Buyer Name: APUC Limited
Buyer Address: Unit 27, Stirling Business Centre, Wellgreen, Stirling, UKM, FK8 2DZ, United Kingdom
Contact Name: Lorona Watts
Contact Email: lwatts@apuc-scot.ac.uk
Contact Telephone: +44 1314428950
Buyer Name: APUC Limited
Buyer Address: Unit 27, Stirling Business Centre, Wellgreen, Stirling, UKM, FK8 2DZ, United Kingdom
Contact Name: Lorona Watts
Contact Email: lwatts@apuc-scot.ac.uk
Contact Telephone: +44 1314428950
The Authority is acting on behalf of the HE and FE institutions in Scotland and oversea campuses, Members of the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL) which includes amongst its members, the National Library of Scotland, the National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Scotland Excel and its members Please refer to Appendix E - List of Institutions for more detail. The Authority is seeking Contractors to supply a wide range of academic content in digital format and associated content and services from Aggregators and Publishers. The scope will include: E-Books E-Book Collections (Publishers packages) E-Textbooks Associated digital content
No linked documents found for this notice.
Lot Title: Title by Title purchase and Collections
Lot Description: This exercise is being undertaken on behalf of the HE/FE Institutions in Scotland and the members of Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), including the National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Scotland Excel and its members. The Authority intends to appoint a maximum of 8 Contractors to supply Title-by-title purchasing of e-books via an aggregator platform for delivery via the aggregator’s own platform. Packages may be offered, such as DDA and EBA Programmes, and audiobooks. Contractors will offer perpetual access licences but may also offer alternatives (e.g. 365-day licences, including POA models) where perpetual licensing is not available. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot 1 Status: active
Lot 1 Has Options: No
Lot 1 Value: GBP 8,000,000
Lot 1 Award Criterion (quality): Technical
Lot Title: Title by Title and Collections (Access on a Third Party Platform)
Lot Description: This exercise is being undertaken on behalf of the HE/FE Institutions in Scotland and the members of Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), including the National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Scotland Excel and its members. The Authority intends to appoint a maximum of 8 Contractors to supply Title by Title and Collections, with access provided on a 3rd Party Platform) The lot will enable the purchase of content via an aggregator with the content provided on a third-party’s platform. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot 2 Status: active
Lot 2 Has Options: No
Lot 2 Value: GBP 8,000,000
Lot 2 Award Criterion (quality): Technical
Lot Title: Aggregated subscriptions packages
Lot Description: This exercise is being undertaken on behalf of the HE/FE Institutions in Scotland and the members of Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), including the National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Scotland Excel and its members. The Authority intends to appoint a maximum of 6 Contractors to provide Subscription e-book packages via an aggregator or a third-party platform. Packages may include wider digital content in addition to e-books. Package content is likely to be pre-defined in nature. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot 3 Status: active
Lot 3 Has Options: No
Lot 3 Value: GBP 1,500,000
Lot 3 Award Criterion (quality): Technical
Lot Title: E-Textbooks
Lot Description: This exercise is being undertaken on behalf of the HE/FE Institutions in Scotland and the members of Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), including the National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Scotland Excel and its members. The Authority intends to appoint a maximum of 5 Contractors to supply E- Textbook content via an aggregator and hosted on the aggregators or publisher’s platform Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot 4 Status: active
Lot 4 Has Options: No
Lot 4 Value: GBP 8,000,000
Lot 4 Award Criterion (quality): Technical
Lot Title: E-Books and E-Textbooks (Title by Title & Collections)
Lot Description: 1. This exercise is being undertaken on behalf of the HE/FE Institutions in Scotland and the members of Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), including the National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Scotland Excel and its members. The Authority intends to appoint a maximum of 20 Contractors to supply E-Books and E-Textbooks (Title by Title & Collections) negotiated directly with the publisher and hosted on the publisher’s or an aggregator’s platform. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot 5 Status: active
Lot 5 Has Options: No
Lot 5 Value: GBP 9,000,000
Lot 5 Award Criterion (quality): Technical
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"date": "2025-12-15T16:16:59Z",
"description": "Form of Tender\nTenderers must sign Form of Tender - Appendix A prior to award to confirm that their Tender Response is a complete, true and accurate\nsubmission.\nFreedom of Information\nAppendix B - Freedom of Information(if applicable) in the\nThis information should only be submitted if applicable at point of award. It is for information only and will not\nbe scored.\nSustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct\nThe Authority has developed a Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct- Appendix D which sets out its expected standards for its supply\nchain in social, ethical and environmental compliance.\nList Of Institutions\nList of Institutions eligible to use any resulting framework agreement\nPrompt Payment\nTenderers must confirm that payment of subcontractors at all stages of the supply chain will be made within a maximum of 30 days and\nthat this will be managed. It is for information only and will not be scored but is a requirement of this tender and will be included in the\ncontractual terms.