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Published 19 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Student Accommodation Room Management System

Official notice

Authority: University of Southampton (Charity / VCSE)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Published estimate£540,000≈ £216k / year · £648,000 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 23 Feb 2026
Contract term 2 yrs 6 moends 16 Oct 2028 · up to 16 Oct 2031 with extensions · starts 17 Apr 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The University of Southampton's Residences team are looking to procure a cloud hosted, user friendly, future-facing student accommodation management system. The system will actively support enabling modern flexible integration options, resulting in an improved student experience.

The primary object of the system will be to manage end to end, pre and post arrival transactions and data relating to student residential services.

The student accommodation management system must be cloud hosted. Completion of migration to a new cloud hosted solution must complete no later than November 2026. For the purposes of this procurement, completion of migration is defined as:

  • Full implementation of the new cloud‑hosted system;
  • Completion of all acceptance testing with outcomes approved by the University;
  • Completion of all data migration activities, with all data successfully transferred, validated and operational within the new system before 'go live';
  • The system is fully in place, live and ready for use with no dependency on the legacy solution.

PLEASE NOTE: The University of Southampton is not a 'body governed by public law' and is therefore not considered a contracting authority for the purposes of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023) or the Procurement Regulations 2024 and/or any replacement legislation. This procurement process is not regulated by UK (or EU) public procurement law.

For the purposes of this advertisement;

"Regulations": means the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023) or the Procurement Regulations 2024.

Where the University advertises contracts, through any public sector tender portal, it does so on a voluntary basis by way of transparency and to encourage open competition, but it is not required to comply with the procurement legislation and this does not bind the University to publish additional notices in the future. For the purpose of procuring this Project, the University is acting in accordance with its internal financial regulations and the procedure detailed in the tender documents.

Nothing which is done during the procurement process (including the publication of the contract notice, use of the SQ and use of terminology which may be defined by the Regulations) should be taken to imply that the University is voluntarily complying with the Regulations or intends to do so. Some of the stages, documentation and terminology adopted in the University's procurement process may have similarities to ones regulated by and defined under the Regulations, but they will not be regulated by the Regulations during this process and should not be taken as references to those things as defined by the Regulations. Interested parties are invited to express their interest and submit their proposals in accordance with the instructions provided in the tender documentation. The University aims to ensure a fair, transparent, and competitive procurement process to select the most suitable partner for this significant project.

  • The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 16 Oct 2030, 23:59 BST.

CPV: Software package and information systems · System maintenance services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 2 yrs 6 moSMEVCSEPublished value£540,000
Contract period: 17 Apr 2026 – 16 Oct 2028 (2 yrs 6 mo) · up to 16 Oct 2031 with extensionsValue: £540,000 exc. VAT · £648,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: South EastEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: The University proposes to enter into a Contract for five years and six months. This will be the maximum contract period, including any potential extensions with the successful tenderer(s). This will comprise of a six month implementation period followed by an initial contract period of two years. There will then be the option to extend the contract by an optional two‑year extension period, and subsequently a further optional one‑year extension period, subject to satisfactory performance and at the discretion of the University. The breakdown of the initial contract term and extension periods has been detailed below. Initial term (inclusive of implementation): 17/04/2026 - 16/10/2028 Extension period 1: 17/10/2028 - 16/10/2030 Extension period 2: 17/10/2030 - 16/10/2031
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    To support the financial assessment, the University will obtain a Business Risk Report for all Tenderers, and every organisation that is being relied on to meet this procurement, using an independent company called CreditSafe.

    The University reserves the right to exclude a Tenderer or request provision of further assurances such as parent company/bank guarantee or performance bonds where a Tenderer's Business Risk Score is: "Moderate Risk"; "High Risk"; "Very High Risk"; or "Not Rated", based on the rating provided by CreditSafe.

    Where a Business Risk Score from our external system is not available, then an alternative method of assessing financial standing will be used. This method is detailed within the Invitation to Tender document set.

    Tenderers are advised that a requirement of this procurement is to have in place, or commit to obtain prior to the commencement of the contract, the following minimum insurance levels:

    Public Liability - £5 million

    Employers' Liability - £5 million

    Professional Indemnity - £2.5 million

    Cyber Insurance - £2.5 million

    Full details of the selection criteria can be found in the tender documents.

