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UKRI-6363 REF 2029 Submissions

UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

11 Sep 2026 at 09:38

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

09 Sep 2026 at 17:31

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) is procuring services for the Submissions Layer of its REF 2029 platform. The requirement is classified as technical computer support services and relates to the technical delivery of this phase of the Research Excellence Framework 2029 programme. UKRI is a central government public authority based in Swindon, Wiltshire. The procurement is structured as one lot and is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The work concerns a specialist digital platform and programme environment, so relevant suppliers are likely to be technology consultancies, platform support providers or delivery partners with experience of complex public-sector systems and research or higher-education programmes. The selected supplier is Scout Consultancy Ltd, an SME based in Pontypool.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded by direct award to Scout Consultancy Ltd. The award date was 11 September 2026. UKRI selected the supplier on the stated basis that it has the programme knowledge and technical capability needed to deliver the REF 2029 Submissions Layer; the rationale is classified as single-supplier technical reasons. The award value is £780,000 excluding VAT and £936,000 including VAT. The contract period runs from 1 October 2026 to 31 October 2027. One supplier was selected for the single lot. A contract signature milestone was scheduled for 28 September 2026, and the standstill period ended on 22 September 2026. The procurement was above the relevant threshold and used a direct-award route under the Procurement Act 2023.

This award indicates demand from UKRI for specialist technical support around a national research assessment platform, rather than general IT support. A credible future competitor would need demonstrable capability in designing, developing, integrating or supporting submission platforms and other complex digital services, together with strong programme knowledge and the capacity to deliver a defined platform phase. Experience of public-sector, research, higher-education or similarly governed data-intensive programmes would help establish relevance. Suppliers should also be able to explain how they manage technical delivery, service reliability, user needs, information governance and delivery risk in a high-profile programme. The direct-award rationale shows that UKRI placed particular weight on existing programme understanding and technical capability, so competitors would need evidence that they can provide both, whether independently or through a clearly managed specialist team.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

UKRI-6363 REF 2029 Submissions

Notice Description

REF platform 2029: The Submissions Layer

Procurement Information

To ensure the successful delivery of the REF2029 programme, UKRI wish to appoint Scout Consultancy Ltd, who has the necessary programme knowledge and technical capability to deliver the Submissions Layer phase of the project.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f609
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/086222-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award 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

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

CPV Codes

72611000 - Technical computer support services

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Sep 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
11 Sep 20265 days ago
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SWINDON, WILTSHIRE
Postcode
SN2 1FL
Postcode Area
Swindon
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK71 Swindon
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Swindon
Electoral Ward
Rodbourne Cheney
Westminster Constituency
Swindon North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SCOUT CONSULTANCY LTD

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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