Behaviour Change Platform

Description

The University of Edinburgh requires the continuation of a bespoke built, University branded behaviour change and engagement platform to support staff and students in taking measurable sustainability actions aligned with the University’s Social Responsibility and Sustainability objectives. Over a two-year pilot period, the Jump platform has been fundamentally transformed from a standard commercial product into a bespoke, University of Edinburgh-specific engagement model, of which could not be purchased off the shelf from another provider. This transformation has required sustained and significant investment of internal staff time, expertise and organisational capacity to design, test and embed the platform across the institution. Lot 1: This contract will be a continuation of a phased pilot project that commenced in February 2023. The project was designed to test the effectiveness of digital behaviour change platforms in embedding sustainability into the daily lives of staff and students. The initial vision was to use gamification and targeted engagement to drive meaningful, measurable behaviour change aligned with the University’s sustainability and net zero ambitions. Following market research and engagement with suppliers active within the UK higher education sector, the University piloted a Sustainability Rewards App beginning in February 2023. Two suppliers were piloted in parallel across two academic semesters (February 2023 – October 2024) to assess relative effectiveness, engagement levels and alignment with the University of Edinburgh context. From November 2024 onwards, the pilot continued exclusively with Green Rewards Limited (Jump), as this platform demonstrated stronger alignment with the University’s audience, objectives and engagement needs. During this period, Jump developed bespoke features, content and engagement approaches tailored specifically to the University of Edinburgh, including role-specific and discipline-relevant content. Over a two-year pilot period, the Jump platform has been fundamentally transformed from a standard commercial product into a bespoke, University of Edinburgh-specific engagement model, of which could not be purchased off the shelf from another provider. This transformation has required sustained and significant investment of internal staff time, expertise and organisational capacity to design, test and embed the platform across the institution. The platform now supports engagement across all Colleges, Schools and Professional Services, with content, challenges and campaigns tailored to specific roles, disciplines and operational contexts. This cultural and operational embedding goes beyond technical configuration and represents a co-developed approach to behaviour change that is closely aligned with the University’s values, structures and sustainability objectives. During the pilot phase, the University deliberately deferred deeper technical integrations (for example with University systems such as EASE) due to the experimental nature of the project. However, medium-term plans explicitly include such integrations, building on the validated platform and established user base. These future integration plans further increase switching risk and reinforce the need for continuity of supplier.. The contract runs from 1st February 2026 to 31st July 2027. Following this initial 18-month period, the University will have the option to extend annually, up to a maximum of three-years.