Science Direct - Academic Journal Subscription

Official notice

Authority: Ministry of Defence (Central government)

GoodsNegotiated without publication of a contract notice

Sectors: Software Packages & ERP (48) Delivery: South East (UKJ)

Awarded value£1,700,000published contract · exc. VAT

Awarded 28 Mar 2023

Awarded to Elsevier Ltd

What is being bought

Published requirement description

AWE staff require access to the Science Direct platform. ScienceDirect is a digital library that provides access to a vast collection of academic and scientific research articles, book chapters, and conference proceedings. It is a product of the publishing company Elsevier and offers a platform for researchers, scientists, and scholars to access information from multiple scientific fields. By accessing the latest scientific literature, AWE employees can stay informed about the latest trends and research findings, which can help them make informed business decisions and stay ahead of the competition.

This VEAT notice has been published to declare that a 3 year contract is being awarded to Elsevier for a subscription to Science Direct as a sole source tender which is justified under a PCR Reg 32 exemption.

This new contract will come into effect from the 1st of May 2023. The total value of the contract is £1.7m.

CPV: Educational software package

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

Lot #1The Contract is awarded from 1st May 2023 - 30th April 2025 as a single source tender…

The Contract is awarded from 1st May 2023 - 30th April 2025 as a single source tender which is justified under a PCR Reg 32 exemption. The total value of the contract is £1.7m.

Delivery: South East

Extensions: The Contract is awarded from 1st May 2023 - 30th April 2025 as a single source tender which is justified under a PCR Reg 32 exemption as there are no other options to be able to source this software. The aim of this procurement is for AWE to gain access to the Science Direct platform which is a journal database that allows users to browse and freely access academic literature. Although it may be possible to access this literature through other means such as directly going to the individual publisher or using resellers, the Science Direct platform is the unique intellectual property of Elsevier and can only be purchased from them. The particular advantage of using Science Direct rather than not having a central database to access literature from, is that we would pay a single fee and have unlimited and uninhibited access to literature.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record

Procedure method: Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
Legal basis: CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category: Goods
Notice status: Awarded
Procurement threshold: Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime: Standard
Commercial structure: Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type: Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered: Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 24 Apr 2023, 16:23 BST
Last source update: 24 Apr 2023, 16:23 BST
FTS notice number: 2023/S 000-011710
Classification (CPV): Educational software package
Delivery area: South East (UKJ)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-03c3b0 Find a Tender

Why no open competition: No tenders or no suitable tenders/requests to participate in response to open procedure; The products involved are manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experiment, study or development under the conditions stated in the directive; The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights
Published justification: PCR Reg 32.2.b.iii states:
“(2) The negotiated procedure without prior publication may be used for public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in any of the following cases:—
…
(b)where the works, supplies or services can be supplied only by a particular economic operator for any of the following reasons:—
…
(iii) the protection of exclusive rights, including intellectual property rights, but only, in the case of paragraphs (ii) and (iii), where no reasonable alternative or substitute exists and the absence of competition is not the result of an artificial narrowing down of the parameters of the procurement; …”
The aim of this procurement is for AWE to gain access to the Science Direct platform which is a journal database that allows users to browse and freely access academic literature. Although it may be possible to access this literature through other means such as directly going to the individual publisher or using resellers, the Science Direct platform is the unique intellectual property of Elsevier and can only be purchased from them. The particular advantage of using Science Direct rather than not having a central database to access literature from, is that we would pay a single fee and have unlimited and uninhibited access to literature. Please refer to the attached Sole Provider letter from Elsevier for evidence of this.

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £1,700,0001 contract exc. VAT

Contracts signed 1latest 28 Mar 2023

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Elsevier LtdSubcontracting: declared	£1,700,000 †	—	Awarded

Contracts

Contract 011710-2023-1 · Elsevier Ltd
Signed
28 Mar 2023
Value
£1,700,000
Status
active

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Ministry of Defence

Contracting authorityCentral GovernmentMinistry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisionsDefence AWE plc, Aldermaston, South East, RG7 4PRContact name, email

Dispute resolution & review bodies

The High Court Royal Court of JusticeReview body LondonContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

Elsevier LimitedAwarded supplier 125 London Wall, London, South East, EC2Y 5ASContact phone

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.