Provision of Online Graduate and Postgraduate Educational Services

A services contract for the provision of online educational services at graduate and post graduate level.

These services include acting as a college of Aston University by:

• Creating and adapting Aston University materials in order to ensure that they are appropriate for online teaching;
• Delivering online teaching in respect of courses from undergraduate to doctorate level;
• Marketing the courses to prospective students;
• Providing an admissions service; and
• Providing student support services.

The University sought to appoint a provider through which to secure its online education offering.

The University's objective requirements for its provider included (1) the provision of online education services; and (2) the ability to make a significant (multimillion pound) upfront investment in infrastructure to support the contract. The University is of the view that that there is no reasonable commercial alternative through which to achieve its online education offering. It also considers that its requirements are driven by commercial positions and are not aimed at the artificial narrowing of competition.

Recognising that its requirements were more extensive than many online education contracts, the University directly engaged with the market to ascertain the market's ability to meet the University's requirements and its appetite for doing so. Following that engagement the University identified only one party who had the capability to deliver the requirements and who was willing to contract with the University on this basis. Indeed, the engagement did not reveal any other provider with a viable solution and who would be willing to put forward the significant multi-million pound upfront investment for the infrastructure required under the contract.

Therefore, following a review of the commercial case put forward, the University has made the commercial decision to enter into the contract with OES, who satisfies all of the criteria under Regulation 57 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.