Skip to content
In deliveryUnited KingdomGoodsFramework agreement£450,000,000Add to pipeline

Books, e-books and associated services

Awarded to A T Little & Sons Ltd T/A Browns Books, Amalivre, BibliU Ltd +15 more

Southern Universities Procurement Consortium (SUPC)(buyer)

Published
Published 7 August 2024
Deadline
Closed 21 February 2025

Tender documents

Skim pulls every file the buyer attaches to this process and extracts the requirements from it.

Documents as they publish

Specification, evaluation criteria, pricing schedules and every requirement — extracted, searchable and mapped to your response.

View tender files

Overview

Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) awarded a framework agreement valued at £450 million on 8 July 2025 for the supply of books, e-books, and associated resources and services across nine lots. The framework serves universities and public sector members including schools, colleges, Multi-Academy Trusts, government departments, and research institutes across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with 17 suppliers appointed including major providers such as Cambridge University Press and Assessment, EBSCO International Inc., ProQuest LLC, and Waterstones Booksellers Limited.

Contracting authority

Find the key decision makers

The people who scope, score and sign this contract — names, roles and how to reach them.

Lots (9)

  • Print publications: standard suppliers for library stock

    Large-scale and library-focussed suppliers of printed publications and other hard copy materials including but not limited to maps, music scores, DVDs, CDs, Standing Orders and out-of-print materials. Suppliers will be capable of meeting operational requirements such as metadata provision, shelf-ready servicing, and interoperability with Library Management Systems. Suppliers may bid for either Lot 1 or Lot 2 but not both. Additional information: It is intended that Lot 1 will be awarded to a maximum of 5 suppliers.

    £70,000,000Won by A T Little & Sons Ltd T/A Browns BooksWon by EBSCO International Inc.
  • Print publications: specialist suppliers for library stock

    Specialist suppliers of printed publications and other hard copy materials such as maps, music scores, DVDs, CDs, Standing Orders. Suppliers will specialise according to factors such as language, region of publication, material type, subject, etc. Suppliers may bid for either Lot 1 or Lot 2 but not both. Additional information: It is intended that Lot 2 will be awarded to a maximum of 12 suppliers.

    £10,000,000Won by AmalivreWon by Casalini Libri SpAWon by Erasmus Antiquariaat en Boekhandel BVWon by Mary Martin Booksellers Pte LtdWon by Otto Harrassowitz GmbH & Co. KG
  • Print publications: supply to schools, Multi-Academy Trusts, academic departments (generally non-library)

    Supply of printed publications and other hard copy materials, generally for non-library purposes of academic departments, schools, Multi-Academy Trusts, and other public sector organisations. Associated goods relating to reading provision may be supplied under this Lot where a dedicated framework is not required. Additional information: It is intended that Lot 3 will be awarded to a maximum of 8 suppliers.

    £40,000,000Won by AmalivreWon by A T Little & Sons Ltd T/A Browns BooksWon by EBSCO International Inc.Won by Happier Every ChapterWon by Mary Martin Booksellers Pte LtdWon by Waterstones Booksellers Limited
  • E-book aggregator: title-by-title perpetual access purchase

    Title-by-title purchasing of e-books via an aggregator platform for delivery via the aggregator’s own platform. Packages may be offered, as may DDA and EBA programmes. Suppliers will offer perpetual access licences but may also offer alternatives (eg. 365 day licences) where perpetual licensing is not available. Additional information: It is intended that Lot 4 will be awarded to a maximum of 5 suppliers.

    £120,000,000Won by BibliU LtdWon by A T Little & Sons Ltd T/A Browns BooksWon by EBSCO International Inc.Won by Kortext LtdWon by VitalSource Technologies LLC
  • E-book aggregator: title-by-title perpetual access purchase for third-party platform

    Title-by-title purchasing of e-books via an aggregator platform for delivery via a third party or publisher platform. Packages may be offered, as may DDA and EBA programmes. Suppliers will offer perpetual access licences but may also offer alternatives (eg. 365 day licences) where perpetual licensing is not available. Additional information: It is intended that Lot 5 will be awarded to a maximum of 5 suppliers.

    £40,000,000Won by EBSCO International Inc.Won by Mallory International Limited
  • E-book aggregator: subscription packages

    Subscription e-book packages via aggregator’s own platform. Packages may include wider digital content in addition to e-books. Package content will be pre-defined in nature and not bespoke selections of titles. Additional information: It is intended that Lot 6 will be awarded to a maximum of 5 suppliers.

