---
title: "Library Subscription Services"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06a823"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06a823"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a823.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a823.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "SOUTHERN UNIVERSITIES MANAGEMENT SERVICES (SUMS)"
published: "2026-07-27"
---

# Library Subscription Services

Buyer: SOUTHERN UNIVERSITIES MANAGEMENT SERVICES (SUMS)  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06a823

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## Summary

Southern Universities Management Services (SUMS), located in Reading, United Kingdom, is initiating a public procurement process under the "Library Subscription Services" title. This procurement, classified in the industry category of goods, specifically targets the supply and management of serials, journals, periodicals, and magazines. The process is currently at the planning stage, with key dates including the preliminary market engagement ending on 31 August 2026. The procurement is set to commence on 1 August 2027, extending through to 31 July 2029 with an option for renewal until 31 July 2031. The estimated contract value spans up to £350 million GBP, and future notices are anticipated on 25 January 2027.

This tender offers a substantial opportunity for businesses engaged in the provision of subscription and library content services to secure long-term contracts with sub-central government authorities. Companies adept in offering comprehensive online subscriptions management platforms or exclusive single-source subscription e-resources may find this particularly lucrative. Additionally, the framework agreement envisages inclusivity, encouraging participation from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs). This diversity in potential suppliers underscores a broad scope for innovation and service delivery, presenting substantial growth opportunities in the sector.

## Notice

The scope of this procurement includes the retendering of the existing framework agreement (Serials, periodicals and associated services, LIB4054 SU) with the addition of a second Lot for single source subscription e-resources. It will be possible for suppliers to bid for both Lots if they wish: Lot 1: Subscriptions Agents - Subscriptions Agents enabling supply of serials, journals and other subscriptions products via a comprehensive online subscriptions management platform. Lot 2: Lot 2: Single Source Subscription E-Resources - Subscribed information e-resources that may form part of a library collection or similar service. Resources must be those where only one supplier exists, and they must be unavailable via a subscriptions agent or via a Procurement Act compliant Jisc deal.

### Planning Information

Suppliers are invited to visit https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=107745&TID=100112823&B= where they will find the following: 1. PME briefing document (which includes links to the supplier surveys) 2. Draft specifications for each Lot, which suppliers are invited to annotate and return via the Mercell messaging function. All clarification queries should also be submitted via the Mercell messaging function

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070848-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 27 Jul 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 25 Jan 2027 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Aug 2027 - 31 Jul 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £350,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planned |
| Lots status | Planned |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SOUTHERN UNIVERSITIES MANAGEMENT SERVICES (SUMS) |
| Additional buyers | SOUTHERN UNIVERSITIES MANAGEMENT SERVICES |
| Locality | READING |
| Post town | Reading |
| Postcode | RG6 6BU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ16 Berkshire West |
| Local authority | Wokingham |
| Electoral ward | Hillside |
| Westminster constituency | Earley and Woodley |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 22 - Printed matter and related products

### Codes

- 22200000 - Newspapers, journals, periodicals and magazines
- 22210000 - Newspapers
- 22211000 - Journals
- 22211100 - Official journals
- 22212000 - Periodicals
- 22212100 - Serials
- 22213000 - Magazines

## Release History

- 27 Jul 2026 at 13:48 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070848-2026
- 28 May 2026 at 15:42 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/050514-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070848-2026
  27th July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/050514-2026
  28th May 2026 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://sums.ac.uk/
- https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=107745&TID=100112823&B=
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.supc.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-06a823. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06a823.json.