---
title: "Understanding the perception of the REF among researchers"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-91690636-4d11-4380-9a4c-8a34d6fe115b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-91690636-4d11-4380-9a4c-8a34d6fe115b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-91690636-4d11-4380-9a4c-8a34d6fe115b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-91690636-4d11-4380-9a4c-8a34d6fe115b.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED"
published: "2021-05-17"
---

# Understanding the perception of the REF among researchers

Buyer: UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-91690636-4d11-4380-9a4c-8a34d6fe115b

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## Summary

The UK Shared Business Services Limited (UK SBS) is conducting a tender titled "Understanding the perception of the REF among researchers." This project falls under the research and development consultancy services sector and is located in Swindon, England. The procurement stage is complete, having originally opened for bids until 31st October 2019. The total contract value awarded was £132,754, with the service period running from 2nd December 2019 to 30th June 2020. The procurement method was an open procedure, allowing broad participation for interested suppliers.

This tender presents an excellent opportunity for businesses, particularly those specialising in research and development, economic analysis, and consultancy services, to expand their portfolio. SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) are encouraged to participate, as the procurement is designed to support suppliers of various scales. Given the focus on evaluating REF2021 through a mixed-methods approach, organisations with strong capabilities in qualitative and quantitative research, as well as consultation with academic stakeholders, would be well-suited to compete in this tender.

## Notice

The final date and time for the submission of bids is 31/10/2019 at 11:00 DO NOT apply directly to the buyer. All tender information MUST be submitted through the CCS eSourcing Portal. The aim of this project is to undertake a full evaluation of REF2021 on behalf of the UK's four funding bodies. The package will include a mixed-methods approach and should include consultation with researchers, HEI managers and other university staff involved in the REF. This study will build on and scale up the Real-Time REF Review pilot study from 2019 (working paper and executive summary) (appendix B) which gathered initial data and tested the feasibility of conducting a longitudinal study into academic and managerial attitudes towards the REF. All attachments can be found with the RFx attachments tab within the Emptoris System. This contract will be awarded based on the evaluation criteria set out in the ITQ document. How to Apply As part of the strategic alliance between UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) and Crown Commercial Service (CCS), UK SBS will be using the CCS eSourcing Suite for this procurement. To register on the CCS eSourcing portal please follow the details contained within the Additional Information section of this notice. If you are already registered on the CCS eSourcing portal and wish to register your interest in this opportunity please email; expressionofinterest@crowncommercial.gov.uk Your email must clearly state: * the name and reference for the procurement you wish to register for; * the name of the registered Bidder; * the name and contact details for the registered individual sending the email. Please disregard any content in this notice that requests your organisation "to apply directly to the buyer" as this unfortunately a system generated error, that is outside of the Contracting Authorities control. Additional information: DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO BUYER All submissions will be assessed in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, for procurement values that exceed Regulation 5 (Threshold amounts) Responses must be received by the date in the tender documentation; responses received outside of the deadline or not sent via the eSourcing portal will not be accepted or considered further for this opportunity. How to Register on the CCS eSourcing Suite If you have not yet registered on the eSourcing Suite, this can be done online at https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk by following the link 'Register for CCS eSourcing'. Please note that, to register, you must have a valid DUNS number (as provided by Dun and Bradstreet) for the organisation which you are registering, who will be entering into a contract if invited to do so. Once you have registered on the eSourcing Suite, a registered user can express an interest for a specific procurement. This is done by emailing expressionofinterest@crowncommercial.gov.uk. Your email must clearly state: * name and reference for the procurement you wish to register for; * name of the 5. Attachments 3 questions Notice Summary - Contracts Finder https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Manage/Review/e1d7451a-2896-4bf0-9aba-0c8c30e955cb[25/10/2018 10:26:38] registered Bidder; * name and contact details for the registered individual sending the email. Crown Commercial Service will process the email and then enable the Bidder to access the procurement online via the e-Sourcing Suite. The registered user will receive a notification email to alert them once this has been done. The Sourcing documents can then be accessed on the eSourcing Suite at: https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk using the instructions detailed in the Specification documents within Contracts Finder. As a user of the e-Sourcing Suite you will have access to Emptoris email messaging service which facilitates all messages sent to you and from you in relation to any specific RFX event. Please note it is your responsibility to access these emails on a regular basis to ensure you have sight of all relevant information. For technical assistance on use of the e-Sourcing Suite please contact Crown Commercial Service Helpdesk: Telephone: 0345 010 3503 Training documents to support Bidders to utilise Emptoris CCS eSourcing are available in the Contracts Finder Tender documents section. About UK Shared Business Services UK Shared Business Services Ltd (UK SBS) brings a commercial attitude to the public sector; helping our contracting authorities to improve efficiency, generate savings and modernise. Where UK SBS is not named as the Contracting Authority within the documentation, UK SBS will be acting as an agent on behalf of the Contracting Authority.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/aede2d4c-080d-4c1e-9e6c-8df753f67f7b |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (below threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 May 2021 |
| Submission deadline | 31 Oct 2019 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 29 Nov 2019 |
| Contract period | 2 Dec 2019 - 30 Jun 2020 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £127,754 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UK SHARED BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED |
| Locality | SWINDON |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN2 1FF |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK71 Swindon |
| Local authority | Swindon |
| Electoral ward | Rodbourne Cheney |
| Westminster constituency | Swindon North |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | RAND EUROPE COMMUNITY INTEREST |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services
- 79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics

## Release History

- 17 May 2021 at 13:12 - AwardUpdate - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/aede2d4c-080d-4c1e-9e6c-8df753f67f7b
- 17 Dec 2019 at 09:58 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/aede2d4c-080d-4c1e-9e6c-8df753f67f7b
- 1 Oct 2019 at 14:22 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/86d891ae-5415-4531-b5a1-3d3de6e447e6

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/aede2d4c-080d-4c1e-9e6c-8df753f67f7b
  17th December 2019 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/86d891ae-5415-4531-b5a1-3d3de6e447e6
  1st October 2019 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/fe679d96-6659-4ef6-9305-015062421661
  Appendix A - Building on Success and Learning from Experience
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/4c8ee7fd-8d9a-485a-acf9-fc60a7a4a80c
  Appendix B - The Real-Time REF Review
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/87105c99-0ae7-439e-b067-afdd79ba1812
  Contracted Research - RTRR - Annex A
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/c91d7d35-fb0d-41c5-a395-34d6c69056fe
  CR19078 - ITQ Invitation to Quote
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/e7e0d803-a4ad-457a-86b3-e4db70097772
  CR19078 - ITQ Invitation to Quote questions
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/32b74806-697f-448b-8b06-8a3872ae0e07
  Bidder - Logging into Emptoris for the first time V1.0
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/0555a57e-1d0e-41f9-b583-876cd60eff1d
  Bidder Training V1.0
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/91f7b955-b3fa-4b7a-8dc3-5e2e5dedc0ab
  CR19078 - AW3.1 ITQ Validation Check
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/f34025be-d4d4-4838-8c76-ea50d1f6f627
  CR19078 - AW5.2 Price Schedule.

## Notice URLs

- https://gpsesourcing.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Manage/Review/e1d7451a-2896-4bf0-9aba-0c8c30e955cb

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-91690636-4d11-4380-9a4c-8a34d6fe115b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-91690636-4d11-4380-9a4c-8a34d6fe115b.json.