Provision of Payment Solution Services

Description

University of Keele is publishing this transparency notice to announce its intention, in accordance with its statutory obligations, to award a contract directly to Flywire for the provision of an integrated payment solution platform, including student payment processing, Tribal SITS integration, outgoing payables, and optional services such as Collections Management, Deposits, and other modules as defined in the contract. This direct award is justified under Paragraphs 7 and 25 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023. The services require a platform that is fully integrated with the University's Tribal SITS student records system. The University is scheduled to double-upgrade to Tribal SITS V11.0 in May 2026, after which legacy WPM SITS payment pathways will no longer be supported. Flywire has a proven integration with Tribal SITS used by over 20 universities, significantly reducing manual reconciliation. Appointing any alternative supplier would require them to replicate this specific integration and expertise. This would necessitate a substantial duplication of effort and cost, and an unacceptable period of mobilisation, resulting in: 1. Potential material duplication of cost for the University (including new integrations and staff retraining); and 2. Detrimental delays in the delivery of time-critical payment processing services, which would disrupt student enrolment and the University's cash flow. The award of this contract to Flywire represents the only viable route to secure the required services in a timely and cost-effective manner, as a competitive procurement process would be objectively unsuitable in these specific circumstances. This justification is supported by precedents from other UK Universities, including the University of Kent (Transparency Notice 2026/S 000-017974). This Transparency Notice is published by the University of Keele, a contracting authority, in accordance with its statutory obligations under Section 44 of the Procurement Act 2023 to notify its intention to award a contract directly. Disclaimer This notice does not itself constitute an offer, an award of contract, or give rise to any implied contract. The publication of the subsequent Contract Award Notice will initiate the mandatory 8-working-day standstill period, as required by Section 51(1) of the Act. The University will not, and cannot lawfully, enter into a contract for the required services until the 8-working-day standstill period has been successfully completed. Any contract award will be confirmed through the subsequent publication of a Contract Details Notice. ## Contract award Title: Provision of Payment Solution Services