  • Technical & professional ability

    The selection criteria is as stated in the tender documents.

    Tenderers attention is drawn to the MANDATORY requirements of the award criteria:

    • Grounds for mandatory exclusion - File 6 sections 2 & 3
    • Grounds for discretionary exclusion - File 6 section 4
    • Economic & Financial Standing - File 6 section 5
    • Insurance - File 6 section 7.1
    • Data Protection - File 6 section 7.2
    • Health & Safety - File 6 section 7.3
    • Prompt Payments - File 6 section 7.4
    • University's use of the Selection Questionnaire - File 6 section 7.5
    • Compliance with the Conditions of Contract - File 6 section 8.1
    • Functional Requirements (Mandatory) - File 7 section 1
    • Non-Functional Requirements (Mandatory) - File 7 section 3

    Full details of the selection criteria can be found in the tender documents.

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids were scored
Quality: 70%Price: 30%
Published sub-criteria (3)
  • Non-Functional Requirements (Highly Desirable): 5%
  • Technical Requirements: 65%
  • Commercial Requirements: 30%
Published award criteria (3)
  • Non-Functional Requirements (Highly Desirable): Where the University's requirement is not mandatory but would enhance the service solution's capability and user experience to a high degree, the weighting of "highly desirable" has been utilised. Where it is confirmed that the proposed solution can meet the requirement, and a suitable supporting response has been provided, a score of 1 will be given. If the proposed solution cannot meet the requirement, or an unsuitable supporting response has been provided, a score of 0 will be given. 1 point will be allocated for requirements achieving the following: • The requirement is confirmed as currently met. • The response provides sufficient detail to demonstrate compliance. 0 points will be allocated for requirements achieving the following: • The requirement is not met, or • The response is inadequate, unclear, or missing, or • Lack of evidence or vague statements that do not demonstrate how the requirement is fulfilled. The points awarded will be added to give an overall section score . Weighted scores will be rounded to two decimal places. The overall section score will be calculated based on the following formula: Section Score = ((Tenderer's Score ÷ Maximum Score) x Section Weighting) Full details on the highly desirable non-functional requirements criteria as well as weightings can be found within the tender documentation.
  • Technical Requirements: The functional requirements have been split into ten categories below: 1. System Functionality and Core Features 2. Student Experience and Self-Service Capabilities 3. Integration 4. Room and Contract Configuration 5. Reporting and Analytics 6. Cloud Hosting and Security 7. Mobilising and Migration Support 8. Helpdesk and customer service provision 9. Contract Management 10. Responsible Procurement Full details on the criteria within each category as well as weightings can be found within the tender documentation.
  • Commercial Requirements: The commercials will form 30% of the award criteria. The evaluation of commercial responses (i.e. pricing) will be determined by a mathematical formula on the following basis: The Tenderer who delivers the lowest overall cost in response to the Commercial Requirements Workbook (File 8), noted as "The Grand Total", will earn the maximum available percentage score (equivalent to the Commercial Response weighting stated at 2.3.1 above). Scores will then be allocated to the remaining Tenderer's costs based as a percentage of the lowest price. Weighted scores will be rounded to two decimal places. This process can be expressed as the formula below: Price Score = ((Lowest Tendered Cost ÷ Cost to be Scored) x Section Weighting) Full details on the commercial response evaluation and weightings can found found in the tender documentation.
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    To support the financial assessment, the University will obtain a Business Risk Report for all Tenderers, and every organisation that is being relied on to meet this procurement, using an independent company called CreditSafe.

    The University reserves the right to exclude a Tenderer or request provision of further assurances such as parent company/bank guarantee or performance bonds where a Tenderer's Business Risk Score is: "Moderate Risk"; "High Risk"; "Very High Risk"; or "Not Rated", based on the rating provided by CreditSafe.

    Where a Business Risk Score from our external system is not available, then an alternative method of assessing financial standing will be used. This method is detailed within the Invitation to Tender document set.

