---
title: "Oxford Law Trove"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e403"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e403"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e403.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e403.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "University of Keele"
published: "2026-08-14"
---

# Oxford Law Trove

Buyer: University of Keele  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e403

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e403)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e403.json)

## Summary

The University of Keele is procuring subscription access to Oxford Law Trove, a digital legal-information service for its Law School. The service provides specific legal textbooks, journals and other digital content needed for teaching, learning, curriculum design and research. Oxford University Press owns or exclusively controls the copyright, publishing, intellectual-property and licence rights to the works in the database. Delivery is to the University of Keele in Keele, Staffordshire. This is a subscription service rather than a supply of physical books or a general legal research platform: the requirement is access to the particular Oxford Law Trove collection and its associated content.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to Oxford University Press on 6 August 2026 through a direct award. The University relied on section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 and Schedule 5, paragraph 5, for a single supplier holding intellectual-property or exclusive rights. The award value is £228,000 excluding VAT (£273,600 including VAT). The contract period is 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027, with renewals potentially extending it to 31 August 2030; the stated estimate covers 48 months including potential renewals. A standstill period ends on 27 August 2026, and the planned signature date is 1 September 2026. The award is for one completed lot, with renewal at the University's discretion.

This opportunity demonstrates established demand for institution-wide access to specialist digital legal content supporting teaching, student learning and academic research. A credible future competitor would need to own or lawfully control the relevant publishing, copyright and licence rights, or hold an authorised distribution arrangement that permits access to the exact required works. The requirement favours a specialist academic publisher or information provider with a stable digital platform, reliable subscription administration and the capacity to maintain continuous access for a university Law School. Experience supplying legal textbooks, journals and databases to higher-education institutions would help demonstrate fit. Because the original award was justified by exclusive rights, suppliers offering broadly similar legal databases would not provide an equivalent proposition unless they can lawfully provide the specified Oxford content.

## Notice

1. Direct Award Justification This contract is being awarded by direct award in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 (Direct Award in Special Cases) . The justification for direct award is set out under Schedule 5, Paragraph 5 (Single supplier - intellectual property or exclusive rights) of the Act. 2. Justification Narrative Oxford Law Trove provides access to specific legal textbooks, journals and digital content essential for teaching, learning and research within the University's Law School. The publisher, Oxford University Press, owns or exclusively controls the copyright, intellectual property rights, publishing rights and licence rights to the specific works contained within this database . No competitor can legally supply that exact content without permission from the Publisher. Competition is therefore absent by law, not by market preference. Failure to renew this subscription would: Disrupt access to materials needed for teaching and curriculum design Impact student learning outcomes Create significant reputational risk for the University's Law School. 3. Reasons for Direct Award The University has determined that: Oxford University Press holds exclusive rights to the content within Oxford Law Trove. No reasonable alternative supplier can lawfully provide equivalent access to the same content. Continuity of access is critical for teaching delivery. 4. Estimated Contract Value The estimated value of the contract over the 48-month period (including potential renewals) is PS228,000 (excluding VAT). 5. Known Risks None identified. The University reserves the right to terminate or renew the subscription at its sole discretion. Any future modifications will be managed in accordance with the Act.

### Procurement Information

1. Direct Award Justification This contract is being awarded by direct award in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 (Direct Award in Special Cases) . The justification for direct award is set out under Schedule 5, Paragraph 5 (Single supplier - intellectual property or exclusive rights) of the Act . 2. Justification Narrative Oxford Law Trove provides access to specific legal textbooks, journals and digital content essential for teaching, learning and research within the University's Law School. The publisher, Oxford University Press, owns or exclusively controls the copyright, intellectual property rights, publishing rights and licence rights to the specific works contained within this database . No competitor can legally supply that exact content without permission from the Publisher. Competition is therefore absent by law, not by market preference. Failure to renew this subscription would: Disrupt access to materials needed for teaching and curriculum design Impact student learning outcomes Create significant reputational risk for the University's Law School. 3. Reasons for Direct Award The University has determined that: Oxford University Press holds exclusive rights to the content within Oxford Law Trove. No reasonable alternative supplier can lawfully provide equivalent access to the same content. Continuity of access is critical for teaching delivery.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077864-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 14 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 6 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £228,000 |
| 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 | University of Keele |
| Locality | KEELE, STAFFORDSHIRE, |
| Postcode area | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Postcode | ST5 5NB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLG24 Staffordshire CC |
| Local authority | Newcastle-under-Lyme |
| Electoral ward | Keele |
| Westminster constituency | Newcastle-under-Lyme |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Oxford University Press |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79980000 - Subscription services

## Release History

- 14 Aug 2026 at 17:16 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077864-2026
- 13 Aug 2026 at 17:16 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077426-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077864-2026
  14th August 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077426-2026
  13th August 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.keele.ac.uk
- https://corp.oup.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-06e403. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e403.json.