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UKRI –5498 TechFirst undergraduate and Spärck AI scholarships: Cohort Management Function (Lot 1), Recruitment Function (Lot 2)

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) · Contract details notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 23 Sept 2026, 22:16.

Opportunity overview

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has awarded a contract for the provision of Recruitment Management Services (Lot 2) to support the delivery of its TechFirst Undergraduate and Spärck AI Scholarship programmes. The appointed supplier will deliver an end-to-end recruitment management service, including the design, promotion and delivery of recruitment campaigns to attract and engage prospective applicants. The service includes applicant outreach and engagement, management of the application process, candidate communications, administration of eligibility checks, coordination of assessment activities, and support throughout the selection process to ensure a high-quality candidate experience. The supplier will also work collaboratively with UKRI and other delivery partners to support programme governance, performance reporting and continuous improvement, contributing to the successful delivery of UKRI's strategic objectives.

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.

QA LIMITED

Matched by exact name
Contract value
£2.4m
Awarded
Not supplied
Contract signed
7 Sept 2026
Including VAT
£2.8m
Award ID
1
Status
active
Identifier
GB-PPON PLCZ-7371-DXGG
Location
London, UKI42, E1W 1UN, United Kingdom

Penna Plc

Matched by exact name
Contract value
£1.6m
Awarded
Not supplied
Contract signed
6 Sept 2026
Including VAT
£1.9m
Award ID
2
Status
active
Identifier
GB-PPON PTYB-2895-WWLN
Location
London, UKI42, E1 6BG, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated
  • Lot 2Value not stated

Documents and notices

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
UKRI-5498
Status
complete
Procurement Method
open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
complete
Entry 2
Id
2
Status
complete

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)
Id
GB-PPON-PDQJ-7126-JDHG

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PDQJ-7126-JDHG

Address

Street Address
Polaris House
Locality
Swindon, Wiltshire
Postal Code
SN2 1FL
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKK14

Contact

Name
Corporate Procurement

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government
Organisation 2
Name
QA LIMITED
Id
GB-PPON-PLCZ-7371-DXGG

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PLCZ-7371-DXGG

Address

Street Address
International House First Floor, 1 St Katharine's Way
Locality
London
Postal Code
E1W 1UN
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKI42

Contact

Roles

supplier

Details

Scale
large
Vcse
No
Public Service Mission Organization
No
Sheltered Workshop
No
Organisation 3
Name
Penna Plc
Id
GB-PPON-PTYB-2895-WWLN

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PTYB-2895-WWLN

Address

Street Address
10 Bishops Square
Locality
London
Postal Code
E1 6BG
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKI42

Contact

Roles

supplier

Details

Scale
large
Vcse
No
Public Service Mission Organization
No
Sheltered Workshop
No

Award information

Award 1
Id
1
Status
active
Main Procurement Category
services

Items

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
79996000
Description
Business organisation services
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
79421000
Description
Project-management services other than for construction work

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UK
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-PPON-PLCZ-7371-DXGG
Name
QA LIMITED

Related lots

1
Award 2
Id
2
Status
active
Main Procurement Category
services

Items

Item 1
Id
2
Related Lot
2

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
79600000
Description
Recruitment services

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-PPON-PTYB-2895-WWLN
Name
Penna Plc

Related lots

2

Contracts and changes

Entry 1
Id
1
Award ID
1
Title
UKRI-5498 TechFirst Undergraduate and Spärck AI Scholarships – Cohort Management Services (Lot 1)
Status
active
Above Threshold
Yes
Date Signed
8 Sept 2026, 00:00
No Agreed Metrics Rationale
KPIs have been set for this contract, but not for publication and reporting through FTS

Period

Starts
8 Sept 2026, 00:00
Ends
30 Sept 2027, 23:59

Value

Including VAT
2,827,262.39
Amount
2,356,051.99
Currency
GBP

Documents

Entry 1
Id
085218-2026
Document Type
contractNotice
Notice Type
UK7
Description
Contract details notice on Find a Tender
Published
9 Sept 2026, 10:08
Format
text/html
Entry 2
Id
2
Award ID
2
Title
UKRI –5498 TechFirst undergraduate and Spärck AI scholarships: Cohort Recruitment Function (Lot 2)
Status
active
Above Threshold
Yes
Date Signed
7 Sept 2026, 00:00
No Agreed Metrics Rationale
KPIs have been set for this contract, but not for publication and reporting through FTS

Period

Starts
7 Sept 2026, 00:00
Ends
21 Oct 2027, 23:59

Value

Including VAT
1,877,073.06
Amount
1,564,227.55
Currency
GBP

Documents

Entry 1
Id
085218-2026
Document Type
contractNotice
Notice Type
UK7
Description
Contract details notice on Find a Tender
Published
9 Sept 2026, 10:08
Format
text/html

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Swindon, Wiltshire · UKK14 · SN2 1FL · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

5 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

5 VERSIONS
  1. 025562-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 036797-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·
  3. 073270-2026Contract award notice on Find a Tender ·
  4. 074401-2026Contract award notice on Find a Tender ·
  5. 085218-2026Contract details notice on Find a Tender ·