---
title: "Provision of a Research Management System"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0449ef"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0449ef"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0449ef.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0449ef.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS"
published: "2024-03-18"
---

# Provision of a Research Management System

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0449ef

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## Summary

The University of Leeds has awarded a contract for the provision of a Research Management System. The procurement process was initiated through a limited procurement method without prior publication of a contract notice. The contract involves the supply and implementation of a commercial off-the-shelf SaaS Research Management System to modernise and simplify research administration systems and processes. The contract is with WorkTribe Ltd, a large-scale supplier based in Bristol, United Kingdom. The contract value is £533,454, and it was signed on 15th March 2024. The University aims to increase efficiency and sustainability in managing its externally funded research grant portfolio.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses specializing in industry-specific software packages to compete for providing Research Management Systems. Companies offering SaaS solutions and expertise in research management technology are well-suited to fulfil the requirements of this contract. The University of Leeds, operating in the education sector, has selected WorkTribe Ltd as the supplier based on a thorough evaluation process that involved soft market testing and reference site demos with other universities. Businesses interested in offering end-to-end research management solutions to educational institutions can find growth opportunities through similar procurement processes in the public sector.

## Notice

The proposed contract is for the supply and implementation of a commercial off the shelf SaaS Research Management System. The University's externally funded research grant portfolio is currently managed using an in-house developed, highly bespoke SAP application called KRISTAL, which reports via a bespoke SQL database using QlikView. The proposed contract hopes to modernise and simplify the pre and post-award IT applications landscape with a move to a cloud based solution removing legacy complex bespoke systems.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The University's externally funded research grant portfolio is currently managed using an in-house developed, highly bespoke SAP application called KRISTAL, which reports via a bespoke SQL database using QlikView. The proposed contract hopes to modernise and simplify the pre and post-award IT applications landscape with a move to a cloud based solution removing complex bespoke legacy systems. Through the proposed SaaS system the University's Research and Innovation will implement improvements to the research administration systems and processes currently in place at the University of Leeds. Improving efficiency and sustainability by being able to better track the entire research life cycle and ensure that as much of the cost of research is recovered as possible. Additional information: The proposed contract is for the University to enter a contract with the selected Research Management System for 4 years.

### Procurement Information

Under Clause 32(b) (ii) of Public Contract Regulations 2015: Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition: (2) The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for works contract, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases: - (b) where the works, suppliers or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator for any of the following reasons: - (ii) competition is absent for technical reasons Justification: A substantial options appraisal exercise has been carried out. This included investigation and soft market testing of thirteen potential solutions available in the market. Following the options appraisal, a number of reference site demos and knowledge sharing events were organised to learn from peer-group approach; this included Universities of Cambridge, Exeter, York, Edinburgh and UCL. Through this approach there is an evolving consensus that a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution will offer the best fit for the University of Leeds. The result of the market research and reference site demonstrations concluded Worktribe As the only option to emerge from the appraisal that can meet the University's requirements on a single SaaS solution, Worktribe's Research Management System is a fully integrated, end-to-end research management solution, currently used by 50 UK universities (including Russell Group Universities). We have identified the Pre-Award and Post-Award products of the research lifecycle to meet our needs. These will increase organisational efficiency and compliance through providing aligned and auditable workflows, which in turn provides a single source of truth for research grant data, which can be used across the organisation. Worktribe can securely share its information with other interdependent systems. The workflow and data management system will enable easy collaboration both between academic and professional service colleagues and within the academic and professional service areas.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008672-2024 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated without publication of a contract notice |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 18 Mar 2024 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 15 Mar 2024 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £533,454 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS |
| Locality | LEEDS |
| Post town | Leeds |
| Postcode | LS2 9JT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber |
| ITL 2 | TLE4 West Yorkshire |
| ITL 3 | TLE42 Leeds |
| Local authority | Leeds |
| Electoral ward | Little London & Woodhouse |
| Westminster constituency | Leeds Central and Headingley |
| Delivery location | TLE42 Leeds |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | WORKTRIBE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 48 - Software package and information systems

### Codes

- 48100000 - Industry specific software package

## Release History

- 18 Mar 2024 at 14:05 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008672-2024

## Notice URLs

- http://purchasing.leeds.ac.uk/
- http://www.Leeds.ac.uk
- https://neupc.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=843680835
- https://www.leeds.ac.uk/

## 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-0449ef. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0449ef.json.