AwardedAwarded 15 April 2026
Research Grants Management System
Aston University · Education
In brief
Aston University awarded IT and software work to Fusion Practices Ltd on 15 April 2026.
The notice gives a value of £596,000 including VAT.
The contract runs for 3 years, up to 5 years with extensions, starting 12 February 2026.
The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.
What the notice says
The University currently uses Unit 4 Agresso Research Costing and Pricing (ARCP) as its research grant management system and costing tool. It provides valuable data and reports as part of Aston's pre- and post-award grants processes and houses the approvals process via an automated system in Agresso. The tool also functions as a storage facility for application and award paperwork, tax liabilities and due diligence. All research reporting using PowerBI is underpinned by data held in ARCP.
Due to Unit 4 issuing an end-of-life announcement, ARCP will no longer be supported or maintained from 31st December 2026. Without a timely viable alternative, there is a significant risk that the university would not be compliant with Cyber Essentials and critical business activities would grind to a halt.
The ARCP system is used by Research and Enterprise and Research Finance, and provides information for the Finance Director, College Deans, and Vice Chancellor.
Given the end-of life announcement for ARCP, the teams want to use this opportunity to find a solution that can deliver improved automation, collaboration and reporting across the teams involved in pre-award and post-award research funding enhancing strategic operations
Who won
| Winner | Value | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fusion Practices Ltd (SME) 15 bids received | £299,600 | Awarded 4 March 2026 27 April 2026 to 16 November 2029 |
Values as the award notice gives them, excluding VAT where stated.
Timeline
- Tender notice · UK4, notice 074997-2025
- Contract award notice · UK6, notice 019627-2026
- Contract details notice · UK7, notice 034976-2026
About the buyer
Aston UniversityLast 12 months
Procurements
60Awards
48Suppliers it has used most for IT and software
- Access UK Limited1 contract
- Bloomberg Finance L.P.1 contract
- Careers Research and Advisory Centre (Crac) Limited(The)1 contract
- Fusion Practices Ltd1 contract
- Isotoma Limited1 contract
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From notice 074997-2025 on Find a Tender, first published 19 November 2025, last updated 17 April 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.