---
title: "Business Source Ultimate"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0781c8"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0781c8"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0781c8.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0781c8.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "University Of Bedfordshire"
published: "2026-10-06"
---

# Business Source Ultimate

Buyer: University Of Bedfordshire  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0781c8

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0781c8)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0781c8.json)

## Summary

The University of Bedfordshire is procuring Business Source Ultimate, a subscription service for business information. The service is for the university and is delivered in the United Kingdom. The procurement is categorised as services and consists of one lot. The named requirement is Business Source Ultimate; the published description does not give further detail on the subscription’s contents or intended users.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to EBSCO International Inc. The university used a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition. The award is valued at £45,150 excluding VAT (£54,180 including VAT). The contract period runs from 1 November 2026 to 30 October 2027. The award is recorded as pending, with signature scheduled by 15 October 2026. The procurement is one lot, marked as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises. No evaluation criteria are stated.

For suppliers of business information subscriptions, this award demonstrates demand from the University of Bedfordshire for Business Source Ultimate as a subscription service. A credible future competitor would need to provide the same named product or a demonstrably suitable alternative, and support delivery to a university in the UK. The purchase was made by direct award without competition, so a supplier seeking to compete on a future requirement should be prepared to establish a clear fit with the university’s needs and to engage with its procurement route. The one-lot purchase indicates a single service requirement rather than separate lots. The opportunity was identified as suitable for SMEs and voluntary, community and social enterprises, making the buyer’s assessment of supplier suitability relevant to businesses in those groups. No specialist qualifications or capacity requirements are described.

## Notice

Business Source Ultimate-UoB

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094310-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 6 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Nov 2026 - 30 Oct 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £45,150 |
| 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 Bedfordshire |
| Locality | LUTON |
| Postcode area | Luton |
| Postcode | LU1 3JU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLH21 Luton |
| Local authority | Luton |
| Electoral ward | Central |
| Westminster constituency | Luton South and South Bedfordshire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | EBSCO INTERNATIONAL INC. |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79980000 - Subscription services

## Release History

- 6 Oct 2026 at 14:21 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094310-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094310-2026
  6th October 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.beds.ac.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-0781c8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0781c8.json.