Awarded without open competition
Awarded without open competition. The buyer went directly to one or a few suppliers instead of advertising the contract. Procurement rules allow this only in specific cases, such as extreme urgency, when only one supplier can do the work, or for call-offs from an existing framework.
Key facts
- Buyer
- Aston University · Body governed by public law
- Suppliers
- Ebsco International Inc, ProQuest LLC / Clarivate, A T Little & Sons Ltd (t/a Browns Books) SME, Kortext Ltd
- Value
- £2,342,000 across 4 lots
- Procedure
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Sector
- Printed matter · Library books (CPV 22113000)
- Region
- West Midlands
- Official notice
- 059297-2026 on Find a Tender
- Timeline
-
- Contract date10 Mar 2026
- Published24 Jun 2026Published 106 days after the contract date
Description
Aston University has awarded contracts for the provision of books, e-books and e-textbooks through the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortia (SUPC) Books, e-books and associated services framework - LIB4061 SU. The awarded provision covers print publications, title-by-title perpetual access e-books, subscription e-book packages and e-textbook access via aggregator platforms.
Lots in this award
| Lot | Supplier | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Books and E Books | Ebsco International Inc | £247k |
| Books and E Books: E-book Aggregator: Subscription Packages | ProQuest LLC / Clarivate | £40,000 |
| Books and E Books | A T Little & Sons Ltd (t/a Browns Books) SME | £207k |
| Books and E Books | Kortext Ltd | £1.85m |
About the suppliers
Ebsco International Inc: every public contract they have won, plus their Companies House record (company BR011966).
ProQuest LLC / Clarivate: every public contract they have won, plus their Companies House record (company 01094204).
A T Little & Sons Ltd (t/a Browns Books): every public contract they have won, plus their Companies House record (company 01607961).
Kortext Ltd: every public contract they have won, plus their Companies House record (company 08617088).