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UKRI -5498 TechFirst undergraduate and Sparck AI scholarships: Cohort Management Function (Lot 1), Recruitment Function (Lot 2)

UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

09 Sep 2026 at 10:08

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

05 Aug 2026 at 17:06

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

03 Aug 2026 at 15:02

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

22 Apr 2026 at 16:28

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

20 Mar 2026 at 09:35

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) commissioned services for its TechFirst Undergraduate and Spärck AI Scholarship programmes. The procurement covered two related requirements: cohort management and recruitment. Cohort management includes organising and administering scholarship cohorts, programme governance, performance reporting and project management. Recruitment covers end-to-end applicant recruitment, including designing and promoting campaigns, outreach and engagement, application management, candidate communications, eligibility checks, assessment coordination and support through selection. The work is delivered across the United Kingdom. This is a services procurement for organisations experienced in managing education, training, scholarship or recruitment programmes, with recruitment and applicant-facing delivery central to Lot 2. The buyer is UKRI, the UK public research and innovation funding body.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded through an open procedure. Lot 1, Cohort Management Function, was awarded to QA LIMITED on 16 July 2026 for £2,827,262.39 including VAT (£2,356,051.99 excluding VAT); the signed contract runs from 7 September 2026 to 30 September 2027. Lot 2, Recruitment Function, was awarded to Penna Plc on 5 August 2026 for £1,877,073.06 including VAT (£1,564,227.55 excluding VAT); its signed contract runs from 7 September 2026 to 21 October 2027. The original tender deadline was 29 May 2026 at 14:00, with enquiries closing on 22 May 2026 at 12:00 and the award period ending on 15 June 2026. Suppliers could bid for one or both lots. Both lots were evaluated on technical quality at 80% and cost at 20%. Nine bids were received for Lot 2, including six from SMEs.

This procurement demonstrates UKRI demand for sizeable, structured delivery partners in scholarship and early-career talent programmes. A credible competitor would need to combine programme or cohort management with reliable operational delivery, applicant communications, outreach and engagement, eligibility administration, assessment coordination and candidate support. For recruitment work, relevant capability includes running targeted campaigns, managing high-volume applications, using recruitment or bespoke digital systems, analysing applicant data and producing performance reports. Suppliers should also be able to work collaboratively with a public-sector client and delivery partners, support governance, maintain a high-quality candidate experience and contribute to continuous improvement. The opportunity was suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community or social enterprises, while the awarded suppliers show that established recruitment, training or programme-management organisations can compete for the requirement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

UKRI -5498 TechFirst undergraduate and Sparck AI scholarships: Cohort Management Function (Lot 1), Recruitment Function (Lot 2)

Notice Description

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has awarded a contract for the provision of Recruitment Management Services (Lot 2) to support the delivery of its TechFirst Undergraduate and Sparck AI Scholarship programmes. The appointed supplier will deliver an end-to-end recruitment management service, including the design, promotion and delivery of recruitment campaigns to attract and engage prospective applicants. The service includes applicant outreach and engagement, management of the application process, candidate communications, administration of eligibility checks, coordination of assessment activities, and support throughout the selection process to ensure a high-quality candidate experience. The supplier will also work collaboratively with UKRI and other delivery partners to support programme governance, performance reporting and continuous improvement, contributing to the successful delivery of UKRI's strategic objectives.

Planning Information

Market engagement Webinar

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066fdc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085218-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

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

80 - Education and training services

98 - Other community, social and personal services

CPV Codes

72212190 - Educational software development services

72230000 - Custom software development services

72316000 - Data analysis services

79421000 - Project-management services other than for construction work

79600000 - Recruitment services

79611000 - Job search services

79635000 - Assessment centre services for recruitment

79996000 - Business organisation services

80000000 - Education and training services

80500000 - Training services

98300000 - Miscellaneous services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£5,430,501 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£5,430,501 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£3,920,278 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£3,920,278 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
29 May 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
16 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SWINDON, WILTSHIRE
Postcode
SN2 1FL
Postcode Area
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
2
Supplier Names

QA Ltd

Penna Plc

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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