---
title: "Contract for Impact Evaluation of the OfS APP approach"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05f318"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05f318"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f318.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f318.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "OFFICE FOR STUDENTS"
published: "2026-04-08"
---

# Contract for Impact Evaluation of the OfS APP approach

Buyer: OFFICE FOR STUDENTS  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05f318

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## Summary

The "Contract for Impact Evaluation of the OfS APP approach" has been awarded by the Office for Students, located in Bristol, United Kingdom. The procurement involves evaluating the effectiveness of the Access and Participation Plan (APP) approach in promoting equality within higher education. This contract falls under the services industry category and was conducted through an open procurement method. The contract was awarded to Ecorys UK Ltd with a value of £334,588.00 on the 22nd of March 2026, and it will extend until the 30th of September 2027. The procurement was executed under the legal framework of UKPGA 2023/54, and associated activities were primarily held within the UKK1 region.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in evaluation consultancy services, particularly those capable of conducting theory-based evaluations. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly well-positioned to benefit from similar opportunities due to the high percentage of final stage bids from SMEs. Businesses focusing on higher education, social equality, and strategic evaluation could leverage this to broaden their service offerings and establish a foothold in public sector projects, especially given the project's long-term nature and potential renewals.

## Notice

The access and participation plan (APP) is the main lever through which the OfS regulates equality of opportunity at the provider level. In the context of higher education, 'equality of opportunity' means that individuals are not hampered in accessing and succeeding in higher education as a result of their background or circumstances they cannot fairly influence. An APP is a strategic document that sets out how a provider will reduce the risks to equality of opportunity within their own context. The OfS wants to evaluate the long-term impact of the OfS's APP approach and would like to appoint a single supplier to deliver a theory based evaluation. The aim of the evaluation is to understand whether the elements of the APP approach are effective in achieving change in provider behaviour and contributing to improving equality of opportunity for higher education students, from its initiation in 2018 to the 2023 reforms.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031884-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 21 Jan 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 24 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | 23 Mar 2026 - 30 Sep 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £345,000 |
| Lots value | £345,000 |
| Awards value | £334,588 |
| Contracts value | £334,588 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | OFFICE FOR STUDENTS |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode | BS34 8SR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England |
| ITL 3 | TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire |
| Local authority | South Gloucestershire |
| Electoral ward | Stoke Gifford |
| Westminster constituency | Filton and Bradley Stoke |
| Delivery location | TLK1 Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area |

## Supplier

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

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 79419000 - Evaluation consultancy services

## Release History

- 8 Apr 2026 at 11:13 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031884-2026
- 9 Mar 2026 at 11:41 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020810-2026
- 10 Dec 2025 at 16:05 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081649-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/031884-2026
  8th April 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020810-2026
  9th March 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081649-2025
  10th December 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.delta-esourcing.com
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-05f318. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f318.json.