\nGeneral Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)\nPlease confirm that you will be in a position (prior to award) to complete \u201cAppendix G(i) \u2013 GDPR Contractor Assessment Form\u201d and Appendix G(ii) \u2013 GDPR Contractor Assessment Form (AI) in the Technical Questionnaire in PCS-Tender.\nTenderers must complete the GDPR Contractor Assessment Forms. It is for information only and will not be scored but is a requirement of this tender and will be included in the contractual terms.\nSerious Organised Crime\nPlease complete \u201cAppendix H \u2013 Declaration of Non-Involvement in Serious Organised Crime\u201d in the Technical Questionnaire. Tenderers\nmust complete the Declaration of Non-Involvement in Serious Organised Crime. It is for information only and will not be scored but it is a\nrequirement of this tender and will be included in the assessment of tender responses and in contractual terms.\nSCM RP Section 1\nSCM RP is the Authority\u0027s designated tool for contracted suppliers to keep up-to-date essential information on their company, which allows\nthe Authority to get an insight into their company\u2019s general standing, commitment to preventing modern slavery and addressing climate\nchange, as well as their pledge to fair and decent working practices for their staff. Tenderers must confirm that they will commit to\ncompleting SCM RP Section 1 on award. It is for information only and will not be scored but is a requirement of this tender and will be\nincluded in the contractual terms.\nLiving Wage Status\nPlease provide details on your position on the Real Living Wage. This information should be submitted in the Technical envelope in\nPSC-T. It is for information only and will not be scored.\nLibrary Management Platforms \u0026 Reading Lists\nList of Library Management Platforms used please refer to Appendix J in the Technical Questionnaire in PCS-Tender.\nPlease complete at time of tender submission.\nAppendix K - Community Benefits and Value-Added Services\nTenderers are required to complete the table listing Community Benefits and Value-Added Services that will be provided. Please refer to Appendix K in the Technical Questionnaire in PCS-Tender.\nPlease complete at time of tender submission.\nThe buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 30712. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343\nThe Contracting Authority does not intend to include a sub-contract clause as part of community benefits (as per Section 25 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014) in this contract for the following reason:\nIt is anticipated that the required service will be provided the appointed Contractor(s)\nCommunity benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/\nA summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows:\nTraining opportunities\nWork experience\nCharity contributions\nSupport for community projects\nEngagement with supported businesses\n(SC Ref:817125)",
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"name": "Lorona Watts",
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"description": "This exercise is being undertaken on behalf of the HE/FE Institutions in Scotland and the members of Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), including the National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Scotland Excel and its members.\nThe Authority intends to appoint a maximum of 8 Contractors to supply\nTitle-by-title purchasing of e-books via an aggregator platform for delivery via the aggregator\u2019s own platform. Packages may be offered, such as DDA and EBA Programmes, and audiobooks. Contractors will offer perpetual access licences but may also offer alternatives (e.g. 365-day licences, including POA models) where perpetual licensing is not available. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.",
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"description": "The Framework Agreement will commence on the 01.04.2026 for an initial period of 2 years and will expire on the 31.03.2028 The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a further 2 x 12 month periods subject to satisfactory performance and continued requirements of the Authority\u0027s members and the members of SCURL"
},
"status": "active",
"submissionTerms": {
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"description": "This exercise is being undertaken on behalf of the HE/FE Institutions in Scotland and the members of Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), including the National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Scotland Excel and its members.\nThe Authority intends to appoint a maximum of 5 Contractors to supply E- Textbook content via an aggregator and hosted on the aggregators or publisher\u2019s platform Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.",
"hasOptions": false,
"hasRenewal": true,
"id": "4",
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"description": "The Framework Agreement will commence on the 01.04.2026 for an initial period of 2 years and will expire on the 31.03.2028 The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a further 2 x 12 month periods subject to satisfactory performance and continued requirements of the Authority\u0027s members and the members of SCURL"
},
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"description": "1.\tThis exercise is being undertaken on behalf of the HE/FE Institutions in Scotland and the members of Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries (SCURL), including the National Library of Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Scotland Excel and its members.\nThe Authority intends to appoint a maximum of 20 Contractors to supply E-Books and E-Textbooks (Title by Title \u0026 Collections) negotiated directly with the publisher and hosted on the publisher\u2019s or an aggregator\u2019s platform. Additional information: Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.",
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"recurrence": {
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"selectionCriteria": {
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}
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"title": "E-Books, E-Book Collections and E-Textbooks - APUC",
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}
}
}