Ends in 4 weeks
E-Books and E-Audio Books Provision
Isle of Wight Council · South East · 5-year contract
Held by Bolinda UK Ltd
Library ebook platform tenders and contracts
UK public sector, covering 600+ buyer sites
150 library ebook platform tenders and contracts, 34 this year.
Updated 4 November 2026 · compiled by BidSkim Limited · How we count
- Awarded a month£190k
- Contracts a month1.6
- Won by SMEs40%
- Renewing in 6 months8
- Frameworks and DPSs4
- Live now3See them →
Library ebook platform contracts
Tap a region to see its contracts. Pick as many as you like.
39 contracts across the UK, of any size
Live now
3 library ebook platform opportunities are open now
- OpenCloses in 9 daysLibraries Scotland eNewspaper and eMagazineScottish Library and Information Council · ScotlandEst.£1.6m
- OpenCloses in 2 weeksTHE PROVISION OF AN ONLINE FAMILY HISTORY SERVICE FOR WALESThe National Library of WalesEst.£360k
- Pre-market26 Aug 2026871-NYC-CD Library E-Books, E-Audiobooks and E-PressNorth Yorkshire Council · Yorkshire and the HumberEst.£480k
- Awarded23 Sep 2026Contract for Ancestry library editionDurham County Council · North EastWon by ProQuest£46k
- Awarded8 Sep 2026Subscription for elending serviceWest Northamptonshire Council · East MidlandsWon by Digital Library Limited£40k
- Awarded24 Aug 2026Library E-Content ProviderEast Sussex County Council · South EastWon by Bolinda UK Ltd£132k
- Awarded3 Aug 2026e-Books and e-AudioKent County Council · South EastWon by OverDrive and 2 more£170k
- Awarded5 Jun 2026Digital Library - Transparent LanguagesBath & North East Somerset Council · South WestWon by Digital Library Limited£6k
- Awarded1 May 2026Press Reader - Digital Library Limited - 2026/27 - PA23W35London Borough of Sutton · LondonWon by Digital Library Limited£10k
- Awarded1 May 2026Transparent Language Online - Digital Library Limited - 2026/27 - PA23W36London Borough of Sutton · LondonWon by Digital Library Limited£6k
- Awarded1 May 2026PL0111 - Digital Library ContentEssex County Council · East of EnglandWon by Bolinda UK Ltd£850k
- Awarded14 Apr 2026CA16922 - CPC/LO/01/2024: Library Resources, Software, and Associated Services - Lot 2 Electronic and Alternative Format Library eBooksTyne Coast College · North EastWon by Kortext Ltd
- Awarded30 Mar 2026Library service digital library contentLeicestershire County Council · East MidlandsWon by Bolinda UK Ltd£533k
- Awarded19 Mar 202625041 Provision of Estock for Cambridgeshire County Council Library serviceCambridgeshire County Council · East of EnglandWon by OverDrive and 2 more£660k
- Awarded1 Mar 2026Library E-Lending ServicesCheshire West and Chester Council · North WestWon by Bolinda Digital£300k
- Awarded29 Dec 2025EDR-24-008 DIGITAL LIBRARY FOR LIBRARIES NIThe Education Authority · Northern IrelandWon by OverDrive£8m
- Awarded19 Dec 2025Health Service Journal SubscriptionUK Parliament · LondonWon by HSJ Information LTD£14k
- Awarded11 Dec 2025Bolinda UK Lts e-books and e-audioLeeds City Council · Yorkshire and the HumberWon by Bolinda UK Ltd£465k
- Awarded30 Sep 2025Pressreader online newspapers and magazines for library users S522836Norfolk County Council · East of EnglandWon by Digital Library Limited£65k
- Awarded1 Sep 2025USW award of Financial Times SubscriptionUniversity of South Wales · WalesWon by Financial Times£55k
- Awarded22 Aug 2025Ancestry LibraryLeeds City Council · Yorkshire and the HumberWon by ProQuest£14k
- Awarded15 Aug 2025Libraries Digital ContentSomerset Council · South WestWon by Bolinda UK Ltd£2m
- Awarded14 Aug 2025SUPPLY OF DIGITAL MATERIALS TO NORTH SOMERSET LIBRARIESNorth Somerset Council · South WestWon by Bolinda Publishing£160k
- Awarded17 Jul 2025Pressreader SubscriptionCoventry University · West MidlandsWon by pressreader£40k
- Awarded11 Jul 2025Award of Contract for the Provision of Global NewsBank subscription for Library ServiceLancashire County Council · North WestWon by NewsBank Inc£65k
- Awarded1 Jul 2025Northamptonshire Libraries - Ebooks/EaudiobooksWest Northamptonshire Council · East MidlandsWon by Bolinda Digital£700k
- Awarded29 May 2025Times Digital AchiveLeeds City Council · Yorkshire and the HumberWon by Cengage Learning£12k
- Awarded27 May 2025Times Digital AchiveLeeds City Council · Yorkshire and the HumberWon by Cengage Learning£12k
- Awarded8 Apr 2025PressReader ePublisher and Journal Service Subscription_25Liverpool City Council · North WestWon by pressreader
- Awarded1 Apr 2025FS-Case-699432283 - Library Theory Test Pro and Go CitizenEssex County Council · East of EnglandWon by Well Informed Limited£6k
- Awarded1 Apr 2025Supply of eNewspapers and eMagazinesPortsmouth City Council · South EastWon by Digital Library Limited£41k
- Awarded1 Apr 2025Digital Library Content - eBooks, eAudio & ePressBlackpool Council · North WestWon by Bolinda Digital£20k
- Awarded28 Mar 2025Library E-ProductsSheffield City Council · Yorkshire and the HumberWon by OverDrive£180k
Where to bid
Where library ebook platform tenders are run
Open (NEPO)1 50%
ProContract1 50%
Tenders published in the last year that name the bid portal they run on.
