---
title: "NCA21335 Aspire Cash Service"
ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000798020"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000798020"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000798020.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000798020.json"
source: "Public Contracts Scotland"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH"
published: "2025-05-06"
---

# NCA21335 Aspire Cash Service

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000798020

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## Summary

The University of Edinburgh, located at Chambers Street, Edinburgh, recently completed the procurement process for a 12-month pilot contract titled "NCA21335 Aspire Cash Service," with an option for an additional 12-month extension. This service is aimed at facilitating financial assistance to students in hardship through cash, vouchers, and draw-down funds. The contract, valued at an estimated GBP110,000 assuming maximum uptake, was awarded to John Smith & Son using a limited procurement method without prior publication due to the lack of competition in the market, as identified through engagement with other universities. The contract commenced on 6th May 2025 to explore the viability of the service, streamline internal resources, and measure future requirements.

This tender presents significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in financial technology services, particularly those focused on innovative payment solutions within the education sector. SMEs with expertise in efficient financial transaction processing could leverage such contracts to expand their service offerings and enter the higher education market. Given the pilot nature of the contract and potential for a more extensive agreement post-evaluation, stakeholders should be prepared to demonstrate capability and scalability to meet the demands foreseen in any subsequent Invitation to Tender (ITT). Engaging with similar institutions could also provide insight into market expectations and competitive positioning.

## Notice

The University of Edinburgh has awarded a contract to JS Group, for provision of their ASPIRE Cash service, allowing the University to dispense imbursements to students experiencing hardship, in the form of cash, vouchers and draw-down funds. This is a 12-month contract with an optional further 1 x 12-month extension. This is a pilot contract aimed at testing the value of utilising the Aspire service to facilitate hardship payments to students with minimum delay. It is intended that this will also free up internal resource and allow measurement of the true extent of our requirement. It should be noted that the contract value is an estimate, based on a flat % fee per transaction. Actual contract value may be significantly lower if the uptake of this payment service during the pilot period. A value of GBP110,000 has been used, but this applies only in the case of exercising a 12-month extension, and assumes maximum uptake. Real figure expected to be significantly lower, particularly in the initial 12 months period.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

A contract award is a 12 month subscription to the ASPIRE Cash service from JS Group. This allows the University to dispense imbursements to students experiencing hardship, in the form of cash, vouchers and draw-down funds. An optional further 1 x 12-month extension is included. This is a pilot, aimed meeting the immediate need while testing the uptake of a facility to process these unusual payments with minimum delay, freeing up internal resource and allowing measurement of uptake and development of a future ITT. It should be noted that the contract value is an estimate, based on a flat % fee per transaction. Actual contract value may be significantly lower if the uptake of this payment service during the pilot period.. NB. it is possible, and likely at this stage, that uptake will be far smaller than we have allowed for in the award value. Should the contract uptake prove to be higher than anticipated the University will accelerate plans to prepare an ITT and opent to competition as soon as possible.

### Procurement Information

Engaging with several other organisations has returned the intelligence that some 35 other Universities are also using this service and that no competition emerged in their engagement with the market. The University is still exploring whether or not there will be enough uptake to warrant an ITT exercise, but in the absence of any known competition we are awarding a pilot contract to allow us to quantify the scale of our requirement and test the market in 12 months with a more informed specification and ITT fit to a know requirement rather than a speculative exercise.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland |
| Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY529708 |
| Notice type | PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 6 May 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 6 May 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £110,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH |
| Locality | EDINBURGH |
| Post town | Edinburgh |
| Postcode | EH1 1HT |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM1 East Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM13 City of Edinburgh |
| Local authority | City of Edinburgh |
| Electoral ward | City Centre |
| Westminster constituency | Edinburgh East and Musselburgh |
| Delivery location | TLM75 City of Edinburgh |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | JOHN SMITH & SON |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 48 - Software package and information systems
- 66 - Financial and insurance services

### Codes

- 48442000 - Financial systems software package
- 66172000 - Financial transaction processing and clearing-house services

## Release History

- 6 May 2025 at 00:00 - Award - PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY529708

## Documents

- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY529708
  NCA21335 Aspire Cash Service - The University of Edinburgh has awarded a contract to JS Group, for provision of their ASPIRE Cash service, allowing the University to dispense imbursements to students experiencing hardship, in the form of cash, vouchers and draw-down funds. This is a 12-month contract with an optional further 1 x 12-month extension. This is a pilot contract aimed at testing the value of utilising the Aspire service to facilitate hardship payments to students with minimum delay. It is intended that this will also free up internal resource and allow measurement of the true extent of our requirement. It should be noted that the contract value is an estimate, based on a flat % fee per transaction. Actual contract value may be significantly lower if the uptake of this payment service during the pilot period. A value of GBP110,000 has been used, but this applies only in the case of exercising a 12-month extension, and assumes maximum uptake. Real figure expected to be significantly lower, particularly in the initial 12 months period.

## Notice URLs

- http://
- http://www.ed.ac.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000798020

## 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-r6ebe6-0000798020. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000798020.json.