Student Loans Company commercial pipeline data: 2023 to 2024 · first published 28 June 2023
The Student Loans Company (SLC) has published a forward look of contracts it expects to procure during the 2023–24 financial year and beyond. The pipeline lists 20 contracts ranging from £2m to £216m, covering IT platforms, contact centre services, facilities management, overseas debt collection, childcare grant payments, and specialist technology licences. The vast majority are sourced via Framework (FW) Further Competition — meaning SLC will run a mini-competition among suppliers already on an approved framework — though three contracts are being tendered via Find a Tender Service (FTS), open to any qualified supplier. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the practical opportunity lies in either being on the relevant frameworks before these competitions open, or in bidding directly on the three FTS open tenders. Contract lengths run from 24 to 60 months, so winning one represents meaningful, sustained revenue.
WHO THIS APPLIES TO
THE ENKII VIEW
Most of the high-value work (technology strategic partners at £123m–£216m) is locked behind Further Competition on existing frameworks, making framework membership the essential pre-qualification for SMEs wanting SLC work. The three FTS open tenders — Overseas Debt Collection (£6.5m), Childcare Grant Payment Services (£5m), and Outbound Dialler Services (£2.5m) — are the clearest direct-bid opportunities for SMEs without framework status. The mid-range contracts (£2m–£10m) via framework further competition may also be reachable for SMEs already sitting on frameworks such as G-Cloud, Crown Commercial Service (CCS) technology agreements, or relevant public-sector staffing frameworks.
1. Monitor Find a Tender Service (FTS) for the three open tenders: Overseas Debt Collection (£6.5m, from Sept 2023), Childcare Grant Payment Services (£5m, from Aug 2024), and Outbound Dialler Services (£2.5m, from Aug 2023). Set up FTS alerts for 'Student Loans Company' now.
SMEs in debt collection, payment services, or outbound calling — These three contracts are procured via 'Tender - FTS', meaning they are open to any qualifying supplier — not restricted to framework members.
2. Check whether your business is listed on the relevant Crown Commercial Service (CCS) or other public-sector frameworks (e.g. G-Cloud, Technology Services, Network Services). If not, apply at the next framework opening — most SLC tech contracts are FW Further Competition only.
SMEs in technology, software, IT services, or managed services — 17 of the 20 pipeline contracts are sourced via 'FW - Further Competition', meaning only framework-listed suppliers can compete.
3. Identify which frameworks cover Contact Centre Services (£60m), Total Facilities Management (£13.75m), and Avaya Telephony (£8m), and ensure your firm is positioned on them before those procurements open.
SMEs in contact centre, facilities management, or telephony services — All three are listed as 'FW - Further Competition', so framework membership is the only route to bid.
4. Note that the Salesforce CEM Implementation (£4.5m) is a Direct Award and closed to competition; however, the Salesforce Centre of Excellence Core Dev (£2.2m) and Mulesoft Enterprise Integration (£7m) are framework further competitions — check eligibility for those frameworks.
SMEs in Salesforce, Mulesoft, or enterprise integration services — The pipeline explicitly labels CEM as 'FW - Direct Award', meaning no bid opportunity, while CoE Core Dev and Mulesoft are 'FW - Further Competition', which are open to framework members.
5. Use the pipeline's estimated procurement start dates as a planning calendar: set reminders 3–6 months before each start date so you can prepare capability statements, pricing, and teaming arrangements in advance.
All SMEs interested in SLC work — The pipeline publishes 'Procurement Start Date' for each contract, giving suppliers a rare lead-time advantage to prepare competitive bids.
6. For the three largest contracts (£216m, £150m, £123m — all 2026–2029), explore teaming with a prime contractor or positioning as a specialist subcontractor now, as these will be competed by large systems integrators on frameworks.
SMEs considering subcontracting or consortium bids — These Technology Strategic Partner re-procurements are valued well above typical SME prime-bid thresholds and have long lead times, making early relationship-building with potential primes the realistic route to participation.