Frameworks and DPS
4 frameworks for library ebook platform work are running. None are open to join now.
OverDrive won the most library ebook platform contracts by value
Each dot is one contract, coloured by who bought it.
CouncilsEducationCentral governmentNHS and health
| Rank | Contractor | Contracts won, by buyer | Contracts | Value won | Buyers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1joint | Bolinda UK Ltd East of England · SME · 1 framework place · See every contract | 7 | £4.7m | 7 | ||
| 1joint | Bolinda Digital North West · SME · See every contract | 7 | £2.1m | 6 | ||
| 3 | Digital Library Limited London · SME · See every contract | 6 | £167k | 5 | ||
| 4 | OverDrive North East · 1 framework place · See every contract | 5 | £8.3m | 5 | ||
| 5 | Cengage Learning Yorkshire and the Humber · See every contract | 4 | £81k | 3 | ||
| 6joint | ProQuest North East · 1 framework place · See every contract | 2 | £60k | 2 | ||
| 6joint | pressreader North West · See every contract | 2 | £40k | 2 | ||
| 8joint | Bolinda Publishing South West · See every contract | 1 | £160k | 1 | ||
| 8joint | NewsBank Inc North West · See every contract | 1 | £65k | 1 | ||
| 8joint | Financial Times Wales · See every contract | 1 | £55k | 1 |
7 more library ebook platform contractors ranked. See the full ranking →
Win library ebook platform contracts? Share your ranking.
Who buys
Councils award 85% of library ebook platform contracts
Contracts with a published value in the last 2 years, from the type of buyer to the size of the contract.
5 buyers bought library ebook platform more than once in the last 2 years
Each dot is a buyer, by how many library ebook platform contracts it awarded in the last 2 years.
See who they are and when they usually buy →
Few and big, or many and small
Each dot is a buyer: how many library ebook platform contracts it awarded against what they were worth. The busiest and biggest are named.
CouncilsEducationCentral governmentNHS and health
Top buyers by contracts awarded
| Rank | Buyer | Contracts | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Northamptonshire Council | 5 | £957k |
| 2 | Leeds City Council | 4 | £503k |
| 3 | Essex County Council | 3 | £869k |
| 4 | Norfolk County Council | 2 | £95k |
| 5 | London Borough of Sutton | 2 | £16k |
| 6 | The Education Authority | 1 | £8m |
| 7 | Somerset Council | 1 | £2m |
| 8 | Cambridgeshire County Council | 1 | £660k |
| 9 | Leicestershire County Council | 1 | £533k |
| 10 | Cornwall Council | 1 | £370k |
95 library ebook platform contracts awarded since 2021
- 112021
- 182022
- 132023
- 152024
- 262025
- 122026 so far
Prices
Half of library ebook platform contracts are worth less than £55k
CouncilsEducationCentral governmentNHS and health
The 10 biggest library ebook platform contracts
- The Education AuthorityOverDrive · 29 Dec 2025
- Somerset CouncilBolinda UK Ltd · 15 Aug 2025
- Essex County CouncilBolinda UK Ltd · 1 May 2026
- West Northamptonshire CouncilBolinda Digital · 1 Jul 2025
- Cambridgeshire County CouncilOverDrive, Bolinda UK Ltd, Ulverscroft Limited (uLibrary) · 19 Mar 2026
- Leicestershire County CouncilBolinda UK Ltd · 30 Mar 2026
- Leeds City CouncilBolinda UK Ltd · 11 Dec 2025
- Cornwall CouncilBolinda Digital · 17 Mar 2025
- Cheshire West and Chester CouncilBolinda Digital · 1 Mar 2026
- Coventry City CouncilBolinda Digital · 2 Dec 2024
Renewing contracts
13 library ebook platform contracts come up for renewal in the next 12 months
8 in the next 6 months. The 3 ending soonest are shown in full.
