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Open Athens

Nottingham College

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

16 Jul 2026 at 10:26

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Nottingham College procured a Jisc OpenAthens subscription and associated authentication services, covering secure single sign-on access for authorised users to electronic resources such as databases, journals, e-books and other digital content. The service also includes ongoing support, administration and maintenance, helping the college manage access reliably and meet organisational information-access requirements. This is a software and information-systems requirement, delivered for users in the UK. The buyer is Nottingham College, an education organisation based in Nottingham. The requirement is centred on the OpenAthens platform and its operation as an access-management service, rather than on general software supply. It is therefore most relevant to suppliers with direct capability in electronic-resource authentication, identity and access management, and support for users accessing subscribed digital content.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded. It used a limited procedure without prior publication of a competition, through a direct award under a single waiver notification. The buyer stated that Jisc is the sole provider authorised to supply, maintain and support OpenAthens, with exclusive rights and no authorised alternative suppliers. The award is active and was made to Jisc Services Ltd. The contract is active, valued at £35,000, and was signed on 15 July 2026. One bid was recorded. The associated lot was marked cancelled, while the award and contract remain active. The evaluation criterion was price. The procurement was covered by the Government Procurement Agreement and treated as outside the relevant directive’s scope.

This award demonstrates a defined education-sector demand for a managed authentication service linking authorised users to subscribed digital resources. Suppliers assessing comparable future requirements would need proven capability in single sign-on and identity or access management, together with reliable administration, maintenance and user support. Experience of integrating authentication with databases, journals, e-books and other electronic-resource platforms would be relevant, as would the ability to manage permissions and support compliance with organisational access rules. The buyer’s stated sole-provider rationale means that generic software or support suppliers would not be credible for this specific platform unless they held the necessary authorisation or exclusive supply rights. The requirement is consequently most informative for OpenAthens specialists, authorised platform providers and organisations with closely aligned authentication expertise.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Open Athens

Notice Description

Award of a contract for the provision of a Jisc OpenAthens subscription and associated authentication services. The contract enables secure, single sign-on access to subscribed electronic resources, databases, journals, e-books, and digital content for authorised users. The service includes ongoing support, administration, and maintenance to ensure reliable access management and compliance with organisational information access requirements.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Direct award to Jisc under a single waiver notification

Procurement Information

Jisc is the sole provider of the OpenAthens authentication service and holds the exclusive rights to supply, maintain, and support the platform. No alternative suppliers are authorised to provide the service.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06cc8a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/067095-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

CPV Codes

48000000 - Software package and information systems

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£35,000 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

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 7HB
Postcode Area
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

JISC

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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