Student accommodation - Nomination Agreement

Description

Following the sale of University Hall, the University needs to secure additional rooms in the private sector to meet accommodation demand and support its accommodation guarantee commitments linked to student recruitment. The number of rooms required is based on student recruitment intake forecasts, historic accommodation take-up rates and future accommodation demand modelling. The rooms will be offered as part of the University's accommodation portfolio and allocated in accordance with the University's accommodation allocation procedures. Once accommodation has been allocated, student details and room allocations will be provided to the accommodation provider for the issue of accommodation contracts. The accommodation contract will be between the provider and the student. Once the student has accepted their accommodation contract and any applicable cooling-off period has expired, the contractual relationship sits directly between the provider and the student. The University is required to secure accommodation at an early stage to ensure the rooms can be incorporated into accommodation allocation systems, published within accommodation marketing materials and made available as part of the accommodation application process which opens in February 2027 for the 2027/28 academic year. Delays in securing accommodation would reduce the University's ability to present a complete accommodation portfolio to prospective students and may adversely affect room allocation and occupancy outcomes. The requirement is for a Nominations Agreement with a private provider of purpose-built student accommodation.

Key facts

Procedure

Direct award

Lots

1

Contact

procurement@cardiff.ac.uk

Contract period

1 Jan 2027 → 12 Jul 2028

Value incl. VAT

£9.2m

Category

services

Awarded suppliers

• Unite Students Limited · GB-COH-06044499 · UKK11, GB

Ground given for limiting competition

The buyer’s own stated reason for awarding without open competition, as published. Their assertion, not a finding.

The requirement for additional accommodation is driven by a shortfall in University accommodation following the disposal of University Hall. It is also driven by University recruitment intake targets and forecast accommodation demand. Current forecasts indicate a shortfall of approximately 1,100 rooms for 2026/27, increasing to approximately 1,140 rooms in 2027/28. These will be reviewed and refined throughout the University's recruitment cycle. The requirement for 1,102 rooms is derived from accommodation demand modelling and represents the minimum level of additional accommodation required to maintain the University's accommodation offer and support accommodation guarantee commitments. Procuring a materially lower number of rooms would leave the University exposed to accommodation capacity shortfalls. Without securing additional accommodation, the University will be unable to meet anticipated demand from first-year undergraduate students and may be unable to fulfil accommodation commitments made to prospective students. Student accommodation is a critical component of student recruitment, conversion and retention. The availability of suitable accommodation can influence applicants' decisions to accept offers from Cardiff University. Failure to secure sufficient accommodation would create significant recruitment, operational and reputational risks at a time when the University is operating within a highly competitive student recruitment market. The rooms are required for inclusion within the 2027 recruitment cycle. Accommodation options must be agreed sufficiently in advance to allow accommodation system configuration, pricing approval, marketing, allocation planning and publication to prospective students. Delays in securing accommodation would compromise these activities and reduce the University's ability to maximise occupancy.