Every rule below quotes the official document verbatim.
The pipeline covers potential SLC commercial activity for the 2023–24 financial year, with some procurements starting as late as 2028. (Student Loans Company, all contracts listed)
“Commercial pipeline providing a forward look of potential commercial activity within the Student Loans Company for the 2023 to 2024 financial year.”
The largest single contract is the ATOS Technology Group Strategic Partner (Customer Software Delivery) re-procurement at £216m, with procurement starting 28 September 2026. (SLC Technology Strategic Partner SP1 contract)
“Technology Group Strategic Partner - Customer Software Delivery - Customer Enablement ... £216,000,000.00 ... 28/09/2026”
The CapGemini Technology Group Strategic Partner (Platform Delivery & Technology Services) re-procurement is valued at £150m, with procurement starting 14 May 2027. (SLC Technology Strategic Partner SP2 contract)
“Technology Group Strategic Partner - Platform Delivery & Technology Services ... £150,000,000.00 ... 14/05/2027”
The ATOS Customer Software Delivery – Processing Enablement re-procurement is valued at £123m, with procurement starting 16 November 2028. (SLC Technology Strategic Partner SP4 contract)
“Customer Software Delivery - Processing Enablement - Re-Procurement ... £123,000,000.00 ... 16/11/2028”
Contact Centre Services (Teleperformance) is valued at £60m over 24 months, with procurement starting 1 November 2023. (SLC Contact Centre Services contract)
“Contact Centre Services ... £60,000,000.00 ... 01/11/2023 ... 24”
Total Facilities Management (Atalian Servest) is valued at £13.75m over 48 months, with procurement starting 30 June 2023. (SLC Facilities Management contract)
“Total Facilties Management ... £13,750,000.00 ... 30/06/2023 ... 48”
Overseas Debt Collection is valued at £6.5m over 36 months and is procured via open FTS (Find a Tender Service) tender, with procurement starting 1 September 2023. (SLC Overseas Debt Collection contract)
“Overseas Debt Collection ... £6,500,000.00 ... 01/09/2023 ... Tender - FTS ... 36”
Childcare Grant Payment Services is valued at £5m over 60 months and is procured via open FTS tender, with procurement starting 1 August 2024. (SLC Childcare Grant Payment Services contract)
“Childcare Grant Payment Services ... £5,000,000.00 ... 01/08/2024 ... Tender - FTS ... 60”
Outbound Dialler Services is valued at £2.5m over 24 months and is procured via open FTS tender, with procurement starting 1 August 2023. (SLC Outbound Dialler Services contract)
“Outbound Dialler Services ... £2,500,000.00 ... 01/08/2023 ... Tender - FTS ... 24”
The dominant sourcing route across the pipeline is Framework Further Competition (FW - Further Competition), requiring suppliers to already hold a place on a relevant framework to be eligible. (17 of 20 contracts listed in the SLC 2023–24 pipeline)
“FW - Further Competition”
Two contracts (CEM Salesforce Implementation and WAN & Managed Internet Access) are planned as Framework Direct Awards, meaning no open competition will occur. (SLC CEM Salesforce Implementation (£4.5m) and WAN & Managed Internet Access (£4.5m))
“FW - Direct Award”
Contract commencement dates across the pipeline range from November 2023 (ServiceNow renewal) through to July 2029 (SP4 re-procurement), spanning approximately six years. (All SLC pipeline contracts 2023–24)
“Estimated Contract Commencement Date ... 31/03/2024 ... 19/07/2029”
Contract lengths across the pipeline range from 24 months to 60 months, with two contracts listed as TBC. (All SLC pipeline contracts 2023–24)
“Estimated Contract Length ... 24 ... 60 ... TBC”
This briefing is enkii's interpretation of the official document — the official text always governs.
Source document © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0 via the GOV.UK Content API. enkii tracks every Procurement Policy Note and briefs changes the day they land — see all briefings.