UKRI –5498 TechFirst Preliminary Market Engagement for Contracts 2 (Recruitment) and 3 (Cohort Management)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is seeking supplier engagement in advance of procuring services to support the delivery of the TechGrad, Semiconductors and Spärck AI scholarship programmes, which form part of the wider TechFirst programme. The TechFirst programme is a coordinated portfolio of interventions designed to develop advanced technical skills and talent pipelines across priority sectors, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. UKRI intends to procure two interdependent contracts, which will operate together to deliver end-to-end programme outcomes: Contract 2: Recruitment Services Contract 3: Cohort Management Services Suppliers may bid for one or both contracts (subject to final procurement strategy). Contract 2: Recruitment Services Overview: This contract will focus on the design and delivery of national recruitment campaigns to attract and select students for the scholarship programmes. Key priorities: • Deliver high-quality, inclusive recruitment campaigns • Attract diverse and high-calibre candidates • Ensure fair, transparent and efficient selection processes • Generate insights to improve future recruitment activity Scope of services: • Campaign design, marketing and outreach • Application management and candidate assessment • Engagement with universities and partner organisations • Issuing provisional offers to successful candidates • Data collection and transfer to the cohort management supplier • Reporting and evaluation of campaign performance Duration: Initial term of 1 year Estimated value (indicative): £2,552,550 ex VAT Contract 3: Cohort Management Services Overview: This contract will focus on the end-to-end management of student cohorts once recruited, including onboarding, engagement, administration and ongoing support. Key priorities: • Deliver a seamless onboarding and student experience • Ensure secure and accurate data management • Enable effective coordination across multiple delivery partners • Support programme performance through reporting and insights Scope of services: • Establishment and operation of a student engagement platform • MVP required by 1st September 2026 • Enhanced functionality (e.g. mentoring and placement matching tools) by 1st November 2026 • Receipt and secure management of student data from recruitment providers • Verification of eligibility (grades, offers, ID) and issuing of final offers • Development and delivery of onboarding materials and communications • Issuing programme documentation (T&Cs, guidance, contracts) • Ongoing student engagement and communications • Programme reporting, KPI tracking and stakeholder coordination • Collection and analysis of feedback from applicants and participants Mobilisation milestones (indicative): • August 2026: Eligibility confirmation and final offers • 1st September 2026: Platform live, onboarding complete, data received • March 2027: Recruitment feedback survey completed Duration : Initial term of 1 year Estimated value (indicative): £2,501,887.50 ex VAT Interdependencies The two contracts are closely interdependent. In particular: Contract 1 will hand over candidate data to Contract 2 (July–August each year) Contract 2 will validate and onboard students and manage them through the programme Both suppliers will be required to establish data sharing agreements and collaborate closely with UKRI, DSIT, universities and other delivery partner. Market Engagement Webinar: UKRI will hold a single market engagement webinar covering both Contract 2 and Contract 3, reflecting their interdependent nature within the wider TechFirst programme. The webinar will: • Provide an overview of both requirements and the overall programme • Explain how the contracts will interact • Outline the proposed procurement approach • Offer an opportunity for questions and early market feedback Please note that not registering an interest will not prevent any organisation from participating in any future procurement, nor will any information shared during preliminary market engagement provide an advantage in any subsequent process. To find out more information about this webinar and register your interest https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b5f07b10-e17a-44ab-8c2c-34cd02d1b574@8bb7e08e-daa4-4a8e-927e-fca38db04b7e