    £20,000,000Won by BibliU LtdWon by EBSCO International Inc.Won by Kortext LtdWon by ProQuest LLCWon by VitalSource Technologies LLC
  • E-book aggregator: e-textbooks

    E-textbook access via an aggregator e-textbook platform. Title selections may be bespoke or pre-defined packages. Additional information: It is intended that Lot 7 will be awarded to a maximum of 5 suppliers.

    £120,000,000Won by BibliU LtdWon by A T Little & Sons Ltd T/A Browns BooksWon by Kortext LtdWon by Mallory International LimitedWon by VitalSource Technologies LLC
  • E-books: specialist and innovative solutions

    Specialised e-book solutions for delivery via Supplier’s own platform. This Lot offers a route to market for solutions that do not fit the specification of other e-book Lots (Lots 4, 5, 6, or 7). Solutions might include those that are not specifically designed for the HE market, that deliver specialist content, or that offer alternative business models that don’t fit in another Lot. Suppliers bidding for this Lot may not bid for any other e-book Lot (Lots 4, 5, 6, or 7). Additional information: It is intended that Lot 8 will be awarded to a maximum of 12 suppliers.

    £20,000,000Won by AmalivreWon by Cambridge University Press and AssessmentWon by Casalini Libri SpAWon by Digital Content Associates LtdWon by Erasmus Antiquariaat en Boekhandel BVWon by Macmillan LearningWon by Perlego Limited
  • Sales to individual staff/students and bursary provision

    Where a member wishes to set up an approved supplier for individual staff or students to purchase hard copy or digital materials. Bursary provision may also be facilitated where operated on a credit basis and the supplier meets individual member requirements. In these cases, bursaries may include a wider scope of goods that support learning. Additional information: It is intended that Lot 9 will be awarded to a maximum of 5 suppliers.

    £10,000,000Won by A T Little & Sons Ltd T/A Browns BooksWon by Happier Every ChapterWon by Kortext LtdWon by Mary Martin Booksellers Pte LtdWon by VitalSource Technologies LLC

Key details

Country
United Kingdom
Status
In delivery
Category
Goods
Estimated value
£450,000,000
Procedure
Open
Contract type
Framework agreement
Published
7 August 2024
Deadline
Closed
Classification (CPV)
Printed books, brochures and leafletsPrinted booksSchool booksTextbooksLibrary booksDictionaries, maps, music books and other books

Award outcome

Awarded value
£450,000,000
Award date
8 July 2025
Contract period
— → 22 May 2027
Winners
  • A T Little & Sons Ltd T/A Browns Books
  • Amalivre
  • BibliU Ltd
  • Cambridge University Press and Assessment
  • Casalini Libri SpA
  • Digital Content Associates Ltd
  • EBSCO International Inc.
  • Erasmus Antiquariaat en Boekhandel BV
  • Happier Every Chapter
  • Kortext Ltd
  • Macmillan Learning
  • Mallory International Limited
  • Mary Martin Booksellers Pte Ltd
  • Otto Harrassowitz GmbH & Co. KG
  • Perlego Limited
  • ProQuest LLC
  • VitalSource Technologies LLC
  • Waterstones Booksellers Limited

Contract ending soon? Skim tracks incumbents and flags recompetes early. Start for Free to set up alerts.

Notice history

Every published notice in this contracting process, newest first.

  1. Contract

    6 August 2025

  2. Tender Update

    20 June 2025

  3. Contract Notice

    6 January 2025

  4. Prior Information Notice

    7 August 2024

Get the full picture

AI analysis, bid scoring, and expert strategy for this tender

Skim analyses every tender against your company profile and tells you whether to bid, how to win, and who you are up against.

How to win this tender

Skim reads the notice and every document attached to it, scores the fit against your company profile for a clear bid or no-bid call, then drafts each answer from your own evidence and past bids. You review, refine and submit — on time, with every requirement covered.

See exactly how Skim’s agents do this →

Comparing platforms? Skim is set against the alternatives for pre-tender intelligence, tender management software and bid management software.

Find tenders like this before your competitors do.

Skim scans every portal daily and scores each tender against your profile. Start for free and see the tenders you are missing.