Coventry University direct award to Magic Square Systems

Tender information last checkedLast checked 8 Oct 2026, 08:08.

Opportunity overview

The Services provided under this Agreement comprise four enterprise applications developed and supported by Magic Square Systems Limited ("MSS") for Coventry University: CU ETHICS, OMIS Future Travel (OMIS FT), PGR+, and thefutureworks (TFW). Each platform is delivered as a secure ASP.NET MVC application with a SQL Server backend, fully integrated with Coventry University's Single Sign On (SSO) infrastructure and hosted within the University's dedicated environment. Together, these systems support critical operational, governance and compliance processes across research, travel, postgraduate recruitment and workforce management.

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.

MAGIC SQUARE SYSTEMS LIMITED

Matched by number

Published award value: £237.3k
Awarded: 6 Oct 2026
Award ID: 1
Status: pending
Identifier: GB-COH 03680737
Location: West Midlands, UKG33, CV1 2TT, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

Lots

Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Transparency notice on Find a TenderOpen 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: PA-FRAM-1826-26-TH
Status: complete
Procurement Method: direct
Procurement Method Details: Direct award
Why this procedure was chosen: This contract facilitates a move away from individual University Product Contracts to a Single University Co-Term Agreement. This Software Service Agreement represents a material enhancement in the level, structure and value of service provision across the four products. This contract delivers the broader scope of coverage which includes: enhanced Support & Maintenance, a more structured Continuous Improvement & Enhancements service, and the introduction of a dedicated Strategic Development Allowance that was not available under the previous SLA model. This SSA provides greater assurance, resilience and continuity across the contract term, while also creating planned capacity for product evolution, road map alignment, proactive improvements and future development. This contract is an investment in a more comprehensive, forward-looking and strategically aligned service model that better supports the long-term sustainability and development of the products. Market analysis undertaken by Coventry University has not resulted in a comparable service offering from any alternative supplier.

Legal basis

Id: 2023/54
Scheme: UKPGA
Uri: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ↗

Procedure reasons

Entry 1

Id: singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons

Lots and requirements

Entry 1

Id: 1
Status: complete

Suitability

Sme: Yes

Published documents

Entry 1

Id: conflictOfInterest
Document Type: conflictOfInterest
Description: Not published

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1

Name: Coventry University
Id: GB-PPON-PMMH-2339-NMGH

Identifier

Scheme: GB-PPON
Id: PMMH-2339-NMGH

Address

Street Address: Priory Street
Locality: Coventry
Postal Code: CV1 5FB
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom
Region: UKG33

Contact

Email: Procurement@coventry.ac.uk

Roles

buyer

Details

Url: http://www.coventry.ac.uk ↗

Classifications

Entry 1

Scheme: UK_CA_TYPE
Id: publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description: Public authority - sub-central government

Organisation 2

Name: MAGIC SQUARE SYSTEMS LIMITED
Id: GB-COH-03680737

Identifier

Scheme: GB-COH
Id: 03680737

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1

Scheme: GB-PPON
Id: PQYG-7349-YDLD

Address

Street Address: Technocentre, Puma Way
Locality: West Midlands
Postal Code: CV1 2TT
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom
Region: UKG33

Contact

Email: office@magicsquaresystems.co.uk

Roles

supplier

Details

Url: https://magicsquaresystems.com ↗
Scale: sme
Vcse: No

Award information

Award 1

Id: 1
Title: Magic Square Software Service Agreement
Status: pending
Main Procurement Category: services
Above Threshold: Yes
Has Renewal: Yes

Items

Item 1

Id: 1
Related Lot: 1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1

Scheme: CPV
Id: 72000000
Description: IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Delivery locations

Entry 1

Region: UK
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom

Value

Including VAT: 284,700
Amount: 237,250
Currency: GBP

Suppliers

Supplier 1

Id: GB-COH-03680737
Name: MAGIC SQUARE SYSTEMS LIMITED

Contract period

Starts: 1 Nov 2026, 00:00
Ends: 31 Oct 2028, 23:59
Max Extent Date: 31 Oct 2029, 23:59

Renewal

Description: 2+1 Contract

Related lots

Documents

Entry 1

Id: 094918-2026
Document Type: awardNotice
Notice Type: UK5
Description: Transparency notice on Find a Tender
Url: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094918-2026 ↗
Published: 7 Oct 2026, 16:30
Format: text/html

Milestones

Entry 1

Id: 1
Type: futureSignatureDate
Due: 19 Oct 2026, 23:59
Status: scheduled

Recorded locations

Buyer location · Coventry · UKG33 · CV1 5FB · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

2 VERSIONS

094918-2026Transparency notice on Find a Tender · 7 Oct 2026, 16:30
094925-2026Contract award notice on Find a Tender · 7 Oct 2026, 16:36

PROCURAAXIS AWARD ANALYSIS

Award outcome intelligence

Evidence-bound analysis of the published award appears below the official tender and award information.

