---
title: "Student Payment Platform"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078437"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078437"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078437.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078437.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "CANTERBURY CHRIST CHURCH UNIVERSITY"
published: "2026-10-08"
---

# Student Payment Platform

Buyer: CANTERBURY CHRIST CHURCH UNIVERSITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078437

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078437)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078437.json)

## Summary

Canterbury Christ Church University is procuring a student payment platform and associated service to automate refunds and the return of funds to students. The requirement is a software-enabled payment service supporting the University’s student payment processes. The service is to be delivered across England, covering the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East and South West. The procurement is categorised as a service, with the associated classification describing treasury services. The requirement relates to the University’s existing Aspire platform, which is embedded in its processes and has been used for the past three years. The contract continues this student refund and payment capability rather than introducing a different service purpose.

The procurement is complete and awarded by direct award to John Smith & Son Group Ltd, the incumbent supplier of the Aspire platform. The University chose renewal without a competition because it lacked staff capacity to run a competitive procurement and implement an alternative; it also cited continuity risks and the costs and disruption of specification, evaluation, transition, data migration, process changes and user training. The award is valued at £845,000 excluding VAT (£1,014,000 including VAT). The contract period runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 August 2031, with a scheduled signature date of 1 November 2026. The process comprises one lot. The published outcome identifies no comparative evaluation or award-scoring basis; the stated rationale is continuity with the established platform and a direct award to its incumbent provider.

For suppliers interested in this buyer’s student payment requirement, the award shows demand for a platform that automates student refunds and returns funds, and for continued support of a service embedded in university processes. A credible competitor would need to demonstrate reliable operation of a student payment platform, experience handling refunds and returned payments, and the ability to integrate with institutional processes while protecting continuity of service. The University’s rationale also highlights the practical burden of replacing the incumbent: a supplier proposing an alternative would need the capacity to manage specification and implementation, system transition, data migration, process configuration and user training, as well as a convincing plan to control disruption. The direct award went to an established supplier; evidence of relevant delivery experience and readiness to support a complex institutional transition would therefore be commercially important when this requirement next comes to market.

## Notice

The University is awarding a contract for a student payment platform/service that automates the process of providing refunds or returning funds to students.

### Procurement Information

The University has utilised the Aspire platform for the past three years and is seeking to renew the contract through a direct award to the incumbent supplier. Following a recent organisational restructuring and associated reduction in staffing resources, the University does not currently have the capacity required to undertake a competitive procurement exercise and the subsequent implementation of an alternative solution. Retendering the requirement would necessitate significant internal resource to develop the specification, evaluate bids, manage system transition activities, migrate data, reconfigure processes and deliver user training. Given current resource constraints, undertaking these activities would present a material risk to business continuity and service delivery. The existing Aspire platform is fully implemented, embedded within University processes and continues to meet operational requirements. Renewal with the incumbent supplier therefore represents the most proportionate and low-risk option, ensuring continuity of service while avoiding the significant cost, disruption and resource commitment associated with procuring and implementing a replacement platform at this time.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095420-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency 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 | 8 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Nov 2026 - 31 Aug 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £845,000 |
| 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 | CANTERBURY CHRIST CHURCH UNIVERSITY |
| Locality | CANTERBURY |
| Postcode area | Canterbury |
| Postcode | CT1 1QU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ4 Kent |
| ITL 3 | TLJ44 East Kent |
| Local authority | Canterbury |
| Electoral ward | Barton |
| Westminster constituency | Canterbury |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | John Smith & Son Group Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 66 - Financial and insurance services

### Codes

- 66600000 - Treasury services

## Release History

- 8 Oct 2026 at 17:08 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095420-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095420-2026
  8th October 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.canterbury.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-078437. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078437.json.