AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
The National Library of Wales terminated this open competition for an online family history service for Wales. The stated reason was that the ITT instructions were unclear and bidders interpreted items differently. The buyer states that a clearer new ITT will be issued.
Published outcomeCancelled procurement; no supplier was awarded and no contract conclusion or start is evidenced.
Market significanceThe opportunity covered a single-provider online family history service for Welsh public libraries, archives, museums, their employees and registered users. Suppliers should monitor for a replacement ITT, but no reissue date is published.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Current procurement status
99% confidenceCancelled / complete
View supporting evidence
The termination notice records award 1 as "cancelled" with tender status "complete".
Termination reason
99% confidenceITT instructions were unclear and bidders interpreted items differently
View supporting evidence
Award status details state: "ITT was not clear on instructions and some bidders had interpreted items in different ways. New ITT will be issued with more clarity."
Contract conclusion
99% confidenceNot evidenced
View supporting evidence
The published record is a procurement termination notice and contains no supplier, award value, contract start date or contract end date.
VALUES
Published values explained
Published opportunity value ceiling
90% confidenceGBP 360,000
View supporting evidence
The process record gives value_max as 360000 GBP.
Awarded or contracted value
99% confidenceUnknown; no value was awarded
View supporting evidence
The sole award is cancelled and has no value amount.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Tender notice published
99% confidence31 July 2026
View supporting evidence
Release history lists tender notice 072488-2026 dated 2026-07-31.
Submission deadline
99% confidence22 September 2026, 12:00 BST
View supporting evidence
The process record lists submission_deadline as 2026-09-22T12:00:00+01:00.
Cancellation final status date
99% confidence7 October 2026
View supporting evidence
The cancelled award records finalStatusDate as 2026-10-07T00:00:00+01:00.
Termination notice published
99% confidence14 October 2026
View supporting evidence
The UK12 procurement termination notice was published on 2026-10-14.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
99% confidenceOnline family history service for Wales
View supporting evidence
Procurement title and description.
Service users
99% confidenceWelsh public libraries, archives and museums; their employees; and registered users of those organisations
View supporting evidence
Process description specifies these user groups.
Supplier model
99% confidenceSingle service provider sought
View supporting evidence
The description states that the buyer sought to appoint a single service provider.
Lot structure
99% confidenceOne lot (lot 1)
View supporting evidence
The tender data contains one lot, identified as lot 1.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procedure
99% confidenceBelow-threshold open competition
View supporting evidence
Process fields state procurement_method "open" and procurement_method_details "Below threshold - open competition".
Competition outcome
99% confidenceTerminated before a supplier award
View supporting evidence
The only award record is cancelled; no suppliers are listed.
Bidder count and evaluation results
99% confidenceUnknown
View supporting evidence
Information not supplied in the published notice.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Contract start and end
99% confidenceUnknown; no concluded contract is evidenced
View supporting evidence
Contract start and end fields are null, and the procurement was cancelled.
Extension or renewal terms
99% confidenceUnknown
View supporting evidence
Information not supplied in the published notice.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Market implication
99% confidenceThe buyer identified ambiguity in the original ITT as material enough to terminate the competition.
View supporting evidence
The stated termination reason cites unclear instructions and differing bidder interpretations.
Supplier action
93% confidenceMonitor the buyer and Find a Tender for the replacement ITT; assess clarified instructions when published.
View supporting evidence
The buyer states that a new ITT will be issued with more clarity.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Record classification
99% confidenceThis is a termination notice, despite the source display status indicating awarded.
View supporting evidence
The notice type is "Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender" and the only award has status "cancelled".
No award attribution
99% confidenceNo supplier, individual lot value or awarded contract value is published.
View supporting evidence
Supplier list is empty; the cancelled award has null value; lot 1 has no value.
Unpublished procurement detail
99% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice includes bid count, scoring, pricing, detailed lot description, contract dates and extension terms.
View supporting evidence
These fields are absent or null in the supplied record.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- No supplier was published because the procurement was cancelled.
- The GBP 360,000 figure is a published opportunity value ceiling, not an awarded or contracted value.
- Information not supplied in the published notice includes bidder numbers, evaluation results, pricing, detailed lot scope, contract dates, and extension or renewal terms.
- The source display status says awarded, but the underlying termination notice and award status show cancellation; this analysis reports the cancellation without treating it as a concluded contract.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
National Library of Walesonline family history serviceWalesprocurement terminationFind a Tenderlibrary digital services
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Was a supplier awarded this contract?
No. The published record shows the sole award as cancelled and names no supplier.
Why was the procurement cancelled?
The buyer said the ITT instructions were unclear and bidders interpreted items differently.
Will the opportunity be reissued?
The buyer states that a new ITT will be issued with more clarity, but gives no publication date.
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.