Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

DHL Courier Services

THE OPEN UNIVERSITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

19 Aug 2026 at 09:00

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Open University bought courier services for its postal services during financial year 2026/27. The requirement covers the collection, transport and delivery of postal items through a courier service, with delivery across the United Kingdom. The buying organisation is The Open University, based at Walton Hall in Milton Keynes. This is a services procurement, classified under CPV 64120000 for courier services. The requirement was arranged as a single service lot and was awarded to DHL International (UK) Limited. It is therefore relevant to courier, express delivery and logistics businesses able to support a public-sector university’s postal operations across the UK, rather than suppliers focused on goods, construction or specialist consultancy.

The procurement has been completed and the contract was awarded to DHL International (UK) Limited. The route was a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition. The contract was signed on 14 July 2026 and runs from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027. Its value is £44,740 excluding VAT, or £46,000 including VAT. The award is active and the contract is active. The procurement used one lot, covering the courier service requirement. The evaluation basis was the direct-award route rather than a competitive assessment. The published outcome identifies DHL International (UK) Limited as the sole awarded supplier for the UK delivery service.

This award shows that The Open University has an established requirement for outsourced courier support for its postal operations, delivered across the United Kingdom. A credible future competitor would need to provide dependable nationwide courier and express-delivery capability, with the operational capacity to handle an organisation’s ongoing postal flows rather than occasional individual consignments. Relevant experience would include managing scheduled collections, secure transport, tracking, proof of delivery, customer service and exception handling for institutional or business customers. Suppliers should also be able to operate consistently across the UK, manage service volumes and maintain performance throughout a full financial-year service period. The incumbent’s large-scale logistics profile indicates that reliability, coverage and delivery infrastructure are important to this buyer.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

DHL Courier Services

Notice Description

DHL Courier services for Postal Services for financial year 2026/27

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e70c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078758-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

64 - Postal and telecommunications services

CPV Codes

64120000 - Courier services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£44,740 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
14 Jul 20261 months ago
Contract Period
1 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2027 6-12 months
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

DHL INTERNATIONAL (UK) LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...