Award

Student Accommodation

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Summary of the contracting process

The University of South Wales, located in Pontypridd, has completed the procurement process for securing student accommodation through a Nominations Agreement. This contract involves a short-term one-year engagement with UNITE STUDENTS LIMITED, a large supplier based in Bristol. The procurement process was conducted as an award procedure without prior publication, owing to unique technical requirements and market constraints that made alternative providers non-viable. The procurement falls under the services category, specifically for educational purposes, and is valued at approximately £1,042,096. The contract was signed on 15 May 2025, with activities centred around supporting student recruitment at their Cardiff campus by securing purpose-built student accommodation.

This contract offers growth opportunities for businesses experienced in providing educational accommodation services, particularly those capable of meeting short-term, technically demanding requirements without the need for a competitive bidding process. The arrangement illustrates potential for businesses that can deliver bespoke solutions tailored to specific institutional needs, especially within the education sector. Companies with expertise in purpose-built student accommodation and those able to align with swift procurement timelines stand a substantial chance of thriving in similar future contracting opportunities. The University is actively reviewing its approach to potentially expand longer-term procurement capabilities, highlighting the potential for future engagements beyond the immediate technical constraints.

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Notice Title

Student Accommodation

Notice Description

Student Accommodation through a Nominations Agreement.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The University of South Wales requires rooms to be secured in support of student recruitment at our Cardiff campus. The requirement is for hall style rooms in Cardiff with a PBSA provider (purpose built student accommodation provider) to secure value rooms for Cardiff students.

Procurement Information

In September 2024, the Contracting Authority issued a speculative notice to the market regarding a short term (1 year) contract for Student Accommodation providers. The service provider was the only person to respond to the speculative notice, as the short term nature of the contract was not technically viable for other service providers. Having a longer-term contract is not an option for the contracting authority, meaning another provider delivering the contract was a near technical impossibility. It is therefore only possible to award this contract to the provider, as there was an absence of competition. Due to the conflicting interests of the contracting authority and provider market (i.e. short term requirement v longer term contractual preference) there is a mandatory contractual requirement which prevents any additional providers from being viable. There is no reasonable alternative or substitute. The contract is based upon service need, and the provider is the only one which can meet this technical requirement. This award is justified under Reg 32 and the contract will be awarded on this basis in compliance with the Procurement Act 2023 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2024. To ensure the viability of this service in the future, the Contracting Authority is reviewing its processes and specification to enable them to consider procuring for a longer term contract which may be better suited to the technical requirements of the market.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-kuma6s-149777
Publication Source
Sell2Wales
Latest Notice
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/search/search_switch.aspx?ID=149777
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

55 - Hotel, restaurant and retail trade services


CPV Codes

55110000 - Hotel accommodation services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£1,042,096 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
9 Apr 202510 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@southwales.ac.uk
Contact Phone
+44 1443482386

Buyer Location

Locality
PONTYPRIDD
Postcode
CF37 1DL
Post Town
Cardiff
Country
Wales

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL51 Central Valleys and Bridgend
Delivery Location
TLL22 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan

Local Authority
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Electoral Ward
Treforest
Westminster Constituency
Pontypridd

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

UNITE STUDENTS

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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