    Tenderers are advised that a requirement of this procurement is to have in place, or commit to obtain prior to the commencement of the contract, the following minimum insurance levels:

    Public Liability - £5 million

    Employers' Liability - £5 million

    Professional Indemnity - £2.5 million

    Cyber Insurance - £2.5 million

    Full details of the selection criteria can be found in the tender documents.

  • Technical & professional ability

    The selection criteria is as stated in the tender documents.

    Tenderers attention is drawn to the MANDATORY requirements of the award criteria:

    • Grounds for mandatory exclusion - File 6 sections 2 & 3
    • Grounds for discretionary exclusion - File 6 section 4
    • Economic & Financial Standing - File 6 section 5
    • Insurance - File 6 section 7.1
    • Data Protection - File 6 section 7.2
    • Health & Safety - File 6 section 7.3
    • Prompt Payments - File 6 section 7.4
    • University's use of the Selection Questionnaire - File 6 section 7.5
    • Compliance with the Conditions of Contract - File 6 section 8.1
    • Functional Requirements (Mandatory) - File 7 section 1
    • Non-Functional Requirements (Mandatory) - File 7 section 3

    Full details of the selection criteria can be found in the tender documents.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Closed
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Yes · next expected 16 Oct 2030
First published
19 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMT
Last source update
19 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMT
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 31 Mar 2026
Authority reference
2025UoS-1520
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-004381
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Software package and information systemsSystem maintenance services
Delivery area
South East (UKJ)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0608ce Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: In-tend · Who buys & how to bid on In-tend
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · one account per buying organisation's portal · reCAPTCHA on signup
Submission deadline
23 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
2 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

E-Tendering Portal: The University is utilising an electronic tendering tool, In-Tend (intendhost.co.uk ↗ universityofsouthampton) to manage this procurement and to communicate with potential tenderers.

All documentation in relation to this tender can be downloaded from In-Tend.

Potential tenderers are advised that there will be no hard copy documents issued and all communications with the University, including the submission of Invitation to Tender responses, will be conducted via In-Tend.

Regular monitoring of the portal is the responsibility of the potential tenderer.

If you are not already registered as a supplier with the University of Southampton, you will need to register in In-Tend in order to access the procurement documentation.

Once you have logged in as a supplier: click on 'Tenders'; locate the relevant project; and click 'View Details'. Once you are in the project screen, you will be able to register your organisation against the project and access all documentation by clicking 'Express Interest'.

Potential tenderers are advised that formal expressions of interest in the project must be by way of completion and return of the relevant documents via In-Tend.

Further instructions for the submission of responses are below:

To submit your return:

  1. Log in
  2. Click 'Tenders'
  3. Locate the relevant project
  4. View details
  5. Click on the tab relating to the relevant project stage (e.g. 'Invitation to Tender')
  6. Click on the 'Attach Documents' button and upload your return.
  7. Check ALL your response documents are uploaded and displayed in the 'My Tender Return' panel. The system will only permit your organisation to make one return.
  8. Click the red 'Submit Return' button.

Please note, to preserve the integrity of the procurement, all communications with the University must be made via the correspondence function within In-Tend.

The University may publish details of its contract(s), including the contract values and the identities of its suppliers on its website without consulting the provider of that information. By submitting a response, potential tenderers are consenting to publication of this information unless otherwise agreed in advance with the University.

Costs and Expenses: Potential tenderers are solely responsible for their costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation and submission of responses and participation in this and all future stages of this procurement. Under no circumstances will the University be liable for any costs or expenses borne by potential tenderers or any of their supply chain, partners or advisers in this procurement process.

The University is not liable for any costs in the event of the cancellation of this procurement process.

Timeline

19 Jan 2026 → 17 Apr 2026 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published281 days ago
    19 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMT
  2. Clarification questions by267 days ago
    2 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
  3. Submission deadline246 days ago
    23 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
  4. Award decision expected by209 days ago
    31 Mar 2026, 23:59 BST
  5. Contract starts193 days ago
    17 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    19 Jan 2026, 14:11 GMT
    UK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

University of Southampton

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PLJL-3977-CCGG · GB-UKPRN: 10007158 University Road, Highfield, Southampton, South East, SO17 1BJContact name, email, phone

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender