--- title: "Independent Policy Impact Assessment of Research Influence" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06d51b" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d51b" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d51b.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d51b.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY" published: "2026-07-28" --- # Independent Policy Impact Assessment of Research Influence Buyer: YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06d51b [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d51b) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d51b.json) ## Summary York St John University is currently in the planning phase of a procurement process aimed at commissioning an Independent Policy Impact Assessment of Research Influence. This initiative is intended to evaluate the effect of university research on both domestic and international policy frameworks. The University seeks market insights to inform this tender in the services industry category, specifically focusing on research consultancy, economic impact assessment, and evaluation consultancy services. Located in York, United Kingdom, this procurement process involves planned engagement activities with a deadline for participation set on the 14th of August 2026. The procurement is valued at £10,000 with a gross amount of £12,000, and the engagement period is scheduled between the 1st of October 2026 and the 31st of December 2026. This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in policy impact assessments and those experienced in evaluating research influence within the Higher Education sector. It is particularly suited for organisations with expertise in UK and European policy environments. Involvement in this process can aid business growth by aligning with academic institutions and gaining exposure through a high-profile project. The University is keen to explore innovative approaches, methodologies, and pricing models, thus offering consultants and organisations a chance to showcase their capabilities and potentially secure a contract that influences future policy assessment practices. Participation in this pre-market engagement will not affect future procurement evaluations, ensuring a fair opportunity for all interested parties. Businesses with relevant experience and interest should respond promptly by submitting information as outlined in the engagement notice. ## Notice York St John University (YSJ) is preparing to procure specialist support to deliver an Independent Policy Impact Assessment of Research Influence. The University wishes to commission an independent assessment of the impact of research undertaken at York St John University which has subsequently been cited within domestic and international policy frameworks. The purpose of the assessment is to evaluate the influence of this research and provide an evidence-based review of the resulting social, health, educational and economic impacts arising from policy adoption and implementation. This pre-market engagement exercise is intended to inform the development of a future procurement and ensure that any Invitation to Tender (ITT) reflects current best practice, innovation and market capability. Indicative scope of requirement While requirements continue to be refined, the University anticipates that the appointed partner will support: - Review and assessment of identified policy documents and associated research outputs. - Development and application of an appropriate methodology to assess policy influence and downstream impacts. - Evaluation of social, health, educational and economic effects arising from research-informed policy outcomes. - Production of an independent report detailing findings, methodology, evidence sources and conclusions. - Stakeholder engagement, where appropriate, to substantiate impact claims and evidence pathways to impact. The University is particularly interested in hearing from organisations and consultants with demonstrable experience of policy impact assessment within the UK and European policy environments and experience of evaluating the impact of university-led research. Purpose of this engagement This pre-market engagement exercise is designed to: - Test the University's current assumptions about delivery approach and scope. - Understand what represents standard practice in policy impact assessment and evaluation. - Identify innovative approaches, tools and methodologies emerging in the market. - Explore delivery models appropriate to the UK Higher Education context. - Understand indicative pricing models and likely costs associated with delivery. - Ensure any eventual ITT reflects practical, implementable and market-aligned requirements. The University is particularly interested in understanding available methodologies, supplier capability, indicative delivery timescales and expected costs associated with conducting an independent assessment of research impact on public policy. Insights gathered will directly inform the final specification and procurement approach. Engagement activities During the engagement period, the University may: *Invite suppliers to submit written responses or position statements *Hold market engagement sessions or one-to-one discussions *Request demonstrations of relevant methodologies, frameworks or tools Participation is entirely voluntary and will not influence any future procurement evaluation. How to participate As part of this pre-market engagement exercise, suppliers are invited to provide responses to the following: 1. Relevant Experience Please provide brief details of up to three comparable projects delivered within the last five years involving: - Policy impact assessment. - Evaluation of research influence on policy development. - Assessment of social, economic, health or educational impacts arising from research. 2. Proposed Methodology How would you approach the assessment of university research cited within domestic and international policy? - What methodologies, frameworks or evaluation models would you typically apply? - What evidence sources would you expect to utilise? 3. Delivery Approach - What information and support would you require from the University? - What are the key risks and dependencies associated with this type of project? - What would you consider to be a realistic delivery timescale? 4. Expertise - Please outline the relevant experience and qualifications of the personnel/team who would be involved in delivering the work. - Please highlight any specific expertise relating to UK Higher Education, REF impact, UK Government policy, EU policy or public policy evaluation. 5. Indicative Pricing - Please provide an indicative fee range for delivering the scope described within this notice. Please state the assumptions that underpin this estimate. - If applicable, please identify alternative pricing models that may be available. 6. Market Feedback - Are there any aspects of the proposed scope that you believe should be refined, expanded or reduced? - What would you consider to represent industry best practice for this type of assessment? Suppliers wishing to participate should submit their responses by email to procurement@yorksj.ac.uk with the subject line: "PME Response - Policy Impact Assessment" Further details regarding timelines and engagement activities will be shared with registered participants when available. Important notice This notice is issued solely for the purpose of pre-market engagement. It: *Does not constitute a call for competition *Does not form part of any procurement process *Does not commit the University to undertake any future procurement The intention is to ensure that any future procurement is well-informed, proportionate and aligned to market capability. ### Planning Information Engagement process description The University's objective is to establish an effective and proportionate approach for assessing the impact of university research that has informed policy development within the UK and internationally. This includes strengthening the University's ability to: - Measure and evidence the influence of research on policy development and implementation. - Assess the wider social, health, educational and economic outcomes linked to policy adoption. - Obtain robust independent analysis suitable for institutional reporting, impact evaluation and future research assessment exercises. The University is seeking market insight to inform how this requirement can best be delivered, including approaches, methodologies and innovations that are aligned to the Higher Education sector. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071149-2026 | | 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 | 28 Jul 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 14 Aug 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 30 Sep 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £10,000 | | 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 | YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY | | Locality | YORK | | Post town | York | | Postcode | YO31 7EX | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber | | ITL 2 | TLE2 North Yorkshire | | ITL 3 | TLE21 York | | Local authority | York | | Electoral ward | Guildhall | | Westminster constituency | York Central | | Delivery location | TLE21 York | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 73210000 - Research consultancy services - 79311410 - Economic impact assessment - 79419000 - Evaluation consultancy services ## Release History - 28 Jul 2026 at 10:52 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071149-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071149-2026 28th July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - 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-06d51b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d51b.json.