---
title: "Provision of software development and associated activities"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-047332"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-047332"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-047332.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-047332.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "OPEN UNIVERSITY(THE)"
published: "2025-02-14"
---

# Provision of software development and associated activities

Buyer: OPEN UNIVERSITY(THE)  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-047332

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## Summary

The Open University (OU) has completed a procurement process titled "Provision of software development and associated activities," falling under the industry category of Software programming and consultancy services (CPV code 72200000). This process was categorized as a service procurement and aimed to support the CORE OU project. The procurement method was a limited approach, specifically an award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition, due to the technical requirements and the unique expertise needed. The awarded contract was signed on 1st August 2024, with a value of £450,000, and a notable deadline was the agreement with Qubit Labs for a one-year period starting from this date. The regions of service delivery include UKJ12 (Milton Keynes, United Kingdom) and EE (Estonia).

This tender presents substantial business growth opportunities, especially for firms with expertise in software development and a robust understanding of large-scale, open-access research output management. Companies that can provide custom software development services and possess the advanced technical knowledge required to manage and develop complex software infrastructure, like CORE, are well-suited for such projects. The awarded company, Qubit Labs, was uniquely qualified due to their existing familiarity and expertise with the CORE system, highlighting the importance of specialized knowledge and technical capability in this sector. Businesses capable of meeting similar high-level technical criteria may find similar opportunities beneficial for expanding their portfolio and gaining significant projects in the education sector.

## Notice

The Open University (OU) has appointed a supplier to provide software development and associated activities, to support the CORE OU project.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Service development capacity, in the form of software development and associated activities, to support the CORE project: CORE hosts the world's largest collection of open access research outputs, which are used and referenced by people globally, including researchers, libraries, software developers, funders.

Options: 1 x 12 months

### Procurement Information

The Open University (OU) has awarded a one (1) year agreement to Qubit Labs to provide software development and associated activities, to support the CORE OU project. The CORE code base contains more than 250k lines of code. Qubit personnel have the required training, expertise and specialist knowledge to operate and develop the CORE infrastructure The cost and time to upskill another company to the level required precludes the award of the contract to a company other than Qubit.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005140-2025 |
| Notice type | 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 |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 14 Feb 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 27 Jun 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 | £750,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | OPEN UNIVERSITY(THE) |
| Locality | MILTON KEYNES |
| Post town | Milton Keynes |
| Postcode | MK7 6AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ12 Milton Keynes |
| Local authority | Milton Keynes |
| Electoral ward | Monkston |
| Westminster constituency | Milton Keynes Central |
| Delivery location | TLJ12 Milton Keynes |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | QUBIT LABS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

### Codes

- 72200000 - Software programming and consultancy services
- 72230000 - Custom software development services

## Release History

- 14 Feb 2025 at 13:23 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005140-2025
- 28 Jun 2024 at 07:39 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019740-2024

## Notice URLs

- http://www.open.ac.uk
- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/openuniversity/aspx/Home
- https://www.open.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-047332. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-047332.json.