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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Research Ethics Management System

ASTON UNIVERSITY · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 30 Sept 2026, 02:52.

Opportunity overview

Aston University is seeking proposals from Suppliers who are able to provide a Research Ethics Management System suitable for use within a Higher Education Environment. The Research Integrity Office (RIO) are responsible for ethics evaluation of research projects across the following stakeholder groups: · Research active staff. · Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs). · UG/PG taught students. Ethics management consists of entirely manual processes involving email, MS Word, and MS Excel, delivered by three people. The RIO is a small team for the workload, smaller than equivalent teams at other institutions. Whilst the team has grown, so has the complexity and volume of their workload. With the workload demand of the current process, there are not enough reviewers in the Colleges. With this manual and unsustainable way of working, process reengineering is required with proactive and compliant solutions to allow staff to manage the ethics approval process, in an efficient environment where there is positive sentiment and an understanding of the consequences and the broader context of ethical approval. Proposals will also include ongoing hosting and maintenance provision. The full specification is available as part of the procurement documents available through Aston's e-tendering portal.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

F1 Solutions Pty Ltd

No match
Published award value
£142k
Awarded
30 Jul 2025
Award ID
1
Status
active
Identifier
GB-PPON PJHX-2541-MGGZ
Location
Turner, AU, 2612, Australia

Classification

  • CPV72260000 — Software-related services

Lots

  • Lot 1£215k · Including VAT

Documents and notices

  • Contract details notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
  • Contract award notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
  • Tender notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
  • Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
  • Suppliers are required to submit their tender response on our e-tendering portal ProContract. Suppliers must first regiser on the ProContract portal to enable access to the tender documentation. Please use the following URL https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?v=2Open source ↗

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
1109
Status
complete
Published risks
Dependency on third-party data integration timelines that result in delays beyond the control of the project team. This may trigger the need to adjust deliverables, requirements etc.
Has Recurrence
Yes
Above Threshold
Yes
Procurement Method
open
Main Procurement Category
services
How to submit
Submissions must be made via our e-tendering portal ProContract. Suppliers will need to register to gain access to the project using the following url address - https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?v=2
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Recurrence

Dates

Entry 1
Starts
31 Mar 2029, 23:59

Expected award period

Ends
9 Jul 2025, 23:59

Tender Period

Ends
17 Jun 2025, 12:00

Enquiry period

Ends
10 Jun 2025, 12:00

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
allowed

Languages

en

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
complete
Has Renewal
Yes

Value

Currency
GBP
Including VAT
215,000

Renewal

Description
The inital contract period will be for 3 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years, based on 2 x12 month periods. Any subsequent extension to the contract will be agreed between Aston and the Supplier. It is likely that Aston will seek the Supplier to demonstrate improvements and/or price reductions before considering an extension. For any extension(s) to the contract, discussions with the Supplier shall be conducted sufficiently far in advance of the contract expiry date to arrive at an agreed position.

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Name
Functional and Non-Functional Requirements
Type
quality

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
70
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Name
Pricing and Milestones
Type
cost

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
30
Weight
percentageExact

Contract period

Ends
30 Jul 2028, 23:59
Starts
31 Jul 2025, 00:00
Max Extent Date
30 Jul 2030, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKG31
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 2
Region
UKG31
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
72260000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Software-related services

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Entry 2
Id
L-1
Description
Suppliers are required to submit their tender response on our e-tendering portal ProContract. Suppliers must first regiser on the ProContract portal to enable access to the tender documentation. Please use the following URL https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?v=2
Document Type
technicalSpecifications
Entry 3
Id
026106-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
tenderNotice
Published
23 May 2025, 12:04

Planning and budget

Documents

Entry 1
Id
025538-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Published
23 May 2025, 09:13

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Status
met
Date Met
31 Mar 2025, 00:00
Description
As part of the Discovery Phase for this project, the Research Integrity Office (RIO) conducted a series of informal market engagement discussions with several prospective suppliers. These conversations were instrumental in shaping the project's scope, refining requirements, and informing the budget for the next stages of work. This early engagement supported the development of the internal business case by: Enhancing understanding of the supplier landscape; Gaining insight into indicative pricing models; and Identifying potential delivery approaches aligned with sector best practices. In addition to supplier engagement, the RIO undertook desktop research and consulted with peer institutions in the Higher Education sector that currently use research ethics management systems. These activities provided valuable context on system capabilities, implementation challenges, and user experiences. The primary objectives of this engagement were to: Assess the feasibility of Aston University's requirements; Identify potential constraints and opportunities in the market; and Establish a realistic understanding of the investment required for a fit-for-purpose system that aligns with the University's strategic objectives.

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-COH-RC000904
Name
ASTON UNIVERSITY

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKG31
Country
GB
Locality
Birmingham
Postal Code
B4 7ET
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Aston Triangle

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Identifier

Id
RC000904
Scheme
GB-COH

Contact

Name
SHIRLEY O'REILLY

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1
Id
PTLB-7496-TPTR
Scheme
GB-PPON
Organisation 2
Id
GB-PPON-PJHX-2541-MGGZ
Name
F1 Solutions Pty Ltd

Roles

supplier

Address

Region
AU
Country
AU
Locality
Turner
Postal Code
2612
Country Name
Australia
Street Address
103-105 Northbourne Avenue

Details

Vcse
No
Scale
sme

Identifier

Id
PJHX-2541-MGGZ
Scheme
GB-PPON

Contact

Award information

Award 1
Id
1
Date
31 Jul 2025, 00:00
Status
active
Has Renewal
Yes
Above Threshold
No
Main Procurement Category
services
Assessment Summaries Date Sent
1 Aug 2025, 00:00

Items

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKG31
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Entry 2
Region
UKG31
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
72260000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Software-related services

Value

Currency
GBP
Including VAT
142,000

Renewal

Description
2 years

Documents

Entry 1
Id
045258-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK6
Description
Contract award notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
awardNotice
Published
1 Aug 2025, 14:09

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-PPON-PJHX-2541-MGGZ
Name
F1 Solutions Pty Ltd

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
1
Type
futureSignatureDate
Status
scheduled
Due
14 Aug 2025, 23:59

Related lots

1

Contract period

Ends
31 Aug 2028, 23:59
Starts
15 Aug 2025, 00:00
Max Extent Date
31 Aug 2030, 23:59

Contracts and changes

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
active
Award ID
1
Date Signed
24 Sept 2025, 00:00
Has Renewal
Yes
Above Threshold
No

Value

Currency
GBP
Including VAT
117,755

Period

Ends
30 Mar 2029, 23:59
Starts
31 Mar 2026, 00:00
Max Extent Date
30 Mar 2031, 23:59

Renewal

Description
12 months + 12 months

Documents

Entry 1
Id
059303-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK7
Description
Contract details notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
contractNotice
Published
24 Sept 2025, 14:32

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Birmingham · UKG31 · B4 7ET · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKG31 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-051ff4-2025-09-24T14:32:48+01:00Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·