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002891 RECRUITMENT SERVICES

British Library

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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05 Oct 2026 at 17:59

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The British Library Board bought a fully managed executive recruitment service to fill six roles: four HR Business Partners, a Head of People Operations and a Head of Health & Safety. The work covered the full recruitment process, including campaign design, executive search, market mapping, candidate sourcing and advertising, candidate assessment, interview support, offer management, onboarding assistance and project management. The purpose was to secure suitable candidates for senior people and safety positions. This is a recruitment services contract, delivered for the British Library in the United Kingdom. The requirement combines specialist search and candidate assessment with practical end-to-end coordination, rather than covering recruitment advertising alone.

The procurement is complete and the contract is active. The British Library awarded the single lot to Osborne Thomas Limited through a below-threshold limited competition. The contract was signed on 23 September 2026 and runs from 24 September to 18 December 2026. Its value is £46,800 excluding VAT and £56,160 including VAT. The selected supplier is responsible for recruitment across all six roles, with a managed service spanning search, assessment, candidate support and onboarding. The published procurement information identifies one lot. No separate award date or evaluation criteria are stated in the available process information.

For recruitment firms, this award shows the British Library’s demand for a supplier able to manage executive hiring across both HR and health-and-safety leadership roles. A credible competitor would need to combine executive search and market mapping with the capacity to source candidates for several vacancies, design recruitment campaigns, assess applicants and support interviews. The service also required handling offers, assisting with onboarding and managing delivery end to end, so capability across the complete recruitment journey matters alongside search expertise. The selected supplier was a small or medium-sized enterprise, demonstrating that this requirement was delivered by an SME. Firms whose experience covers senior appointments and coordinated multi-role campaigns are the closest fit for this buyer’s demonstrated requirement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

002891 RECRUITMENT SERVICES

Notice Description

Provision of a fully managed executive recruitment service for six British Library roles: 4 x HR Business Partners, 1 x Head of People Operations, and 1 x Head of Health & Safety. The service includes recruitment campaign design, executive search, market mapping, candidate sourcing, advertising, candidate assessment and interview support, offer management, onboarding assistance, and end-to-end project management to secure high-quality candidates

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07812c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094016-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - limited competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79600000 - Recruitment services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£46,800 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Oct 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
24 Sep 2026 - 18 Dec 2026 1-6 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
British Library
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
NW1 2DB
Postcode Area
North West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI36 Camden
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Camden
Electoral Ward
St Pancras & Somers Town
Westminster Constituency
Holborn and St Pancras

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Osborne Thomas 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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