Planning

UKRI-5495: CyberFirst/TechFirst undergraduate scholarship, and Sparck AI scholarship programme: Payment Function

UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION (UKRI)

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

05 Dec 2025 at 07:40

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) is in the planning stage of a procurement process in partnership with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The process is aimed at securing services for the payment processing function of the TechGrad programme, a component of the TechFirst initiative supporting the UK's domestic tech talent pipeline. This procurement is part of the wider £187m TechFirst initiative and involves a single contract lasting up to four years. The initiative includes the TechGrad undergraduate scholarships and the Spärck AI master's degree scholarships. It is planned to commence in Autumn 2026, with the first cohort of students expected to start then. A market engagement webinar is scheduled for 16th December 2025, which will provide more details about the programme and procurement process. Interested organisations must register to participate.

This procurement represents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in financial consultancy, transaction processing, administrative educational services, and database services. Firms capable of managing secure student payments and related administration efficiently would be well-suited to licit for this contract. The successful provider will play a critical role in ensuring timely scholarship payments and compliance with all legal and financial conditions, supporting the administration of payments to students across multiple scholarship programmes. With the UK government investing significantly in its tech talent pipeline, businesses that offer robust and secure financial and administrative solutions stand to gain long-term growth and partnerships by fulfilling these service requirements.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

UKRI-5495: CyberFirst/TechFirst undergraduate scholarship, and Sparck AI scholarship programme: Payment Function

Notice Description

UKRI is engaging the market ahead of procuring a payment processing service for the TechGrad scholarship programme, including secure student payments and related administration.

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/079955-2025
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

66 - Financial and insurance services

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

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

CPV Codes

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

66171000 - Financial consultancy services

72320000 - Database services

75121000 - Administrative educational services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,745,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Dec 20253 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
16 Dec 20252 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
9 Feb 2026 - 30 Apr 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION (UKRI)
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
corporateprocurement@ukri.org
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
SWINDON, WILTSHIRE
Postcode
SN2 1FL
Post Town
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

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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