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UKRI-5495 TechFirst: Payment Function

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)

This public procurement record has 7 releases in its history.

Award

29 Jul 2026 at 17:55

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

14 Jul 2026 at 14:18

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

15 May 2026 at 08:15

UK4 - Tender Notice
TenderUpdate

14 May 2026 at 16:32

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

30 Mar 2026 at 15:46

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

09 Dec 2025 at 15:28

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

05 Dec 2025 at 07:40

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) procured a payment-processing service for the TechFirst scholarship programme, including the TechGrad undergraduate scholarships and Spärck AI scholarships. The supplier manages scholarship, placement stipend and tuition-fee payments, transfers funds to students and universities, and provides programme management information. The service includes onboarding students, collecting identity and bank details, working with UKRI, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and other programme suppliers, and meeting legal, financial and data-protection requirements. It also covers due diligence, counter-fraud controls and secure handling of data relating to nationally vetted individuals. The procurement is for financial transaction processing and related administrative education services. Delivery is for UKRI’s UK-wide scholarship programmes, involving participating students and universities.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded through a single-lot open procedure. QA LIMITED was selected, with the award recorded on 1 July 2026 and the latest award shown as active on 29 July 2026. The awarded value is £1,944,773.29 excluding VAT, or £2,333,727.95 including VAT. The latest awarded contract period runs from 11 August 2026 to 29 March 2030. The original estimated procurement value was £2,531,920 excluding VAT, or £3,038,304 including VAT. Four bids were received, including three from SMEs. Evaluation placed 80% of the score on quality and 20% on price. The lot was identified as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises.

This award indicates demand for a specialist payment operator able to administer complex scholarship and stipend programmes involving students, universities, government bodies and other delivery partners. A credible competitor for similar UKRI work would need secure systems for onboarding beneficiaries, verifying identity and bank information, processing payments accurately and supplying reliable management information. It would also need strong data protection controls, including the ability to handle information about nationally vetted individuals, while separating grant-funded stipend money from service expenditure. Relevant experience in financial transaction processing, education administration, due diligence and counter-fraud controls would be important. The requirement suits organisations with the operational capacity to manage recurring payments across multiple cohorts and universities, alongside clear governance and compliance arrangements.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

UKRI-5495 TechFirst: Payment Function

Notice Description

UKRI-5495 TechFirst Scholarship and Stipend Support Payment Function

Planning Information

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), is undertaking preliminary market engagement to help shape an upcoming procurement supporting delivery of the TechGrad programme, part of the wider £187m TechFirst initiative to strengthen the UK’s domestic tech talent pipeline. TechGrad is an undergraduate scholarship programme supporting up to 900 UK students per year with a £4,000 annual scholarship throughout their studies. It forms the core of TechFirst, building on the successful CyberFirst model, where graduates have achieved an 88% employment rate in the cyber sector. The programme also includes the Spärck AI scholarship, offering up to 100 fully funded AI master’s degrees each year. Both scholarship schemes will provide wraparound support such as industry and government placements and training. Together, these initiatives aim to invest earlier in future tech talent, helping students gain the skills, experience, and networks needed to fill critical skills gaps and support growth in frontier tech industries. As competition for global talent increases, TechGrad seeks to incentivise domestic students and ensure the UK has a strong pipeline of skilled British nationals driving innovation and supporting national security. About This Procurement This procurement focuses on the payment processing function for the TechGrad programmes, delivered under a single contract of up to four years. The provider will manage the transfer of scholarship and other relevant payments directly to students on the TechFirst scholarship programme, ensuring compliance with all relevant legal, financial, and programme conditions. The TechFirst Scholarship Programme aims to support top domestic talent through their undergraduate studies. The first cohort will start in Autumn 2026, with approximately 600 students joining the programme (250 transferring from the existing CyberFirst bursary and 350 new students). There will be three further cohorts of up to 900 students recruited (2026/27, 2027/28, 2028/29). No recruitment is currently planned for 2029/30. The Spärck AI scholarship scheme aims to support domestic and international talent through their master's studies with a range of opportunities. The first cohort will start in Autumn 2026, with approximately 70-80 students that will sit across the nine partnered universities. There will be three further cohorts again of up to 100 students a year recruited (2027/28, 2028/29, 2029/30). Expected High-Level Requirements: Onboard TechGrad/CyberFirst students, including a route for students to submit identity and bank details for placement and scholarship payments. Cooperate with other TechGrad suppliers, IUK, and DSIT on data sharing while complying with robust data protection principles. Ability to securely manage data for individuals who have undergone national security vetting. Required for the TechGrad/CyberFirst scholarship programme, not for the Spärck AI scholarship programme. Ability to accept and process stipend budget from UKRI in the form of grants. The stipend money will be managed and delivered separately from the contract/service budget by UKRI. Ensure payment processes comply with all relevant guidance and regulations, including appropriate due diligence and counter-fraud processes. Make annual £4,000 scholarship payments to TechGrad students each September. Process annual placement stipend payments (approx. £2,000) for TechGrad/CyberFirst students, with first payments made between May and June 2026. Payments for the Spärck AI scholarship programme under this contract will take place for cohorts from 2027/28 onwards. Payments for the first cohort starting in Autumn 2026 will be managed through UKRI and universities directly. For the cohorts 2027/28 onwards, to make Stipend payments to Spärck scholars on a monthly/quarterly basis from the Autumn. The total stipend cost for each scholar over the course of their academic year will be between £21-24,000, dependant on London/non-London weighting. Tuition fee payments to be made directly to each university on a quarterly basis from the Autumn that year. This will be around £20,000 per scholar for the whole academic year. Universities will absorb the remainder of the scholar’s tuition fee. Provide appropriate management information and programme data to IUK for contract management and evaluation purposes. Market Engagement Webinar: A market engagement webinar will take place on 16th December 2025 at 10:00 AM. Following the session, the presentation and Q&A will be shared with participants. This webinar is an opportunity to learn more about the TechGrad Programme and the procurement process, as well as to provide valuable feedback. If you would like to take part, please register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d3dfc304-1a01-4246-bd64-30b6b049571c@8bb7e08e-daa4-4a8e-927e-fca38db04b7e/registration Please note that not registering an interest will not prevent any organisation from participating in any future procurement, nor will any information shared during preliminary market engagement provide an advantage in any subsequent process.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05ef3b
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071924-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

66 - Financial and insurance services

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

CPV Codes

48612000 - Database-management system

66170000 - Financial consultancy, financial transaction processing and clearing-house services

66171000 - Financial consultancy services

75121000 - Administrative educational services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,531,920 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,531,920 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,944,773 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Jul 20264 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
1 Jun 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
16 Dec 2025Expired
Award Date
1 Jul 20261 months ago
Contract Period
11 Aug 2026 - 29 Mar 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SWINDON, WILTSHIRE
Postcode
SN2 1FL
Postcode Area
Swindon
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK71 Swindon
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Swindon
Electoral Ward
Rodbourne Cheney
Westminster Constituency
Swindon North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

QA LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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