Planning

Procurement and Implementation of a Curriculum Management System

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH HIGHER EDUCATION CORPORATION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

27 Oct 2025 at 10:35

Summary of the contracting process

The University of Portsmouth Higher Education Corporation is in the planning stage of procuring a new Curriculum Management System aimed at enhancing the university's academic planning and delivery processes. This procurement project falls under the services industry category, specifically software programming and consultancy services. The procurement involves a preliminary market engagement process, where suppliers may demonstrate their systems by 14 November 2025. The project's procurement method is in the planning phase and aims to modernise curriculum management to align more effectively with contemporary educational standards. This will substantially improve the university’s workflow by introducing more efficient processes and reducing errors, with a planned contract execution period from 15 April 2026 to 15 April 2030.

This tender offers significant business growth opportunities for suppliers specialising in software development and educational technology solutions, particularly those experienced in integrating software for curriculum lifecycle management. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to participate, especially those with expertise in creating SaaS-based systems compliant with GDPR and WCAG standards, which offer workflow automation, enhanced reporting, and seamless integration with existing platforms. Firms that can deliver agile, comprehensive, and user-friendly systems will find themselves well-suited to meet the university's requirements for improving educational delivery functions.

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Notice Title

Procurement and Implementation of a Curriculum Management System

Notice Description

The University of Portsmouth is currently assessing options for the potential procurement of a Curriculum Management System to enhance our academic planning and delivery processes. Existing curriculum workflows rely on outmoded processes and technologies requiring multiple steps via email and the use of document containers that significantly limit transparency and collaboration. These processes are inherently slow, prone to error and resource intensive. These workflows and systems, therefore, are not fit for purpose in a top modern university seeking to be more agile and will act as a significant barrier to the delivery of the Connected Curriculum which is central component of the refreshed 2030 university strategy. Objectives : Creating a Single Source of Truth Improve course accuracy Improve data and insight Improve downstream processes Create an Auditable Approval and review process Reduce manual effort and duplication Improve reporting and governance Institutional Agility Allows curriculum to adapt more quickly and efficiently through streamlined processes Improve course speed of creation Improved regulatory compliance Current Challenges : Fragmented processes and duplicated data entry. Limited visibility of Course/module approval status. Compliance risks with regulatory frameworks. Slow adaptation to curriculum changes requests. High-Level Requirements/What we are looking for: High Level Functional Requirements : Curriculum Lifecycle Management Centralised workflows for new course design, approval, modification, and retirement. Features should include: Configurable template and data schema structure, applicable at course and module level. Data validation that can be applied in a configurable manner. Notification and sharing - The solution shall provide automated messaging to key stakeholders through the validation cycle for sign-off/approval/review. Course review (usually done on an annual basis), including amendments/updates, suspensions, run-outs and closures, should be manageable from the application. An ability to manage courses run in combination with third party partners and accreditation bodies. An ability to display course information in a map-like (matrix) format, for example: assessment map, learning outcomes map, etc. Workflow Automation - Automated routing of approvals to relevant parties including notifications. Workflow definition and configuration - to be assignable at course level. Workflows should be configurable and usable to manage both initial development of courses and annual (or other) course review functions. Version Control & Audit Trails - Full history of changes to courses/modules. Reporting and changelog reports. Display, Search & Discovery - Easy retrieval of Course/module details for staff and students including search and filtering tools. Integration: The solution shall interoperate with course catalogue and/or UoP and external webpages to provide automatic updates to avoid manual data entry across different systems. Seamless data exchange with SITS. Ability to integrate with other platforms e.g. Drupal, Moodle and a timetabling system. Non-Functional Requirements: SaaS infrastructure to minimise system support and maintenance liabilities. Usability - Intuitive user interface suitable for both academic and administrative users. Accessibility - Compliance with WCAG standards. Performance - Fast data retrieval and response times. Scalability - Support institutional growth and evolving curricula. Security & Data Protection - GDPR compliance, secure role-based access. Reliability - High system availability (Uptime SLA TBC).

Planning Information

As part of this Preliminary Market Engagement, the University of Portsmouth may invite suppliers to provide a demonstration of their Curriculum Management System. These demonstrations will offer an opportunity to showcase key functionalities, user experience, integration capabilities, and innovative features aligned with the University's academic planning and delivery needs. Participation in a demonstration is entirely voluntary and does not constitute any form of pre-qualification or commitment by the University to proceed with procurement. The insights gained will be used solely to inform future decision-making and shape any potential procurement strategy.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d3ed
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068443-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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


CPV Codes

72200000 - Software programming and consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Oct 20253 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
14 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
14 Apr 2026 - 15 Apr 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH HIGHER EDUCATION CORPORATION
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@port.ac.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
PORTSMOUTH
Postcode
PO1 2UP
Post Town
Portsmouth
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ31 Portsmouth
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Portsmouth
Electoral Ward
St Thomas
Westminster Constituency
Portsmouth South

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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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