Provision of a CRM Solution for Recruitment, Marketing and Admissions

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    "date": "2026-01-14T16:17:18Z",
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    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-UKPRN-10007158",
            "name": "University of Southampton",
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                "locality": "Southampton",
                "postalCode": "SO17 1BJ",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKJ32"
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            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Emma Raddon",
                "email": "procurement@soton.ac.uk",
                "telephone": "+442380595000"
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    "tender": {
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            "id": "2023/54",
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        "title": "Provision of a CRM Solution for Recruitment, Marketing and Admissions",
        "description": "The University of Southampton is undertaking a major transformation programme centred on Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The focus is on delivering an end-to-end CRM solution covering Undergraduate (UG), Postgraduate Taught (PGT) and Postgraduate Research (PGR) Recruitment, Marketing and Admissions. This procurement seeks a modern, scalable CRM platform that supports the University's strategic aims for organisational excellence, student number growth and enhanced digital capability. Student recruitment is a core driver of University sustainability, providing a significant proportion of institutional funding. The University must grow UG, PGT and PGR enrolments across multiple geographies in an increasingly competitive and volatile market. Recruitment and conversion journeys are complex, long, multi-stage and personalised, involving prospective students and key influencers such as parents, teachers and agents. A robust CRM is required to manage this complexity and optimise conversion. The current CRM and admissions landscape is fragmented across multiple systems (e.g., UCAS, Banner ARC, Web-for-Admissions, Dynamics, Reach, Gecko, WPM, Business World, Room Service, IDM, PowerBI, QlikView). These systems lack integration, create inconsistent user experiences, limit personalisation, hinder reporting, and rely heavily on manual workarounds. Several systems are unstable, end-of-life or unable to evolve to meet future needs. The University therefore requires a single CRM solution that provides an end-to-end view of the student journey, supports seamless data flows, enables personalisation at scale, incorporates international compliance processes (CAS, Visa), improves operational efficiency, and delivers advanced reporting and analytics. The system must support process redesign, business change, integration with core platforms, and future scalability across the CRM programme. This procurement will deliver the technical platform and supporting implementation services required to realise these aims. PLEASE NOTE: The University of Southampton is not a 'body governed by public law' and is therefore not considered a contracting authority for the purposes of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023) or the Procurement Regulations 2024 and/or any replacement legislation. This procurement process is not regulated by UK (or EU) public procurement law. For the purposes of this advertisement; \"Regulations\": means the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023) or the Procurement Regulations 2024. Where the University advertises contracts, through any public sector tender portal, it does so on a voluntary basis by way of transparency and to encourage open competition, but it is not required to comply with the procurement legislation and this does not bind the University to publish additional notices in the future. For the purpose of procuring this Project, the University is acting in accordance with its internal financial regulations and the procedure detailed in the tender documents. Nothing which is done during the procurement process (including the publication of the contract notice, use of the SQ and use of terminology which may be defined by the Regulations) should be taken to imply that the University is voluntarily complying with the Regulations or intends to do so. Some of the stages, documentation and terminology adopted in the University's procurement process may have similarities to ones regulated by and defined under the Regulations, but they will not be regulated by the Regulations during this process and should not be taken as references to those things as defined by the Regulations. Interested parties are invited to express their interest and submit their proposals in accordance with the instructions provided in the tender documentation. The University aims to ensure a fair, transparent, and competitive procurement process to select the most suitable partner for this significant project.",
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        "procurementMethodDetails": "Open procedure",
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        "submissionMethodDetails": "E-Tendering Portal: The University is utilising an electronic tendering tool, In-Tend (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofsouthampton/aspx/Home) to manage this procurement and to communicate with potential suppliers and/or tenderers. All documentation in relation to this tender can be downloaded from In-Tend. Potential suppliers/tenderers are advised that there will be no hard copy documents issued and all communications with the University, including the submission of Selection Stage and/or Invitation to Tender responses will be conducted via In-Tend. Regular monitoring of the portal is the responsibility of the potential supplier/tenderer. If you are not already registered as a supplier with the University of Southampton, you will need to register in In-Tend in order to access the procurement documentation. Once you have logged in as a supplier: click on 'Tenders'; locate the relevant project; and click 'View Details'. Once you are in the project screen, you will be able to register your organisation against the project and access all documentation by clicking 'Express Interest'. Potential suppliers/tenderers are advised that formal expressions of interest in the project must be by way of completion and return of the relevant documents via In-Tend. Further instructions for the submission of responses are below: To submit your return: 1. Log in 2. Click 'Tenders' 3. Locate the relevant project 4. View details 5. Click on the tab relating to the relevant project stage (e.g. 'Invitation to Tender') 6. Click on the 'Attach Documents' button and upload your return. 7. Check ALL your response documents are uploaded and displayed in the 'My Tender Return' panel. The system will only permit your organisation to make one return. 8. Click the red 'Submit Return' button. Please note, to preserve the integrity of the procurement, all communications with the University must be made via the correspondence function within In-Tend. The University may publish details of its contract(s), including the contract values and the identities of its suppliers on its website without consulting the provider of that information. By submitting a response, potential suppliers/tenderers are consenting to publication of this information unless otherwise agreed in advance with the University. Costs and Expenses: Potential suppliers/tenderers are solely responsible for their costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation and submission of responses and participation in this and all future stages of this procurement. Under no circumstances will the University be liable for any costs or expenses borne by potential suppliers/tenderers or any of their supply chain, partners or advisers in this procurement process. The University is not liable for any costs in the event of the cancellation of this procurement process.",
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            "endDate": "2026-02-16T12:00:00Z"
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                            "type": "economic",
                            "description": "To support the financial assessment the University will obtain a Business Risk Report for all Tenderers and every organisation that is being relied on to meet this procurement, from an independent company called CreditSafe. The University reserves the right to exclude a Tenderer or request provision of further assurances, such as parent company/bank guarantee or performance bond where a Tenderer's Business Risk Score is \"Moderate Risk\", \"High Risk\", \"Very High Risk\" or \"Not Rated\", based on the rating provided by CreditSafe. Tenderers are advised that a requirement of this procurement is to have in place, or commit to obtain prior to the commencement of the contract, the following minimum insurance levels: - Public Liability - PS5 million - Product Liability - PS10 million - Employers' Liability - PS10 million - Professional Indemnity - PS10 million - Cyber Indemnity - PS5 million"
                        },
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                            "description": "The selection criteria are as stated in the tender documents. Tenderers attention is drawn to the MANDATORY requirements of the award criteria: - Functional Requirements (Mandatory) - Non-Functional Requirements (Mandatory) - Implementation and Support Requirements (Mandatory) Full details can be found in the tender documents."
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                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-03-27T00:00:00Z",
                    "endDate": "2029-03-26T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "maxExtentDate": "2031-03-26T23:59:59Z"
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                    "description": "The University proposes to enter into a Contract for five years - this will be the maximum contract period, including any potential extensions with the successful tenderer. This will comprise of an initial contract period of three years with an option to extend by a further two lots of 12 months, subject to satisfactory performance and at the discretion of the University. The breakdown of the initial contract term and extension periods is detailed below: Initial Term: 27/03/2026 - 26/03/2029 Extension Period 1: 27/03/2029 - 26/03/2030 Extension Period 2: 27/03/2030 - 26/03/2031."
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