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OpenAthens

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

30 Jul 2026 at 12:50

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Open University procured OpenAthens, a single sign-on software service for its library. The requirement is for software supporting authentication and access to library resources, within the broader category of software packages and information systems (CPV 48000000). The buyer is The Open University, a public authority based at Walton Hall in Milton Keynes. Delivery is across the United Kingdom. The procurement covered one requirement rather than separate service areas, and the selected solution is associated with JISC Services Limited. This is a library technology and identity-access requirement, relevant to software providers, education-technology businesses, library systems specialists and suppliers that support secure user access to digital information services for universities or other public-sector organisations.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded to JISC Services Limited. It used a below-threshold procedure, with the procurement method recorded as unknown, and covered one completed lot. The award is active; the contract was signed on 28 July 2026 and is active from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2031. The contract value is £87,754 excluding VAT and £105,304.80 including VAT. The award concerns software packages and information systems for the OpenAthens requirement. No award-scoring basis is stated in the procurement data. The contract therefore records a five-year commitment by The Open University to the selected supplier for its library single sign-on software service.

This procurement demonstrates established demand from The Open University for a specialist library single sign-on service supporting access to digital resources. Suppliers best placed to compete for a comparable requirement would be able to provide reliable authentication and identity-access software, understand library and higher-education environments, and support integration with the systems used to manage access to information services. Relevant businesses are likely to include established software vendors, education-technology providers, library technology specialists and identity-management suppliers with implementation and support capability. The requirement favours suppliers able to deliver a complete software service for a public university, maintain secure and dependable user access, and demonstrate capacity to support an organisation throughout a substantial service commitment.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

OpenAthens

Notice Description

Single sign-on software for the library.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d78c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072157-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - unknown
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
£87,754 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2031 Over 5 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
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
Postcode Area
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

JISC

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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