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Flexible Lifelong Learning

“Flexible Lifelong Learning” is an open UK public-sector tender from Cardiff University in UKL22. Bids are due by 17 November 2026 at 12:00. The estimated value is £5,000,000. It was published on Find a Tender on 21 October 2026.

By Denise Daví, Founder of DAVIA · Published · Updated

This page is compiled automatically from the official notice and checked against DAVIA's verification rules (open, verified, not a duplicate). The template and rules are maintained by Denise Daví; individual notices are not edited by hand.

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Buyer
Cardiff University
Location
UKL22
Submission deadline
17 November 2026 at 12:00
Estimated value
£5,000,000
Published
21 October 2026
Procedure
Competitive flexible procedure
Sector
Marketing & PR
Category codes
80000000, 75121000, 79340000
Official notice ID
099269-2026
Last updated at source
21 October 2026 at 09:32

Summary from the buyer

Cardiff University’s new Institute for Flexible Lifelong Learning, established in August 2026, brings together the University’s long established lifelong learning and professional development portfolios into a single Institute with an expanded, future-focused approach to flexible study. The Institute builds on our strong foundations with a clear ambition – to make Cardiff University a “learning partner for life”, offering education that fits around work, life and changing career needs. To support this ambition, Cardiff University are procuring the services of an Online Programme Management (OPM) as a flexible partner to provide specialist expertise and operational support for the development, launch and growth of a portfolio of fully online postgraduate programmes, with the first programmes expected to commence recruitment from Spring/Summer 2027 with the first cohort of students anticipated to start in academic year 2027/28.

View the official notice ↗

Before you decide to bid

For a UK creative, digital or marketing agency, the tender “Flexible Lifelong Learning” from Cardiff University is only worth pursuing if three conditions hold. First, the agency must be able to submit a complete response before 17 November 2026 at 12:00; late bids are normally rejected without being read. Second, the published value of £5,000,000 has to cover the work described, including the unpaid hours it takes to write and check a public-sector bid. Third, the agency should already hold the evidence buyers usually ask for: recent case studies of similar work, insurance certificates and, for many contracts, a social value commitment. Under the Procurement Act 2023, buyers publish their award criteria in the tender documents, so read those criteria on Find a Tender before writing anything. If one of the three conditions fails, skipping this tender is usually the better use of the agency's time.

Timeline to the deadline

There are about 11 days left. A realistic plan is: days 1–2 read the full pack and decide bid or no-bid; the first week draft answers; the second week collect evidence and price; the last two days check every mandatory document and submit at least 24 hours early.

What the value tells you

The estimated value of about £5,000,000 is large for most agencies. Check whether it is split into lots, whether the buyer sets a minimum turnover (often around twice the annual contract value), and whether a consortium or subcontracting arrangement would make the bid credible.

How this procedure works

This procedure can run in stages. A first stage usually checks suitability (experience, finances, insurance) before only shortlisted suppliers are invited to submit a full response, so the first-stage answers decide whether you get to bid at all.

The notice is classified under the category codes 80000000, 75121000, 79340000. These CPV codes are how Cardiff University tells search tools what it is buying. Save them as alert terms: buyers often reuse the same codes for the next contract of the same kind.

Checklist before you start writing

  • Download every document from Find a Tender: specification, questionnaire, pricing schedule, terms and conditions.
  • Note the clarification deadline, which is usually several days before the submission deadline.
  • List the mandatory pass/fail items (insurance levels, accreditations, minimum turnover) and confirm you meet each one.
  • Find the weighting of each question and spend your time in proportion to it.
  • Pick two or three case studies that match the scope, with results you can show.
  • Check that your organisation is registered on the Central Digital Platform if the notice was published under the Procurement Act 2023.
  • Plan to submit at least a day early: portals can be slow close to the deadline, and late bids are normally excluded.

Sources

Always check the official notice for the full requirements and latest changes before bidding.

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