ANALYSIS PREVIEW

Award intelligence at a glance

Coventry University has published a transparency notice for a proposed direct award to Magic Square Systems Limited for a consolidated software service agreement covering four university applications. The award remains pending, with signature scheduled for 19 October 2026.

Published outcome signals

Notice statusComplete transparency notice; award status pendingEvidence: Process status is "complete" and award 1 status is "pending" in the supplied notice data.
Contract signatureScheduled, not evidenced as completedEvidence: Award milestone lists futureSignatureDate of 2026-10-19T23:59:59+01:00 with status "scheduled".
Contract start1 November 2026 (planned)Evidence: Award contractPeriod startDate is 2026-11-01T00:00:00Z.

96% approved-analysis confidence1 supplier record analysed3 source limitations

SOURCE AND FRESHNESS

Traceable procurement data

Source: Find a Tender
Notice reference: 094918-2026
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-07831f
First published: 7 Oct 2026
Last checked: 8 Oct 2026, 08:08
Notice versions reviewed: 2

View Find a Tender notice ↗

HOW THIS WAS PREPARED

Approved, evidence-bound analysis

ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.

Analysis status: Approved for publication
Analysed: 8 Oct 2026

Read the analysis methodology →

AWARD OUTCOME

What happened

Published outcome

Pending direct award to MAGIC SQUARE SYSTEMS LIMITED for Lot 1; no signed contract is evidenced.

Market significance

The arrangement consolidates support and development for four operational software platforms into one co-term agreement, with a stated maximum potential term to October 2029.

AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS

1 supplier record analysed

MAGIC SQUARE SYSTEMS LIMITED

99% confidence

Award 1 · Lots 1 · 237250 GBP · Pending award

View supporting evidence

Award 1 names MAGIC SQUARE SYSTEMS LIMITED as supplier, relates to Lot 1, has status "pending", and states value amount GBP 237,250.

LIFECYCLE

Award or contract stage

Notice status

98% confidence

Complete transparency notice; award status pending

View supporting evidence

Process status is "complete" and award 1 status is "pending" in the supplied notice data.

Contract signature

99% confidence

Scheduled, not evidenced as completed

View supporting evidence

Award milestone lists futureSignatureDate of 2026-10-19T23:59:59+01:00 with status "scheduled".

Contract start

95% confidence

1 November 2026 (planned)

View supporting evidence

Award contractPeriod startDate is 2026-11-01T00:00:00Z.

VALUES

Published values explained

Award value (net)

99% confidence

GBP 237,250

View supporting evidence

Award 1 value.amount is 237250 and currency is GBP.

Award value (gross)

99% confidence

GBP 284,700

View supporting evidence

Award 1 value.amountGross is 284700.

TIMELINE

Procurement timeline

Transparency notice published

99% confidence

7 October 2026

View supporting evidence

Award notice document 094918-2026 has datePublished 2026-10-07T16:30:46+01:00.

Scheduled signature date

99% confidence

19 October 2026

View supporting evidence

Future-signature milestone dueDate is 2026-10-19T23:59:59+01:00.

Planned initial term

98% confidence

1 November 2026 to 31 October 2028

View supporting evidence

Award contractPeriod specifies startDate 2026-11-01 and endDate 2028-10-31.

Maximum stated extent

98% confidence

31 October 2029

View supporting evidence

Award contractPeriod maxExtentDate is 2029-10-31.

SCOPE

What was awarded

Service agreement scope

96% confidence

Support, maintenance, continuous improvement, enhancements and strategic development capacity for four enterprise applications

View supporting evidence

The notice description and procurement rationale describe services for CU ETHICS, OMIS Future Travel, PGR+, and thefutureworks, including enhanced support and maintenance, continuous improvement and enhancements, and a Strategic Development Allowance.

Technology and hosting

98% confidence

ASP.NET MVC applications with SQL Server backends, integrated with university SSO and hosted in Coventry University's dedicated environment

View supporting evidence

Stated in the tender description.

Procurement classification

99% confidence

IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support (CPV 72000000)

View supporting evidence

Award item additional classification is CPV 72000000.

PROCEDURE

Procedure and competition

Procurement method

99% confidence

Direct award

View supporting evidence

Tender procurementMethod is "direct" and procurementMethodDetails is "Direct award".

Stated direct-award basis

98% confidence

Single supplier for technical reasons

View supporting evidence

procurementMethodRationaleClassifications includes "singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons".

Buyer-stated market assessment

94% confidence

The buyer states that market analysis did not identify a comparable offering from an alternative supplier

View supporting evidence

This is stated in the procurementMethodRationale.

