---
title: "Credit Reference Agency"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-069027"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-069027"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069027.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069027.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "THE OPEN UNIVERSITY"
published: "2026-05-27"
---

# Credit Reference Agency

Buyer: THE OPEN UNIVERSITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-069027

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## Summary

The Open University, located in Milton Keynes, has completed an award process for the procurement of services under the title "Credit Reference Agency". The procurement involved the extension of an existing contract with TransUnion International UK Limited, a large supplier based in Leeds. The service falls under the 'Credit granting services' category, with the procurement tagged with CPV code 66113000. The direct procurement method was employed, justified by the need to maintain compatibility with existing systems, as changing suppliers would pose significant technical challenges. The procurement stage is at the award phase with the contract period set from 1st July 2026 to 30th June 2028, with a potential extension up to 2030. The total contract value amounts to a gross cost of £211,565.76.

This contract presents growth opportunities for businesses specialising in financial services, especially those capable of delivering integrated solutions for credit data management and processing. Firms that can ensure seamless integration with existing credit decision systems and meet regulatory compliance needs, akin to TransUnion, have considerable potential to benefit from similar tenders. Companies with expertise in credit risk assessment, data architecture, and regulatory compliance are well-positioned to compete in such highly specialised sectors, primarily serving large institutions like The Open University with complex operational and technical needs.

## Notice

Extension of TransUnion credit reference agency contract

### Procurement Information

The Open University (OU) and Open University Student Budget Account Ltd (OUSBA) propose to extend the existing Credit Reference Agency (CRA) services contract with TransUnion. This direct award relies on Schedule 5, justification 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, as the services constitute an extension of existing services where a change of supplier would result in incompatibility with current systems and disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance. OUSBA operates a regulated Consumer Credit Loan facility that enables students to spread the cost of their tuition fees. In order to comply with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requirements, OUSBA must undertake affordability and creditworthiness checks, which are fully embedded within its credit decisioning systems and operational processes. These systems are tightly integrated with TransUnion's credit reference data, data structures, scoring methodologies, APIs, and reporting mechanisms. A change in CRA supplier would not be a like-for-like replacement. Different providers use materially different data schemas, bureau attributes, scoring models, and interface structures. Replacing TransUnion would therefore require extensive re-engineering of OUSBA's systems, including remapping data fields, redesigning credit decision trees, formulas and exception handling, reconfiguring system integrations and security controls, and rebuilding reporting and dispute-handling processes. Extensive testing would also be required to ensure that customer outcomes are not adversely affected and that regulatory compliance is maintained. These incompatibilities would result in disproportionate technical difficulties, both during implementation and in the ongoing operation and maintenance of a live, regulated lending platform. Introducing incompatible data and processing logic would materially increase the risk of system instability, incorrect credit decisions, and regulatory non-compliance. The scale, complexity, and regulatory sensitivity of the changes required mean that a supplier switch cannot be undertaken without significant technical disruption. The proposed contract extension does not materially change the nature or scope of the existing services and is limited to maintaining continuity with the current integrated solution. It represents the most proportionate means of ensuring compatibility with established systems and controls, enabling OUSBA to continue operating its regulated lending activity while any future competitive procurement is planned and implemented in a controlled and compliant manner. For these reasons, the extension of the existing CRA contract with TransUnion satisfies the conditions set out in Schedule 5, justification 7, as a change of supplier would result in incompatible services and give rise to disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049953-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 27 May 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 Apr 2026 |
| Contract period | 30 Jun 2026 - 30 Jun 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £176,304 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | THE OPEN UNIVERSITY |
| 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 | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | TRANSUNION INTERNATIONAL |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 66 - Financial and insurance services

### Codes

- 66113000 - Credit granting services

## Release History

- 27 May 2026 at 16:10 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049953-2026
- 1 May 2026 at 10:55 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040429-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049953-2026
  27th May 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040429-2026
  1st May 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.transunion.co.uk
- 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-069027. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-069027.json.