UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

Queen’s University Belfast requires a Research Intelligence Tool to support institutional research and innovation strategy, planning, and evaluation. The tool will enable benchmarking of research performance, identification of emerging research strengths, monitoring of collaboration and partnership activity, and support planning for research assessment exercises and strategic planning across Faculties and Schools. Queen’s will develop requirements based on institutional needs, including functional fit, data quality, usability, interoperability, alignment with research culture and responsible metrics principles, and value for money. Key users will include academic staff, Faculty Deans of Research, Research Strategy & Policy Team, Research Development, Global Research Partnerships, Business Alliance, Library (Open Research), Global Marketing and Reputation, and the Research Intelligence Team.

Queen’s University Belfast (hereafter referred to as “Queen’s”) is seeking to engage with suppliers to support a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise for the provision of travel management services. The Travel Management Contract value is estimated to be c. £8m p.a. However, this should be regarded as an estimate only, is subject to demand and business need, is not binding on the University, nor deemed to be a condition of Contract or a guarantee of minimum demand or uptake. The purpose of this PME exercise is to gain a better understanding of the travel management solutions available in the market, explore options for a specific solution for Queen’s, understand costs / commercial models, and support a potential future procurement exercise. The PME process will provide interested suppliers with the opportunity to obtain further information on Queen’s requirements and provide Queen’s with the opportunity to obtain feedback from the marketplace. This notice is for early market engagement only. It is not a call for competition and Queen’s is not seeking formal offers at this point. Participation in this exercise will not preclude any supplier from any future procurement, nor provide any supplier with an advantage or disadvantage from any future procurement. Queen’s may choose not to conduct a procurement subsequent to this PME process or may identify alternative routes to market, such as national frameworks, where deemed appropriate. Queen’s will not be liable for any costs or expenses whatsoever resulting directly or indirectly from a supplier’s participation in PME. Request for Information (RFI) Questionnaire Queen’s is not looking for full supplier tenders at this stage but would like suppliers who wish to participate in the PME process to complete and returning the Request for Information (RFI) questionnaire enclosed as Appendix 1. Responses must be submitted via the In-Tend Electronic System.