Open28 days left · closes 3pm, Tuesday 27 October 2026

Student Counselling Services

Ulster University · Education

In brief

Ulster University is looking for suppliers for care work (Northern Ireland).

The estimated value is £1,200,000 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 2 years, up to 4 years with extensions, starting 1 January 2027.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Bids close at 3pm, Tuesday 27 October 2026.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Key dates

Questions by: 3pm, Monday 19 October 2026
Bids by: 3pm, Tuesday 27 October 2026

How bids are scored

Quality Submission - Questions QS-01 - QS-05 60% · Commercial Submission 40%

Quality matters most. You can win without being the cheapest.

Competition

Typical: a median of 3.5 bids per contract for this buyer (from 10 awards in the last 12 months).

The buyer expects to buy this again around July 2028.

What the notice says

Ulster University is seeking tender responses for a contract to  procure an external student counselling provider to supplement existing sources of internal wellbeing, mental health, disability and financial support to students through our Student Wellbeing teams across our campuses.  Ulster University’s Student Wellbeing team does not provide therapeutic counselling ‘in-house’ so has engaged an external counselling provider to facilitate this part of the service offering since 2013. While delivered by an external provider, the University requires the counselling service as part of the suite of services that students can avail of to enhance their mental health and wellbeing. Access to the counselling service shall be seamless for UU students. When a UU student accesses Student Wellbeing for counselling, staff will triage the student to identify if this is the most appropriate intervention; if this is identified as the most appropriate intervention, a seamless referral system for Student Wellbeing staff shall form part of this contract. Ulster University has almost 30,000 registered students across a broad demographic of ‘Home fee paying’ students from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as students from Great Britain, other EU countries, and international students.

Should I bid?

Tick what applies to you. Nothing is saved.

Can you prepare a good bid in 28 days?Leave time for clarification questions and sign-off.
Is a contract of about £1,200,000 a size you can deliver?Buyers often check that your turnover is comfortably larger than the yearly contract value.
Can you deliver in Northern Ireland?Check the delivery locations in the tender documents.
Are you registered on the Central Digital Platform?You need to be registered to take part under the Procurement Act 2023.
The buyer says this suits small businesses.A good sign if you are an SME, but check the requirements.

How to bid

Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.
Send clarification questions before 3pm, Monday 19 October 2026.
Make sure your bid arrives before 3pm, Tuesday 27 October 2026. Late bids are usually rejected.

Timeline

1 May 2026Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 040609-2026
1 May 2026Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 040642-2026
23 September 2026Tender notice · UK4, notice 090076-2026

Last time this was bought

Student Counselling Services

Won by: Lena by Inspire
Awarded: 6 January 2026
Value: £248,000
Contract ends: 31 December 2026

Matched on Ulster University, the type of work and the title. Check the notice to be sure.

About the buyer

Ulster UniversityLast 12 months

Procurements

Awards

All tenders and awards from Ulster University

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From notice 040609-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 1 May 2026, last updated 23 September 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.