Award

UKRI-5667 Read and Publishing License

UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION (UKRI)

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

28 Jan 2026 at 12:15

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

28 Jan 2026 at 12:09

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process being described involves UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) as the buying organisation, centred on acquiring a "Read and Publish License" for accessing Elsevier's online journals. This contract falls under the public authority central government category, located in Swindon, Wiltshire, United Kingdom. The procurement was completed using a direct award method due to Elsevier B.V. being the sole supplier, holding exclusive rights to the required resources. The contract award was dated 28th January 2026, with the contract period set to commence on 10th February 2026 and conclude on 31st January 2027. This procurement targets the services category, specifically education and training services, with a total gross value of £141,459.88.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses in the educational technology and digital resource provision sectors, especially those capable of delivering large-scale journal access services. While Elsevier B.V. has been directly awarded the contract due to its exclusive rights, similar tenders can provide lucrative avenues for SMEs focused on similar deliverables within specialised niches. Businesses specialising in digital innovation in education and publishing could find substantial growth potential by exploring partnership opportunities or developing complementary services within the academic and research sectors.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Start Free Trial Book a Demo
All Features Pricing

Notice Information

Notice Title

UKRI-5667 Read and Publishing License

Notice Description

UKRI is procuring this contract for the purchase of a license to access read and publish to Elsevier's online journals.

Procurement Information

The supplier is the rightsholder to the IP of the content and the sole supplier of this unique resource.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0610cc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/007553-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
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
£117,883 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Jan 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
28 Jan 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
10 Feb 2026 - 31 Jan 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION (UKRI)
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
nercprocurement@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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ELSEVIER

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-0610cc-2026-01-28T12:15:29Z",
    "date": "2026-01-28T12:15:29Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-0610cc",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PDQJ-7126-JDHG",
            "name": "UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PDQJ-7126-JDHG"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Polaris House",
                "locality": "Swindon, Wiltshire",
                "postalCode": "SN2 1FL",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKK14"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "nercprocurement@ukri.org"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.ukri.org/",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PGGM-7148-RLWM",
            "name": "Elsevier B.V",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PGGM-7148-RLWM"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Radarweg 29",
                "locality": "Amsterdam",
                "postalCode": "1043 NX",
                "country": "NL",
                "countryName": "Netherlands",
                "region": "NL"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "help.digitalresources@jisc.ac.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false,
                "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
                "shelteredWorkshop": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PDQJ-7126-JDHG",
        "name": "UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "C0813",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "UKRI-5667 Read and Publishing License",
        "description": "UKRI is procuring this contract for the purchase of a license to access read and publish to Elsevier's online journals.",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "direct",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "The supplier is the rightsholder to the IP of the content and the sole supplier of this unique resource.",
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                }
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            }
        ],
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "singleSuppliersIntellectualPropertyExclusiveRights"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "title": "UKRI-5667 Read and Publish License",
            "status": "pending",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 141459.88,
                "amount": 117883.23,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "80000000",
                            "description": "Education and training services"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2026-02-10T00:00:00Z",
                "endDate": "2027-01-31T23:59:59Z"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "007549-2026",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK5",
                    "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/007549-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-01-28T12:09:04Z",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "007553-2026",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/007553-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-01-28T12:15:29Z",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2026-02-09T23:59:59Z",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ],
            "date": "2026-01-28T00:00:00Z",
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-PPON-PGGM-7148-RLWM",
                    "name": "Elsevier B.V"
                }
            ],
            "standstillPeriod": {
                "endDate": "2026-02-06T23:59:59+00:00"
            }
        }
    ],
    "language": "en"
}