Review of Higher Education

This is a contract award notice to inform of Welsh Government’s decision to award a contract for the provision of services of an Independent Chair for the delivery of a review into Higher Education in Wales. This Contract Award Notice follows the publication of a previous Transparency Notice on 25/08/2026 advising of Welsh Government’s intention to award the contract. The purpose of the contract is to take overall responsibility for the success of the review, provide expertise and insight and to lead the work of the Review Panel. The contractor will lead the Panel established to undertake the Review; be the public face of the Review, including building relationships with stakeholders. The contractor will be expected to provide on average two days service per week and travel throughout Wales as required. As noted in the Transparency Notice there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and no reasonable alternative exists that satisfies the deliverables of the contract. It is the opinion of Welsh Government that the contract therefore satisfies the requirements of paragraph 41 Direct award in special cases and Schedule 5 part (6) (a) (b) of the Procurement Act 2023. Welsh Government will not enter into a contract until the required standstill period expires at midnight on Thursday 3rd September 2026.