Award

Access to Law Publications

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

20 Jan 2026 at 16:23

Summary of the contracting process

The Open University, a public authority within the sub-central government category, recently completed a procurement process titled "Access to Law Publications". This direct award contract involves acquiring law publications from Oxford University Press (OUP) to support teaching within the university's law programmes. The contract, valued at £2,500,000, started on 20th January 2026 and is set to conclude on 31st August 2030. This procurement was managed using a direct award method due to OUP's exclusive intellectual property rights over the required collection, allowing no alternative delivery model. This award was announced on the same date, with transparency ensured through appropriate documentation.

This tender creates significant opportunities for businesses in the education and training services sector, particularly for those involved in academic publishing or digital content provision. Companies with unique intellectual property offerings, similar to Oxford University Press's law collection, could find comparable procurement opportunities beneficial for business expansion. Given the involvement of a renowned academic institution and the sizeable contract value, participating businesses can enhance their reputation and establish long-term client relationships, particularly those capable of offering exclusive rights-based solutions.

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Notice Title

Access to Law Publications

Notice Description

Direct award to procure access to specific publisher owned law publications for teaching delivery. The contract was signed in July 2025 with an end date as given in the notice, below.

Procurement Information

Oxford University Press (OUP) is the sole provider to offer access to OUP's portfolio of law textbooks. No alternative supplier can offer the same collection or access model as OUP holds exclusive intellectual property rights. The titles will be embedded within several Open University law modules and will be required for course delivery. No alternative supplier can offer the same collection or access model, to meet OU qualification specifications.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-060a61
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005008-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

80000000 - Education and training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£2,500,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
20 Jan 20261 months ago
Contract Period
20 Jan 2026 - 31 Aug 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
finance-tenders@open.ac.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
MILTON KEYNES
Postcode
MK7 6AA
Post Town
Milton Keynes
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ12 Milton Keynes
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Milton Keynes
Electoral Ward
Monkston
Westminster Constituency
Milton Keynes Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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