Planning

Staff Survey and Employee Experience Platform

YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

13 Apr 2026 at 09:32

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

York St John University is in the planning stages of procuring a staff survey and employee experience platform as part of its People and Culture Plan, aimed at enhancing workplace engagement to become The University for Social Impact. The procurement is being handled under the industry category of social research services, with a gross value of £70,000. The project is located in York, United Kingdom, in the region UKE21. Key milestones include a scheduled pre-market engagement deadline on 1st July 2026. The initiative currently focuses on planning, seeking to gather insights from potential providers to inform a comprehensive Invitation to Tender (ITT), expected to be published in the upcoming months. The procurement process invites interested suppliers to participate in engagement activities including written submissions, online discussions, and platform demonstrations.

This opportunity opens doors for businesses specialising in employee engagement and survey platforms, particularly those familiar with the higher education sector. Companies that can offer innovative survey content, longitudinal reporting tools, and analytical insights tailored to higher education benchmarks stand at an advantage. The project seeks solutions that support personal engagement, encourage actionable insights for managers, and provide comprehensive tracking over time. Suppliers with robust offerings that align with these requirements could not only contribute to York St John University’s vision but also establish a significant presence in the educational sector, thus propelling their business growth. Participants are encouraged to register their interest to remain updated on timelines and further engagement protocols.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Staff Survey and Employee Experience Platform

Notice Description

York St John University (YSJ) is preparing to procure a new staff survey and employee experience platform as part of delivering our People and Culture Plan and our ambition to be The University for Social Impact. With this foundation in place, we are now ready to explore a more mature, insight driven approach to understanding and improving the working lives of our staff. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://neupc.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-York:-Social-research-services./K88V52QR22 To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://neupc.delta-esourcing.com/respond/K88V52QR22

Planning Information

Staff Survey and Employee Experience Platform The university’s People and Culture Plan outlines the workforce vision and goals to enable us to become The University for Social Impact. We believe that people give their best when they know they belong, are empowered, valued and supported to thrive. This belief underpins our plan. The overarching aim of the plan is to inspire success by improving the working lives of our YSJ community. A specific workstream will focus on embracing staff feedback and using it to inform decision making. Employee engagement has been tracked over the last four years through an annual staff survey with local and cross-cutting action planning in place. Results from 2025 show an organisational response rate of 77%; an engagement index of 6.8/10 and Employee Net Promotor score of +2 (up 14 on the previous year). To date, access to the provider platform has been restricted to the HR team and the overarching approach has been quite traditional whilst the People and Culture Plan has been developed and trust in the process/ approach has been built. Over coming years, we anticipate developing our culture so that leaders and managers could be empowered to engage directly with the platform and for potential additional features to be used. Potential providers are invited to advise on the latest market developments that could be appropriate and congruent with the Higher Education (HE) sector and specific York St John context, so that the full Invitation to Tender (ITT) can be drafted with the latest innovations in mind. While our thinking continues to develop, we expect the future solution to offer a blend of well researched survey content, accessible, longitudinal reporting tools and a collaborative managed service model. In broad terms, we anticipate needing a platform that can: - Deliver benchmarked surveys aligned to recognised engagement models - Support meaningful analysis at organisational, team and demographic levels - Provide managers with clear, actionable insights - Enable longitudinal tracking of engagement over time - Offer pulse survey capability and flexible question design - Situate our results within HE specific and cross sector benchmarks This pre-market engagement exercise is designed to help us test these assumptions, understand what is now considered standard practice, and identify areas where innovation could add value. The insights gathered will directly inform the development of the full Invitation to Tender, which we expect to publish in the coming months. During this engagement period, we may invite suppliers to share written information, participate in online discussions, or provide demonstrations that help us understand the capabilities of their platforms. Participation is entirely voluntary and will not influence the outcome of any future procurement. Our aim is simply to ensure that the final tender reflects the best of what the market can offer and is aligned with the needs and aspirations of our staff community. Suppliers who wish to take part are invited to register their interest via the questionnaire below. Further information about timelines and engagement activities will be provided to those who register. This notice does not constitute a call for competition. It is an opportunity for York St John University to listen, learn and shape a procurement that will support a thriving, engaged and empowered workforce. Pre-Market Engagement Questionnaire This questionnaire is intended is to help us understand current market capabilities, innovations and delivery models. Responses will inform the development of our eventual Invitation to Tender (ITT). This is not a selection or evaluation exercise. https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/3F7enpRn3N

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0680ae
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033124-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79315000 - Social research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£70,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
13 Apr 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Jul 20263 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Feb 2027 - 31 Jan 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
YORK
Postcode
YO31 7EX
Post Town
York
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE2 North Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE21 York
Delivery Location
TLE21 York
Local Authority
York
Electoral Ward
Guildhall
Westminster Constituency
York Central

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. 

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