---
title: "Student recruitment partnership with UCAS Media"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ed3d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ed3d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ed3d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ed3d.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH"
published: "2026-08-27"
---

# Student recruitment partnership with UCAS Media

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ed3d

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ed3d)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ed3d.json)

## Summary

The University of Plymouth procured a two-year student recruitment partnership with UCAS Media Limited. The service covers access to UCAS advertising and media opportunities, applicant insight and benchmarking data, consultancy, recruitment events, the Data Advantage Package, the EXACT subscription and associated strategic student recruitment support. Its purpose is to strengthen student recruitment, market intelligence and applicant engagement. This is a marketing and student-recruitment service, classified under CPV 79342000, delivered for the University of Plymouth in Plymouth and across the United Kingdom. The requirement combines media buying and advertising inventory with data-led insight, subscription access, advisory support and recruitment activity, rather than the supply of physical goods or construction works.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded through a direct award to UCAS Media Limited. The award date was 24 August 2026. The award value is £793,931 excluding VAT and £952,718 including VAT. The contract period runs from 10 September 2026 to 31 July 2028. One lot was awarded. The University used the single-supplier route because UCAS owns the intellectual property and other exclusive rights to the advertising inventory, applicant data, consultancy services and recruitment events required, with no reasonable alternatives identified. The award is recorded as pending, with signature scheduled for 10 September 2026. The procurement was above the applicable threshold and was evaluated on the basis of the direct-award justification rather than a competitive tender.

This outcome indicates demand from the University of Plymouth for an integrated student-recruitment partner combining higher-education marketing, targeted advertising, applicant data, market intelligence, benchmarking, consultancy and recruitment events. Suppliers preparing for a comparable future requirement would need credible experience in student acquisition and engagement, the capacity to manage strategic recruitment support and events, and robust capability in applicant insight and performance benchmarking. They would also need to understand the University’s recruitment market and demonstrate how media activity, data services and advisory work can operate together. UCAS’s exclusive ownership of the specified inventory and data means that businesses outside that ecosystem would need a clearly evidenced alternative proposition, or an appropriate partnership and rights structure, to compete credibly for the same requirement.

## Notice

The University of Plymouth requires a two-year student recruitment partnership with UCAS, including access to UCAS advertising and media opportunities, applicant insight and benchmarking data, consultancy services, recruitment events, the Data Advantage Package, EXACT subscription, and associated strategic student recruitment support to enhance student recruitment, market intelligence and applicant engagement activities.

### Procurement Information

The below justification set out in Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 applies to this Direct Award; Single Supplier. (5) The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract-- (a) due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. UCAS is the sole owner and provider of the advertising inventory, applicant data, consultancy services and recruitment events required by the University of Plymouth. These services are proprietary to UCAS and cannot be obtained from alternative suppliers.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081634-2026 |
| 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 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 24 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 10 Sep 2026 - 31 Jul 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £793,931 |
| 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 PLYMOUTH |
| Locality | PLYMOUTH, DEVON |
| Postcode area | Plymouth |
| Postcode | PL4 8AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK4 Devon |
| ITL 3 | TLK41 Plymouth |
| Local authority | Plymouth |
| Electoral ward | Drake |
| Westminster constituency | Plymouth Sutton and Devonport |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | UCAS MEDIA LIMITED |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79342000 - Marketing services

## Release History

- 27 Aug 2026 at 10:24 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081634-2026
- 27 Aug 2026 at 09:57 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081620-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081634-2026
  27th August 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081620-2026
  27th August 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/about-us/university-structure/service-areas/procurement

## 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-06ed3d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ed3d.json.