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Credit Reference Agency

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

27 May 2026 at 16:10

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

01 May 2026 at 10:55

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Open University, located in Milton Keynes, has completed an award process for the procurement of services under the title "Credit Reference Agency". The procurement involved the extension of an existing contract with TransUnion International UK Limited, a large supplier based in Leeds. The service falls under the 'Credit granting services' category, with the procurement tagged with CPV code 66113000. The direct procurement method was employed, justified by the need to maintain compatibility with existing systems, as changing suppliers would pose significant technical challenges. The procurement stage is at the award phase with the contract period set from 1st July 2026 to 30th June 2028, with a potential extension up to 2030. The total contract value amounts to a gross cost of £211,565.76.

This contract presents growth opportunities for businesses specialising in financial services, especially those capable of delivering integrated solutions for credit data management and processing. Firms that can ensure seamless integration with existing credit decision systems and meet regulatory compliance needs, akin to TransUnion, have considerable potential to benefit from similar tenders. Companies with expertise in credit risk assessment, data architecture, and regulatory compliance are well-positioned to compete in such highly specialised sectors, primarily serving large institutions like The Open University with complex operational and technical needs.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Credit Reference Agency

Notice Description

Extension of TransUnion credit reference agency contract

Procurement Information

The Open University (OU) and Open University Student Budget Account Ltd (OUSBA) propose to extend the existing Credit Reference Agency (CRA) services contract with TransUnion. This direct award relies on Schedule 5, justification 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, as the services constitute an extension of existing services where a change of supplier would result in incompatibility with current systems and disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance. OUSBA operates a regulated Consumer Credit Loan facility that enables students to spread the cost of their tuition fees. In order to comply with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requirements, OUSBA must undertake affordability and creditworthiness checks, which are fully embedded within its credit decisioning systems and operational processes. These systems are tightly integrated with TransUnion's credit reference data, data structures, scoring methodologies, APIs, and reporting mechanisms. A change in CRA supplier would not be a like-for-like replacement. Different providers use materially different data schemas, bureau attributes, scoring models, and interface structures. Replacing TransUnion would therefore require extensive re-engineering of OUSBA's systems, including remapping data fields, redesigning credit decision trees, formulas and exception handling, reconfiguring system integrations and security controls, and rebuilding reporting and dispute-handling processes. Extensive testing would also be required to ensure that customer outcomes are not adversely affected and that regulatory compliance is maintained. These incompatibilities would result in disproportionate technical difficulties, both during implementation and in the ongoing operation and maintenance of a live, regulated lending platform. Introducing incompatible data and processing logic would materially increase the risk of system instability, incorrect credit decisions, and regulatory non-compliance. The scale, complexity, and regulatory sensitivity of the changes required mean that a supplier switch cannot be undertaken without significant technical disruption. The proposed contract extension does not materially change the nature or scope of the existing services and is limited to maintaining continuity with the current integrated solution. It represents the most proportionate means of ensuring compatibility with established systems and controls, enabling OUSBA to continue operating its regulated lending activity while any future competitive procurement is planned and implemented in a controlled and compliant manner. For these reasons, the extension of the existing CRA contract with TransUnion satisfies the conditions set out in Schedule 5, justification 7, as a change of supplier would result in incompatible services and give rise to disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069027
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049953-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

66 - Financial and insurance services

CPV Codes

66113000 - Credit granting services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£176,304 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 May 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
30 Apr 20262 months ago
Contract Period
30 Jun 2026 - 30 Jun 2028 2-3 years
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
THE OPEN 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
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

TRANSUNION INTERNATIONAL

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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