---
title: "Soft Market Testing Exercise for the Provision of Merchant Services"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04061f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04061f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04061f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04061f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON"
published: "2023-09-28"
---

# Soft Market Testing Exercise for the Provision of Merchant Services

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04061f

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04061f)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04061f.json)

## Summary

The University of Southampton is currently running a Soft Market Testing Exercise for the Provision of Merchant Services, inviting interested parties to explore options available in the marketplace. The exercise aims to streamline card payment facilities, achieve PCI DSS Compliance, and enhance student payment experience. The deadline for completed questionnaires and requests to attend a Soft Market Testing Exercise is 12:00 (Noon) on 20th October 2023. The exercise is in the planning stage and falls under the financial consultancy and transaction processing services industry category. It presents an opportunity for businesses to engage with the University and showcase innovative solutions to meet their requirements.

The University of Southampton, acting as the buying organisation, is located in Southampton, Hampshire, UK. The procurement process is initiated as a tender with the aim of conducting pre-procurement market engagement without any commitment to future procurement. Potential providers must be able to integrate with the University's accounting software and various payment systems. The Soft Market Testing event offers businesses an opportunity to understand the University's requirements and propose tailored solutions that align with the University's objectives. This engagement can benefit service providers looking to establish a strong relationship with the University and introduce innovative payment service provisions.

## Notice

The University of Southampton wishes to explore a range of options to meet its need for the provision of Merchant Services through a soft market testing exercise. The University is keen to explore options that may be available in the marketplace and interested parties are invited to complete a questionnaire and attend a Soft Market Testing event. Further details, including the University's high-level requirements, can be found at Section II.2.4.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The University is seeking to understand new and emerging innovations that have been made in this sector since out last tender process was undertaken with a primary focus of ascertaining how providers could assist in streamlining our current card payment facilities to allow for more efficient and effective reconciliation and management and aiding the University in achieving PCI DSS Compliance. Improvement to student experience of payment through these channels is also a priority. The University is seeking to develop efficient and cost-effective payment service provisions which will be capable of meeting future market and technological changes, and which will meet, and often exceed user expectations. It is looking to build strong working relationships with an organisation(s) in which it can be confident to deliver tangible value to the University. Potential providers must also be able to integrate with the University's accounting software package (Unit 4 Business World version 7.0/0(10)) to allow the import of data/files and also be compatible with various EPOS/Till systems the University utilises, including Gladstone and Uniware/Upay.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028646-2023 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Sep 2023 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 1 Dec 2023 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON |
| Locality | SOUTHAMPTON |
| Post town | Southampton |
| Postcode | SO17 1BJ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| ITL 3 | TLJ32 Southampton |
| Local authority | Southampton |
| Electoral ward | Portswood |
| Westminster constituency | Southampton Test |
| Delivery location | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 66 - Financial and insurance services

### Codes

- 66170000 - Financial consultancy, financial transaction processing and clearing-house services

## Release History

- 28 Sep 2023 at 13:56 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028646-2023

## Notice URLs

- http://www.southampton.ac.uk
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/universityofsouthampton

## 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-h6vhtk-04061f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04061f.json.