Tender

Office for Students: Contract for Fit and Proper (FPP) checks

OFFICE FOR STUDENTS

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

31 Jul 2025 at 13:05

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process for the Office for Students involves a contract for conducting Fit and Proper (FPP) checks as part of the registration process for higher education providers in England. The buying organisation, located in Bristol, is a public authority within the central government. The tender is in the stage of acceptance with a closing date for submissions set for 26th August 2025 at 11:00 AM. The industry category is identified under business services including law, marketing, and consulting, and the process follows an open competition procurement method. The value of the contract is grossly estimated at £120,000 with a base amount of £96,000, and the procurement is particularly suitable for SMEs, offering several delivery extensions up to 2030. The awarded contract is expected to commence on 1st November 2025 and conclude by the end of October 2027.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in legal, consulting, and related services, especially those experienced in conducting comprehensive background checks and compliance verifications. Companies that are adept in due diligence and possess robust systems for assessing the credentials of individuals in regulatory environments will find this procurement advantageous for growth. With a focus on ensuring key individuals' appropriateness within higher education settings, firms that leverage technology for efficient data evaluation and reporting could benefit extensively from this engagement with the Office for Students, fostering both reputational enhancement and service diversification across the educational sector. The procurement's suitability designation for SMEs also underscores the opportunity for smaller enterprises to enter or expand their footprint in the governmental contract space.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Office for Students: Contract for Fit and Proper (FPP) checks

Notice Description

When providers of higher education in England apply to register with the Office for Students, the registration team conduct FPP checks on key individuals as part of the initial registration process and on an ongoing basis as part of the ongoing conditions of registration. The supplier is expected to provide a way of enabling the OfS to check whether key individuals at each provider applying to register with the OfS are fit and proper. The checks may be conducted on individuals the OfS consider relevant and would include roles such as (but not limited to) the accountable officer, the Chair of the governing body or the company secretary. The type of checks to be conducted may vary between individuals and could include any or all of the following: *Current disqualification as a director *Current disqualification as a charity trustee or trustee for a charity *Undischarged bankrupt *Unspent criminal conviction *Adverse findings in relevant civil procedure *Adverse findings in disciplinary hearings *Adverse findings in the education sector *Adverse findings for use of public funds *Previously being refused licence to trade *Guilty under s.199 ECTA [2023] *Criminal Offence in relation to tax *Insolvency or liquidation *Previous bankruptcy *Previous removal as Trustee of Charity or Charity Trustee For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Bristol:-Business-services:-law%2C-marketing%2C-consulting%2C-recruitment%2C-printing-and-security./ZW7ZFM6A7F To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/ZW7ZFM6A7F

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: 2 years extension until 31 October 2029 and then a further 1 year until 31 October 2030

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-056a3b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044767-2025
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£96,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
£96,000 Under £100K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Jul 20256 months ago
Submission Deadline
26 Aug 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Nov 2025 - 31 Oct 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
OFFICE FOR STUDENTS
Contact Name
Sarah Phillips
Contact Email
procurement@officeforstudents.org.uk
Contact Phone
+44 1179317317

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS34 8SR
Post Town
Bristol
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Delivery Location
TLK1 Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area
Local Authority
South Gloucestershire
Electoral Ward
Stoke Gifford
Westminster Constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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