How to win: UKRI-5495 TechFirst: Payment Function

About this contract

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is procuring a managed payment services solution to administer and disburse scholarship-related payments at scale on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The service will provide an end-to-end payment processing function, covering the onboarding of students and universities, verification of identity and bank details, secure payment execution, reconciliation of funds, fraud prevention, and performance reporting. The scope of the procurement includes payment administration for the TechGrad (undergraduate) Scholarship Programme, the Spärck AI (master’s) Scholarship Programme, and the Semiconductors Undergraduate Scholarship Programme. In addition, the supplier will continue to administer payments for CyberFirst students during the transition period to the TechFirst programme. The supplier will be responsible for administering all authorised payments to eligible students and higher education institutions in accordance with UKRI/DSIT instructions and applicable grant conditions. This includes, but is not limited to, scheduled and ad hoc payments such as scholarships, stipends, tuition fee payments, summer placement pay

How to win contracts like this

• ✓Answer against the marking scheme, not the question text — UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) scores each response, so map your evidence to the published criteria and weightings.
• ✓At £2,531,920, expect quality and social value to carry a large share of the score — price alone rarely wins services work.
• ✓Show recent, comparable delivery: name similar services contracts you've delivered for public bodies, with measurable outcomes.
• ✓Start early: it closes 1 June 2026 and a strong bid takes iteration.

BidWriter drafts your responses from your company profile, scores them against the marking scheme, and tracks your whole pipeline. Free to start — no card needed.

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