Official UK procurement notice
SONI089 – Software Licensing & Buying Services
Authority: SONI Ltd (Public body)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThis document outlines the structured process being used by SONI in the selection of suppliers for the provision of Software Licensing & Buying Services. This document provides a description of the services we wish to procure.
The purpose of the RFP is to invite detailed proposals from interested parties (Tenderers) for the provision of said services.
This RFP document together with all supporting requirement documents contains detailed information required by the Tenderer to submit a valid tender proposal. Tenderers are requested to respond to all areas and requirements specified in these documents.
- How the procedure runs: Refer to RFP and Scope of Work
CPV: IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support · Networking software package
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- every call-off is a further competition among the appointed suppliers
- Places
- up to 3 suppliers
- Framework period
- 5 yrs · up to 8 yrs from 15 Jan 2027
Published description of the framework
Refer to the RFP
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Productivity Platform Licensing ServicesRenewalPublished value£17,607,113
Refer to Request for Proposal and Scope of Work
- Economic & financial standing
Refer to RFP
- Technical & professional ability
Refer to RFP
Lot #2Multi-Supplier Software Licensing & Buying ServicesRenewalPublished value£50,949,942
The Supplier shall provide the Services described in this Section 3 and in the Scope of Requirements for Lot 2 (incorporated into this SOW). The Services are outcome-based and the Supplier remains responsible for selecting, managing and delivering the resources, processes, tools and methods required to achieve the agreed outcomes. The Services comprise the following service areas:
- Economic & financial standing
Refer to RFP
- Technical & professional ability
Refer to RFP
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (4)
- Previous Experience: 20%
- Approach & Methodology: 25%
- Tenderer Capacity - Team Structure: 15%
- Ultimate Cost: 40%
Published award criteria (4)
- Previous Experience: Tenderers are required to demonstrate that they have sufficient recent and relevant experience to deliver contracts of this nature:
- Approach & Methodology: An outline to the Tenderer’s overall Approach and Methodology for the planning and delivery of the types of services outlined in the Scope of Requirements
- Tenderer Capacity - Team Structure: An outline to the Tenderer’s overall Approach and Methodology for the planning and delivery of the types of services outlined in the Scope of Requirements.
- Ultimate Cost: Ultimate Cost of proposal in accordance with the Pricing Schedules. This criterion is sub-weighted as follows: Combined Cost of Service - 25%; Pricing Transparency - 5%; Daily Rates 10% See Part 2 - Form 5
- Economic & financial standing
Refer to RFP
- Technical & professional ability
Refer to RFP
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “SONI089 – Software Licensing & Buying Services” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 3 suppliers, not a single contract: each call-off is a further competition, so the pricing contest starts after appointment.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How SONI Ltd buys Networking software package (CPV 4821), and who usually turns up
SONI Ltd has little published record in this market. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Networking software package (CPV 4821) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
No small-firm winners recorded among this authority’s published awards in this sample.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
No winner locations published for this authority. Local means a registered address in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 96 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Awards are recorded, but published direct routes and bid counts do not establish this buyer’s share.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid15%
2–348%
4–616%
7+22%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1Productivity Platform Licensing ServicesCPV 4821Published estimate£18m
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid1%
2–348%
4–631%
7+19%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
Softcat PlcLarge | £272m356 awards in 36m · last this month | 104 live · £569m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=4 |
Phoenix Software LtdLarge | £280m212 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 80 live · £152m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=10 |
CIVICA UK LIMITEDLarge | £47m158 awards in 36m · last this month | 63 live · £163m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 7% below n=19 |
| £47m56 awards in 36m · last this month | 14 live · £13m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | no comparable pairs | |
| £26m55 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 15 live · £3.3m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 11% above n=2 |
Lot #2Multi-Supplier Software Licensing & Buying ServicesCPV 4821Published estimate£51m
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid1%
2–345%
4–629%
7+25%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
Softcat PlcLarge | £272m356 awards in 36m · last this month | 104 live · £569m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=4 |
Phoenix Software LtdLarge | £280m212 awards in 36m · last 1 month ago | 80 live · £152m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=10 |
| £147m102 awards in 36m · last this month | 39 live · £27m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 48% below n=1 | |
CIVICA UK LIMITEDLarge | £47m158 awards in 36m · last this month | 63 live · £163m iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 7% below n=19 |
| £103m43 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 19 live · £2.0bn iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=1 |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open admission
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 16 Sept 2026, 17:18 BST
- Last source update
- 23 Oct 2026, 14:54 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 30 Nov 2026
- Authority reference
SONI089- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-087972- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0773e9Find a Tender
- How it runs
Refer to RFP and Scope of Work
How to participate & submission route
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Appointment period ends
- 30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 16 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
16 Sept 2026 → 15 Jan 2027 · 6 dates- Tender notice published40 days ago16 Sept 2026, 17:18 BST
- Clarification questions by11 days ago16 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
- Latest notice published3 days ago23 Oct 2026, 14:54 BST
- Today27 Oct 2026
- Admission / appointment period endsin 3 days · period end, not a bid countdown30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 34 days30 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 79 days15 Jan 2027
Notice history
2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 16 Sept 2026- Tender notice published16 Sept 2026, 17:18 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published23 Oct 2026, 14:54 BSTUK4
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (9)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Lot 1 Productivity Platform Licensing Services
- Bidding documents and specifications Lot 2 Multi-Supplier Software Licencing and Buying Services
- Bidding documents and specifications RFP Software Licencing & Buying Services
- Bidding documents and specifications SOR Compliance Matrix
- Bidding documents and specifications All Clarification questions and answers
- Bidding documents and specifications SOR Software Licencing and Buying Services
- Bidding documents and specifications SONI Good and Services Framework
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender