AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
UK Shared Business Services Limited awarded MLC PARTNERS LIMITED a £28,400 discovery consultancy assignment for a logged-in portal supporting the CO annual return process and associated services.
Published outcomeAward notice published; the award record is active. The published contract period runs from 12 October 2026 to 17 January 2027.
Market significanceA small, time-limited call-off for discovery, architecture, roadmap and business-case inputs ahead of potential future portal procurement.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
MLC PARTNERS LIMITED
99% confidenceAward ocds-b5fd17-aa18611f-f9c4-4a8a-8745-e4112a497181-1 · 28400 GBP · Active award
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Award names MLC Partners Limited as supplier; verified company name supplied as MLC PARTNERS LIMITED, company number 09366814. The single award value is £28,400.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice type
99% confidenceAwarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
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Published notice is labelled “Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder”; description states it is an award notice, not a call for competition.
Award status
99% confidenceActive
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Award record status is “active”.
Award decision date
98% confidence7 October 2026
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Award record date: 2026-10-07.
Notice publication date
99% confidence9 October 2026
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Award notice datePublished: 2026-10-09T10:40:58+01:00.
Published contract period
99% confidence12 October 2026 to 17 January 2027
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Award and tender contractPeriod fields specify these dates.
VALUES
Published values explained
Award value
99% confidence£28,400
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The single active award has value amount 28400 and currency GBP.
Value allocation
97% confidenceAward-level value; no lot allocation published
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One award is published and no lots or lot IDs are supplied.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Tender submission deadline
98% confidence30 September 2026, 14:00 BST
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Tender period endDate: 2026-09-30T14:00:00+01:00.
Award date
98% confidence7 October 2026
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Award date: 2026-10-07T00:00:00+01:00.
Contract start date
99% confidence12 October 2026
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Published contractPeriod startDate: 2026-10-12T00:00:00+01:00.
Contract end date
99% confidence17 January 2027
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Published contractPeriod endDate: 2027-01-17T23:59:59Z.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
98% confidenceStructured discovery for a logged-in experience portal for the CO annual return process and associated services.
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Requirement description in the award notice.
Expected activities
98% confidenceStakeholder engagement, analysis of current processes, data and integrations, and definition of user-centred requirements.
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Requirement description in the award notice.
Expected outputs
98% confidenceOptions appraisal, target architecture, roadmap and business-case inputs to support procurement of a new portal.
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Requirement description in the award notice.
Primary classification
99% confidenceCPV 73000000 — Research and development services and related consultancy services
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Published primary CPV classification.
Delivery geography
95% confidenceUnited Kingdom
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Tender item delivery address identifies the United Kingdom.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procurement method
98% confidenceSelective
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Published procurementMethod is “selective”.
Route to market
99% confidenceMini competition under GCA RM6309 Management Consultancy Framework Four (MCF4), Lot 1: Business
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Award notice description states the procurement is concluded following this mini competition.
Published procurement-method detail
99% confidenceCall-off from a dynamic purchasing system
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Published procurementMethodDetails states this route. This differs in terminology from the notice description’s framework mini-competition wording.
SME suitability
95% confidenceMarked suitable for SMEs
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Tender suitability field has sme: true.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Contract period
99% confidence12 October 2026 to 17 January 2027
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Published contractPeriod in the award record.
Extension or renewal terms
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Commercial role
96% confidenceDiscovery-stage consultancy rather than portal delivery
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The stated outputs are options appraisal, target architecture, roadmap and business-case inputs supporting a future portal procurement.
Follow-on opportunity
96% confidencePotential future portal procurement is referenced, but no scope, value, date or commitment is published.
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Requirement description says outputs will support procurement of a new logged-in experience portal.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Procedure terminology differs across published fields
99% confidenceThe narrative describes a framework mini competition, while the procurement-method detail says call-off from a dynamic purchasing system.
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Both statements appear in the published notice data.
Lot detail
99% confidenceNo lots, lot titles or allocation data are supplied.
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Lots dataset is empty and the award has no lot IDs.
Award versus execution evidence
99% confidenceThe source is an award notice with an active award and published period; it does not explicitly state that a contract was signed.
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Notice type is award notice; no signature or concluded-contract field is supplied.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The published notice does not provide bid counts, evaluation scores, pricing breakdown, award rationale or competitor identities.
- No extension, renewal or option terms are published.
- No individual lot data or allocation is published.
- The published procedure terminology is inconsistent: it refers both to a framework mini competition and to a call-off from a dynamic purchasing system.
- The notice does not explicitly evidence contract signature or execution.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
ACAS27493CO-ARMS DiscoveryMLC PARTNERS LIMITEDUK Shared Business ServicesManagement Consultancy Framework Fourportal discoverypublic procurement
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won the ACAS27493 CO-ARMS Discovery award?
MLC PARTNERS LIMITED, verified under company number 09366814.
What is the published award value?
£28,400 at award level.
What does the assignment cover?
Discovery work for a logged-in portal, including stakeholder engagement, process and integration analysis, requirements, options, architecture, roadmap and business-case inputs.
Was this a new competition?
The notice says it followed a mini competition under GCA RM6309 Management Consultancy Framework Four, Lot 1: Business.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.