Tender

Contract for Impact Evaluation of the OfS APP approach

OFFICE FOR STUDENTS

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

10 Dec 2025 at 16:05

Summary of the contracting process

The contracting process, managed by the Office for Students, involves an open procedure for evaluating the long-term impact of its Access and Participation Plan (APP) approach. The title of the tender is "Contract for Impact Evaluation of the OfS APP approach," falling under the services industry category, particularly focused on evaluation consultancy services. Located in Bristol, United Kingdom, this tender is in the tender stage as of its latest activity. Key dates include a tender period ending on 21st January 2026, with a contract period projected from 9th March 2026 to 30th September 2027. This contract is anticipated to be valued at £345,000, with the gross amount not exceeding £414,000.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in evaluation consultancy services, especially those with expertise in assessing educational equality initiatives. Companies with a focus on research and consultancy services in the higher education sector are well-suited to compete, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as they are encouraged to apply. The procurement process is open, which means high transparency and equal opportunities for all bidders, providing a potentially lucrative project for firms skilled in theory-based evaluation models.

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Notice Title

Contract for Impact Evaluation of the OfS APP approach

Notice Description

The access and participation plan (APP) is the main lever through which the OfS regulates equality of opportunity at the provider level. In the context of higher education, 'equality of opportunity' means that individuals are not hampered in accessing and succeeding in higher education as a result of their background or circumstances they cannot fairly influence. An APP is a strategic document that sets out how a provider will reduce the risks to equality of opportunity within their own context. The OfS wants to evaluate the long-term impact of the OfS's APP approach and would like to appoint a single supplier to deliver a theory based evaluation. The aim of the evaluation is to understand whether the elements of the APP approach are effective in achieving change in provider behaviour and contributing to improving equality of opportunity for higher education students, from its initiation in 2018 to the 2023 reforms. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Bristol:-Evaluation-consultancy-services./4MS5A68R7K To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/4MS5A68R7K

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f318
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081649-2025
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
Open procedure
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

79419000 - Evaluation consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£345,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£345,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Dec 20252 months ago
Submission Deadline
21 Jan 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
9 Mar 2026 - 30 Sep 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

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

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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