The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) procedure is to assess the viability of a framework agreement for bursary services. Initial thinking includes three potential Lots as follows: Lot 1: Bursary payment services - Where the supplier handles payments to qualifying individuals on behalf of the member organisation. This Lot is likely to have applications to the wider public sector membership, where bursary and hardship payments are made. Lot 2: Credit bursary services - Where the supplier offers a wide range of products that support education (eg. books, equipment, tech) and qualifying individuals are credited with an amount to spend as they require. Lot 3: Bursary management services - Where the supplier offers a service to assess whether or not individuals qualify for bursary payments in line with the policies of member organisations. The expectation is that a resulting framework agreement would be available to all members of the regional consortia that comprise UKUPC (APUC, HEPCW, LUPC, NEUPC, NWUPC, SUPC, TEC, and TUCO). Members sit across the public sector and include Higher Education Institutions, Schools and Colleges, Government Departments, Local Authorities, Charities, Housing Associations, NHS Trusts, and others.
The scope of this procurement includes the retendering of the existing framework agreement (Serials, periodicals and associated services, LIB4054 SU) with the addition of a second Lot for single source subscription e-resources. It will be possible for suppliers to bid for both Lots if they wish: Lot 1: Subscriptions Agents - Subscriptions Agents enabling supply of serials, journals and other subscriptions products via a comprehensive online subscriptions management platform. Lot 2: Lot 2: Single Source Subscription E-Resources - Subscribed information e-resources that may form part of a library collection or similar service. Resources must be those where only one supplier exists, and they must be unavailable via a subscriptions agent or via a Procurement Act compliant Jisc deal.
