Award

002790 EMPO Review

BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

26 Feb 2026 at 13:47

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The British Library Board, located in London, United Kingdom, has completed the procurement process for the "002790 EMPO Review". This initiative falls under the services industry category and was aimed at carrying out an external programme assurance review for the Library Services Systems Programme. This programme features several active projects across various stages of their life cycle. The procurement method was limited competition, below the threshold, ensuring a focused selection process. The contract was awarded to Firewood, a small to medium enterprise (SME) based in London, on 26 February 2026, with the contract period set from 1 April 2026 to 29 May 2026. The contract is worth £24,000 gross, with £20,000 net. Key aspects of the review include corporate governance rating services, providing strategic assessment and assurance for the British Library's initiatives.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in consultancy and corporate governance services to engage with major digital programmes in the public sector. It is particularly suitable for SMEs looking to expand their portfolio by participating in government contracts that focus on programme evaluation and assurance. Such businesses can leverage their expertise in digital transformation and governance to gain recognition in the public sector, thereby enhancing their industry credentials and expanding their influence in future projects. This procurement process underscores the scope for collaboration with central government authorities, offering avenues for sustained business growth and development.

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

Notice Information

Notice Title

002790 EMPO Review

Notice Description

The British Library is seeking a supplier to carry out an external programme assurance review for the Library Services Systems Programme (LSSP), a major PS8m digital programme, to provide assurance to the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO), BL executives and the BL Board. This review will be based on a combined IPA Gate Review 0 (Strategic Assessment) to assess the overall programme alongside the four active projects, which are in different stages of the project lifecycle. The ALMA Primo project is in operation having gone live in November 2025. The Rapido project is in the build phase with an expected go live in April 2026. The Digital Collection Preservation Repository project is in the build phase moving into delivery. The SAMI into Alma project is in the definition phase. Whilst the scoping details will need to be defined as part of the review planning process, it is expected to be a combined review covering

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-065d14
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017350-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - limited competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79212110 - Corporate governance rating services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£20,000 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Feb 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
26 Feb 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 29 May 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
NW1 2DB
Post Town
North West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI36 Camden
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Camden
Electoral Ward
St Pancras & Somers Town
Westminster Constituency
Holborn and St Pancras

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FIREWOOD

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-065d14-2026-02-26T13:47:21Z",
    "date": "2026-02-26T13:47:21Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-065d14",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PCXZ-9362-XQJM",
            "name": "British Library Board",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PCXZ-9362-XQJM"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "96 Euston Road",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "NW1 2DB",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI31"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "nikki.drydale@bl.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-FTS-175497",
            "name": "Firewood",
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "22 Southwark Bridge",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SE1 9HF",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI44"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "info@firewoodltd.com"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "sme",
                "vcse": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PCXZ-9362-XQJM",
        "name": "British Library Board"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-065d14",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "002790 EMPO Review",
        "description": "The British Library is seeking a supplier to carry out an external programme assurance review for the Library Services Systems Programme (LSSP), a major PS8m digital programme, to provide assurance to the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO), BL executives and the BL Board. This review will be based on a combined IPA Gate Review 0 (Strategic Assessment) to assess the overall programme alongside the four active projects, which are in different stages of the project lifecycle. The ALMA Primo project is in operation having gone live in November 2025. The Rapido project is in the build phase with an expected go live in April 2026. The Digital Collection Preservation Repository project is in the build phase moving into delivery. The SAMI into Alma project is in the definition phase. Whilst the scoping details will need to be defined as part of the review planning process, it is expected to be a combined review covering",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "limited",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Below threshold - limited competition",
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "status": "active",
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-FTS-175497",
                    "name": "Firewood"
                }
            ],
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "79212110",
                            "description": "Corporate governance rating services"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "UK",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ]
        }
    ],
    "contracts": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "awardID": "1",
            "status": "active",
            "period": {
                "startDate": "2026-04-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2026-05-29T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 24000,
                "amount": 20000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "aboveThreshold": false,
            "dateSigned": "2026-02-26T00:00:00Z",
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "017350-2026",
                    "documentType": "contractNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK7",
                    "description": "Contract details notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017350-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-02-26T13:47:21Z",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "language": "en"
}