--- title: "AI Project Delivery & Development" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05feb8" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05feb8" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05feb8.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05feb8.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "OFFICE FOR STUDENTS" published: "2026-01-02" --- # AI Project Delivery & Development Buyer: OFFICE FOR STUDENTS Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05feb8 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05feb8) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05feb8.json) ## Summary The Office for Students is currently in the planning stage of a procurement process for the delivery and development of an AI project under the title "AI Project Delivery & Development." The project aims to transform internal processes with AI and automation by utilising the organisation's data platform, Azure, and Databricks. This contract is classified within the "Software programming and consultancy services" sector and has a gross value of £1,000,000. The contract is set to begin on 16 March 2026 and end by 15 March 2027, with a possibility of extension till March 2028. Located in Bristol, United Kingdom, with work delivery expected in the UKK1 region, the contracting authority is the Office for Students, representing the central government. The procurement is conducted above the threshold as a service contract through a tender process initiated on 2 January 2026, following preliminary market engagement completed in December 2025. Interested parties are encouraged to refer to the detailed notice on the e-sourcing platform provided. This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses involved in AI development, data platform exploitation, and automation technologies. The focus on transforming internal processes and upskilling data colleagues suggest the ideal candidates would be firms with expertise in software programming and consultancy, particularly those skilled in AI-driven solutions and data automation. Companies that can demonstrate capability in leveraging platforms like Azure and Databricks to optimize process efficiency and provide insights will be strongly positioned to benefit from this procurement opportunity. Mid to large-sized enterprises with experience in government contracts may find this tender particularly advantageous for business growth within the public sector. ## Notice The Data team in the Office for Students works as an enabler to the whole organisation providing insight and data as well as collecting and assuring data from higher education providers and supporting internal processes with automation and data visualisation.We have identified internal processes that can be transformed with AI and automation. Making use of our data platform (Azure and Databricks) we can provide significant time savings and improve process consistency. Development and exploitation of the platform will be key deliverables of this contract, as well as upskilling Data colleagues. To view this notice, please click here: https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=993946415 ### Planning Information The OfS completed pre-market engagement with four suppliers prior to the release of tender. This was used to understand the market and to determine high level requirements. All detail received by these suppliers has been included in the tender documents (including the document released under NDA). ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000035-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement 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 | 2 Jan 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 16 Mar 2026 - 15 Mar 2027 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £833,333 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## 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 | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 72200000 - Software programming and consultancy services ## Release History - 2 Jan 2026 at 12:05 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000035-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000035-2026 2nd January 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=993946415 - 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-05feb8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05feb8.json.