Award

Apprenticeship Hotel Management and Support

NOTTINGHAM COLLEGE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

12 May 2026 at 15:01

Summary of the contracting process

Nottingham College has completed the procurement process for a direct award contract to manage travel and accommodation for its apprenticeship programme. The contract, titled "Apprenticeship Hotel Management and Support," focuses on the services sector, specifically within the hotel industry, and aims to provide comprehensive scheduling, accommodation, and safeguarding functionalities. The procurement, which utilised a direct award method due to the unique technical requirements and lack of equivalent suppliers, involves services to be delivered across multiple UK regions including Nottingham and Slough. The contract was awarded to Servace Solutions Limited and is set to commence on 1st August 2026 with a scheduled completion on 31st July 2030, including potential extensions. Key dates include an anticipated contract signature by 1st July 2026.

This procurement presents significant business growth opportunities for companies specialising in integrated travel and accommodation solutions, particularly those capable of delivering bespoke platforms tailored for educational environments. Businesses with expertise in hotel services and a strong understanding of compliance and safeguarding in educational settings are well-positioned to compete for similar contracts. As the contract leverages tailored supplier capabilities to manage high-volume residential bookings efficiently, companies in the tech or hospitality sectors that can offer innovative and unified solutions will find potential advancement in collaborating with educational institutions seeking complex, compliance-driven service integrations.

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Notice Title

Apprenticeship Hotel Management and Support

Notice Description

A system specifically designed to manage travel, accommodation, and scheduling for apprentices. Including features for safeguarding and compliance, which are critical for younger learners and auditing requirements (like Ofsted) We will need tailored offerings for field-based training programs. Allowing us to secure block accommodation at discounted rates. A streamlined version for general corporate travel management, focusing on hotel bookings and transport coordination for Apprentices. The platform needs to maintain full audit trails and document storage, making it easier for us to prove we are meeting regulatory standards. The provider will need to negotiate directly with hotels and venues to secure competitive "block" rates that are usually lower than standard public rates. The provider will need to provide a mobile app for the Apprentices to access their training dates, joining instructions, and accommodation details. The provider will need to ensure round-the-clock support for Apprentices who might encounter issues (like check-in problems) outside of standard business hours. Key Deliverables A hold at the hotels of 50 rooms per evening through the working week. A discounted hotel rooms rate. The ability to block book. A system for tracking issues and ensuring a safeguarding culture and environment is maintained. An account manager to support the relationship between us and the hotel. Geographical Coverage Nottingham Slough

Procurement Information

Following market assessment, it has been determined that only one supplier is capable of delivering the Authority's requirement for an integrated, cloud-based system to manage residential apprenticeship delivery end-to-end. The Authority requires a specialist, fully integrated platform that combines multiple critical operational functions into a single system, including: accommodation booking, travel management, apprentice block scheduling, safeguarding and welfare tracking, real-time communications, reporting, and feedback collection. These functions must operate cohesively to support high-volume residential apprenticeship delivery, ensure safeguarding compliance, and meet Ofsted expectations. Market engagement and research identified alternative suppliers; however, these suppliers were unable to meet the requirement for a single, unified, cloud-based platform. Available alternatives typically rely on disparate systems and/or manual processes, requiring multiple platforms or manual intervention to deliver the same outcomes. This creates significant operational inefficiencies, increased administrative burden, and heightened risks in relation to: safeguarding and welfare oversight accuracy of bookings and scheduling real-time visibility of learner activity auditability and reporting required for Ofsted and regulatory compliance The Authority has determined that no reasonably available alternative solution can replicate this level of integration and functionality without substantial custom development, system integration, or manual workaround processes. Such approaches would introduce unacceptable delivery risk, additional cost, implementation delay, and potential non-compliance with safeguarding and inspection requirements. Accordingly, competition is considered absent for technical reasons, and the ServAce platform is the only supplier currently capable of meeting the Authority's requirements in full. The Authority is therefore satisfied that a direct award is justified on the basis that: the requirement can only be fulfilled by one supplier due to its unique combination of technical capabilities and system integration, and no reasonable substitute or alternative solution exists within the market that can meet the Authority's needs to the required standard.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0696ed
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/043588-2026
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
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services


CPV Codes

55100000 - Hotel services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£2,800,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 May 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
12 May 20262 days ago
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NOTTINGHAM COLLEGE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
NOTTINGHAM
Postcode
NG1 1NG
Post Town
Nottingham
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF1 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF14 Nottingham
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Nottingham
Electoral Ward
Castle
Westminster Constituency
Nottingham East

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SERVACE SOLUTIONS

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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