Award

CORE Development Services

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

07 Jul 2025 at 15:02

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

04 Jul 2025 at 07:56

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Open University has awarded a contract titled "CORE Development Services" within the industry category of custom software development services. This contract aims to enhance the service development capacity necessary for the university's CORE project, which hosts the world's largest collection of open access research outputs. The procurement process was a direct award to Qubit Labs, and the project is valued at £450,000 net, with a gross value of £540,000. The development is set in the United Kingdom, specifically the UKJ1 region, and it is scheduled to commence on 8th August 2025, concluding on 31st July 2026. The award was published on 7th July 2025, and the contract is currently in the standstill period, ending on 17th July 2025.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in bespoke software development and associated services, particularly those with the capability to manage large codebases and support complex digital infrastructures. Companies with existing expertise in open access research platforms or similar domains could find this tender especially appealing. As the procurement was conducted through a direct award, businesses that can demonstrate unique technical capabilities and specialist knowledge in the relevant fields are well-suited to compete in similar future opportunities facilitated by large public authorities like The Open University.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

CORE Development Services

Notice Description

Service development capacity, in the form of software development and associated activities, to support the CORE project: CORE hosts the world's largest collection of open access research outputs, which are used and referenced by people globally, including researchers, libraries, software developers, funders

Procurement Information

The Open University (OU) intends to award a one (1) year agreement to Qubit Labs to provide software development and associated activities, to support the CORE OU project. The CORE code base contains more than 250k lines of code Qubit personnel have the required training, expertise and specialist knowledge to operate and develop the CORE infrastructure. The cost and time to upskill another company to the level required precludes the award of the contract to a company other than Qubit.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0558b7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037972-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

72230000 - Custom software development services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£450,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Jul 202510 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
4 Jul 202510 months ago
Contract Period
7 Aug 2025 - 31 Jul 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
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
Post Town
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

QUBIT LABS

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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