Ends in 8 weeks
Health Service Journal Subscription
UK Parliament · London · 1-year contract
Held by HSJ Information LTD
Ends in 8 weeks
eBooks for Hampshire School Library Service
Hampshire County Council · South East · 2-year contract
Held by OverDrive
Library ebook platform contract for a councilEast MidlandsUnder £100kEnds Mar 2027
Library ebook platform contract for a central government bodyUK-wide or not stated£100k to £1mEnds Mar 2027
Library ebook platform contract for a councilLondonUnder £100kEnds Mar 2027
Library ebook platform contract for a councilLondonUnder £100kEnds Mar 2027
Library ebook platform contract for a councilNorth WestUnder £100kEnds Apr 2027
Library ebook platform contract for a councilEast MidlandsUnder £100kEnds May 2027
Where and when
Where and when library ebook platform contracts are awarded
Contracts by region and by month awarded. Click a region to filter the page.
FewerMore contracts
The regions as a table
| Region | Open now | Contracts | Value | Typical contract | Won the most | Bought the most | Renewing in 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 0 | 6 | £1.5m | £100k | Bolinda Digital (2) | West Northamptonshire Council (5) | 3 |
| East of England | 0 | 6 | £1.6m | £48k | Bolinda UK Ltd (2) | Essex County Council (3) | 0 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 1 | 5 | £683k | £14k | Cengage Learning (2) | Leeds City Council (4) | 0 |
| North West | 0 | 4 | £385k | £65k | Bolinda Digital (2) | – | 2 |
| South East | 0 | 4 | £589k | £151k | Bolinda UK Ltd (2) | – | 2 |
| South West | 0 | 4 | £2.5m | £265k | – | – | 1 |
| North East | 0 | 3 | £74k | – | – | – | 0 |
| London | 0 | 3 | £29k | £10k | Digital Library Limited (2) | London Borough of Sutton (2) | 4 |
| West Midlands | 0 | 2 | £316k | – | – | – | 0 |
| Wales | 0 | 1 | £55k | – | – | – | 0 |
| Northern Ireland | 0 | 1 | £8m | – | – | – | 0 |
| Scotland | 1 | 0 | Not published | – | – | – | 0 |
Often bought with library ebook platform
Related services
Key findings
- £190k a month
of library ebook platform contracts awarded.
Typical contract £151k x 1.3 contracts a month, last 12 months. - 1.6
library ebook platform contracts are awarded in a typical month.
39 contracts in the last 2 years. - 8
library ebook platform contracts come up for renewal in the next 6 months.
Recurring contracts with a named supplier and a published end date before 4 May 2027. - 4
frameworks and DPSs are running for library ebook platform work.
0 open to join now. - 40%
of library ebook platform contracts are won by SMEs.
As recorded by the buyer, on 30 award notices.
How many library ebook platform tenders and contracts are there?
| Since November 2021 | Last 12 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Notices published | 150 | 34 |
| Contracts awarded | 85 | 15 |
19 library ebook platform contracts and frameworks end in the next 12 months, 18 of them recurring services. In the last two years, 28 buyers awarded library ebook platform contracts to 17 suppliers.
Source: Find a Tender, Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland, Sell2Wales and eTendersNI, to 4 November 2026. By Seamus White. How we count
Questions
How many library ebook platform contracts does the UK public sector award?
39 in the 2 years to 4 November 2026, from 28 public buyers.
How much is a typical public sector library ebook platform contract worth?
The median is £55k, and 73% are worth less than £250k.
Which buyers award the most library ebook platform contracts?
Councils award 85% of them.
How many library ebook platform contracts come up for renewal in the next 12 months?
13 contracts end and are likely to be re-let, the first on 30 November 2026. Another 2 ending are one-off work.
Are there frameworks or DPSs for library ebook platform work that are open to join?
4 frameworks and DPSs for library ebook platform work are running. None are open to join now.
What is included
Digital content platforms for library users: eBook and eAudiobook lending, digital newspapers and online reader-development tools.
- EBook and eAudiobook lending platform
- Digital newspaper platform
- Online book recommendation tool
What is not included
- Library management system (see Library management system)
- Academic reading lists (see Reading list management)