Award

Credit Reference Agency

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

01 May 2026 at 10:55

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Open University, a sub-central government public authority based in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, has completed the award stage of a procurement process involving the extension of its contract with TransUnion International UK Limited, for credit reference agency services. The direct award, which comes under the services industry category, was necessitated by technical compatibility requirements with existing systems. The contract will begin on 1st July 2026 and is set to conclude on 30th June 2028, with potential extensions up to 30th June 2030. This award, justified under the Procurement Act 2023, is valued at £176,304.80 excluding VAT, with a gross value of £211,565.76.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses that specialise in credit granting services, specifically those capable of integrating seamlessly with existing system architectures. Although the procurement method was a direct award due to technical constraints, businesses offering similar services could prepare for future competitive tenders by aligning with the service standards described in the contract. Companies that can demonstrate compatibility with integrated credit decisioning systems, and assure regulatory compliance, would be well-positioned to capitalise on such opportunities in the future.

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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/040429-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency 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
1 May 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 May 20261 weeks 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)

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