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Portico eBooks and eJournals 2026-2029

Jisc

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

29 Jul 2026 at 15:55

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

03 Jun 2026 at 16:18

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

03 Jun 2026 at 15:37

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Jisc has procured access to Portico eBooks and eJournals for Jisc member institutions. Portico provides a permanent digital archive, allowing participating libraries to access content if it becomes unavailable from the publisher or other sources. The requirement is a subscription and information service covering periodicals, software and information systems, database services, subscription services, and education-related services. Delivery is across the United Kingdom. The arrangement is for use by Jisc members rather than for Jisc’s own requirements. Eligible users include higher and further education institutions, research organisations, education institutes, specialist colleges, multi-academy trusts, consortia and organisations supporting or advancing education or research in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded through a direct award without reopening competition under an open framework. Jisc awarded the contract to Ithaka Harbors Inc. trading as JSTOR and Portico on 3 June 2026. The stated basis was that the supplier owns the intellectual property rights and is the sole supplier of this unique resource. The award and signed contract are valued at USD 780,000 gross. The contract was signed on 14 July 2026 and runs from 14 July 2026 to 30 June 2029; the awarded service period is recorded as 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2029. A 1% service fee applies only in year three. The single lot was suitable for SMEs.

This opportunity indicates demand from UK education and research institutions for digital scholarly content subscriptions backed by reliable long-term preservation. A credible competitor for comparable requirements would need established rights to the relevant eBooks and eJournals, or an exclusive position that permits lawful supply, together with the infrastructure to provide searchable database access and maintain a permanent archive. The successful supplier’s position as the content rightsholder and sole provider was central to the direct award, so intellectual-property ownership or exclusive distribution rights would be decisive. Suppliers should also be able to support multiple higher and further education institutions, consortia and research organisations across the UK, and operate a subscription service at national framework scale.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Portico eBooks and eJournals 2026-2029

Notice Description

Jisc Services Limited has entered into a contract with Portico, a part of ITHAKA, to give Jisc member institutions the opportunity to subscribe to Portico eBooks and eJournals at preferential rates. Portico provides a permanent archive that makes content accessible to participating libraries if it becomes unavailable from the publisher or other sources. This contract is for use by Jisc Members only and not for Jisc's own use.

Procurement Information

The supplier is the rightsholder to the IP of the content and the sole supplier of this unique resource.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06acb6
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071843-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

22 - Printed matter and related products

48 - Software package and information systems

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

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

80 - Education and training services

CPV Codes

22212000 - Periodicals

48000000 - Software package and information systems

72320000 - Database services

79980000 - Subscription services

80000000 - Education and training services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£780,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
£780,000 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
3 Jun 20264 months ago
Contract Period
14 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

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

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS1 6NB
Postcode Area
Bristol
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK51 Bristol, City of
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Bristol, City of
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Bristol Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Ithaka Harbors Inc. d/b/a "JSTOR"; "Portico"

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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