Planning

AI Project Delivery & Development

OFFICE FOR STUDENTS

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

02 Jan 2026 at 12:05

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Office for Students is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process for the delivery and development of an AI project under the title "AI Project Delivery & Development." The project aims to transform internal processes with AI and automation by utilising the organisation's data platform, Azure, and Databricks. This contract is classified within the "Software programming and consultancy services" sector and has a gross value of £1,000,000. The contract is set to begin on 16 March 2026 and end by 15 March 2027, with a possibility of extension till March 2028. Located in Bristol, United Kingdom, with work delivery expected in the UKK1 region, the contracting authority is the Office for Students, representing the central government. The procurement is conducted above the threshold as a service contract through a tender process initiated on 2 January 2026, following preliminary market engagement completed in December 2025. Interested parties are encouraged to refer to the detailed notice on the e-sourcing platform provided.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses involved in AI development, data platform exploitation, and automation technologies. The focus on transforming internal processes and upskilling data colleagues suggest the ideal candidates would be firms with expertise in software programming and consultancy, particularly those skilled in AI-driven solutions and data automation. Companies that can demonstrate capability in leveraging platforms like Azure and Databricks to optimize process efficiency and provide insights will be strongly positioned to benefit from this procurement opportunity. Mid to large-sized enterprises with experience in government contracts may find this tender particularly advantageous for business growth within the public sector.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

AI Project Delivery & Development

Notice Description

The Data team in the Office for Students works as an enabler to the whole organisation providing insight and data as well as collecting and assuring data from higher education providers and supporting internal processes with automation and data visualisation.We have identified internal processes that can be transformed with AI and automation. Making use of our data platform (Azure and Databricks) we can provide significant time savings and improve process consistency. Development and exploitation of the platform will be key deliverables of this contract, as well as upskilling Data colleagues. To view this notice, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=993946415

Planning Information

The OfS completed pre-market engagement with four suppliers prior to the release of tender. This was used to understand the market and to determine high level requirements. All detail received by these suppliers has been included in the tender documents (including the document released under NDA).

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05feb8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000035-2026
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

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

CPV Codes

72200000 - Software programming and consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£833,333 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
16 Mar 2026 - 15 Mar 2027 6-12 months
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
OFFICE FOR STUDENTS
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@officeforstudents.org.uk
Contact Phone
0117 931 7149

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

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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