral Ward
Deansgate
Westminster Constituency
Manchester Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Cloudinary UK Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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