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CSP26828 - Summon content discovery service subscription

UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

11 Sep 2026 at 16:20

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

UK Research and Innovation required a Summon content discovery service subscription. This is a subscription service supporting content discovery, supplied for UKRI’s research and information needs. The buying organisation is UK Research and Innovation, with UK Shared Business Services Ltd acting as the procuring entity and shared service provider. Delivery is across the United Kingdom. The requirement was treated as a service rather than goods or works, and was arranged as a single completed lot. The selected service concerns access to the Summon content discovery platform and its associated subscription provision. It is therefore relevant to suppliers of research information services, library discovery platforms, academic content search tools and related subscription-based digital services serving public research organisations.

The procurement has been awarded and the contract is active. UKRI used a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition, because the required services were considered available from only one supplier for technical reasons and no reasonable alternatives were identified. ProQuest LLC was selected as supplier. The contract was signed on 8 September 2026 and runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. Its value is £14,431.25 excluding VAT, or £17,317.50 including VAT. The award covers subscription services under one completed lot. The contracting process was evaluated on the basis of the stated technical-availability rationale rather than a competitive tender, and the contract is classified as below threshold.

This award demonstrates demand from UKRI for a specialist content discovery subscription supporting research information access across the UK. A credible future competitor would need to provide a mature digital discovery service, with the content coverage, search functionality, platform reliability and technical integration required by a public research organisation. The procurement also indicates that compatibility with an established service and the availability of a technically equivalent alternative are commercially important: the buyer justified a direct award on the basis that only one supplier could meet the technical requirement. Suppliers targeting this buyer would therefore need strong evidence of equivalent functionality, dependable subscription delivery, relevant research or library-sector experience and the organisational capacity to support a large public-sector customer.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

CSP26828 - Summon content discovery service subscription

Notice Description

***** THIS IS A CONTRACT DETAILS NOTICE, NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION ***** This procurement is being concluded without competition due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the services required, and there are no reasonable alternatives to those services. UK Research Innovation (UKRI) had a requirement for Summon content discovery service subscription to be supplied.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f87e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/086603-2026
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

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

CPV Codes

79980000 - Subscription services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£14,431 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Sep 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 30 Sep 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
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
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

ProQuest LLC

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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