Competition data

99% confidence

Not published

View supporting evidence

No bidder count, tender submissions, evaluation scores or comparative pricing information is supplied.

CONTRACT TERMS

Published contract terms

Initial term

98% confidence

2 years

View supporting evidence

The stated contract period runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2028.

Extension structure

95% confidence

Stated as "2+1 Contract"

View supporting evidence

Award renewal description is "2+1 Contract" and maxExtentDate is 31 October 2029.

Renewal provision

99% confidence

Renewal indicated

View supporting evidence

Award hasRenewal is true.

Award threshold status

99% confidence

Above threshold

View supporting evidence

Award field aboveThreshold is true.

COMMERCIAL VIEW

Commercial observations

Commercial structure

96% confidence

Consolidation of separate product arrangements into a single university co-term agreement

View supporting evidence

The procurement rationale states that the contract moves away from individual University Product Contracts to a Single University Co-Term Agreement.

Service model change

95% confidence

Buyer describes broader coverage than the previous SLA model, including enhanced support, structured improvements and strategic development allowance

View supporting evidence

Stated in the procurementMethodRationale.

ANALYSIS QUALITY

96%overall confidence

Confidence reflects the completeness and consistency of the published award data.

Reference: ocds-h6vhtk-07831f
Analysed: 8 Oct 2026

APPROVED AWARD ANALYSIS

BUYER CONTEXT

Buyer context

Buyer

99% confidence

Coventry University

View supporting evidence

The process identifies Coventry University as buyer.

Buyer type

99% confidence

Public authority – sub-central government

View supporting evidence

Buyer party classification is UK_CA_TYPE publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment.

Buyer location

99% confidence

Coventry, United Kingdom

View supporting evidence

Buyer address lists Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, United Kingdom.

SUPPLIER CONTEXT

Supplier context

Supplier identity

99% confidence

MAGIC SQUARE SYSTEMS LIMITED (Companies House number 03680737)

View supporting evidence

Supplier party identifier is GB-COH-03680737; supplied supplier record matches company number 03680737.

Supplier scale

99% confidence

SME

View supporting evidence

Supplier party details state scale "sme".

Supplier location

98% confidence

West Midlands, United Kingdom

View supporting evidence

Supplier address lists West Midlands, CV1 2TT, United Kingdom.

RENEWAL OUTLOOK

Renewal outlook

Estimated latest end date

95% confidence

31 October 2029, subject to use of the stated extension

View supporting evidence

The notice gives maxExtentDate of 2029-10-31 and describes a "2+1 Contract". This is a term-based estimate, not a procurement forecast.

DATA QUALITY

Gaps and source limitations

Lifecycle interpretation

99% confidence

The source labels the process complete but the individual award pending and signature future-dated; this supports publication of a proposed award, not a concluded contract.

View supporting evidence

Process status is "complete"; award status is "pending"; futureSignatureDate is scheduled for 19 October 2026.

Lot detail

99% confidence

Lot 1 has no separately published title, description or value.

View supporting evidence

Supplied lot record contains null title, description and value fields.

Competition and evaluation

99% confidence

Information not supplied in the published notice.

View supporting evidence

No submission counts, bidder identities beyond the named supplier, scoring or evaluation results are included.

Conflict-of-interest publication

99% confidence

Conflict-of-interest document is marked not published.

View supporting evidence

Tender documents include conflictOfInterest with description "Not published".

SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS

Information not supplied in the published notice

Information not supplied in the published notice: bid count, evaluation methodology, scores, pricing breakdown, individual lot value and a separately titled lot description.
No executed contract or completed signature is evidenced.
The source does not state whether the extension will be exercised.

MARKET THEMES

Relevant award themes

COMMON QUESTIONS

About this award

Has the contract been signed?

No. The supplied notice records a pending award and a signature date scheduled for 19 October 2026.

What is the stated award value?

The notice states a net award value of GBP 237,250 and a gross value of GBP 284,700.

How long could the agreement run?

The planned initial term ends on 31 October 2028, with a stated maximum extent to 31 October 2029.

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.

Magic Square Software Service Agreement

Opportunity overview

Awarded to

MAGIC SQUARE SYSTEMS LIMITED

Classification

Lots

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Scope, procedure and submissions

Legal basis

Procedure reasons

Lots and requirements

Suitability

Published documents

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Identifier

Address

Contact

Roles

Details

Classifications

Identifier

Additional Identifiers

Address

Contact

Roles

Details

Award information

Items

Additional Classifications

Delivery locations

Value

Suppliers

Contract period

Renewal

Related lots

Documents

Milestones

Recorded locations

Notice and amendment history

Award intelligence at a glance

Published outcome signals

Traceable procurement data

Approved, evidence-bound analysis

Continue your research