IEEE IEL
Framework Description
IEEE IEL is an agreement negotiated by Jisc for access to the IEEE Electronic Library (IEL), and is listed in APUC's catalogue for universities and colleges in Scotland. It gives institutions licensed access to IEEE's engineering and computing content. It replaced the IEEE IEL Read-Only Plus Green Open Access Arrangement 2024, and runs from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027 with no extension.
Context & Use Case
University libraries use it to license IEEE content for engineering, computing and physical sciences departments. Rather than negotiating with the publisher individually, institutions sign up to the terms Jisc has agreed on behalf of the sector. Library subscription and resources teams handle the purchase, which runs on a calendar-year term.
Scope of Services
Licensed access to the IEEE Electronic Library (IEL) IEEE engineering, computing and electronics content Access for students and researchers at subscribing institutions
Lots
See framework link
Who Can Apply
This is a content licence with one named publisher, so there is no route for other suppliers to join it. It is mainly relevant to IEEE and its agents. Other publishers and content providers should treat it as an example of how Jisc negotiates sector-wide licences for UK and Scottish institutions.
Buyer Benefits
Libraries get sector-negotiated pricing and licence terms for a core engineering resource, saving the effort of negotiating with a major publisher alone. A three-year term gives budget certainty through to the end of 2027, and researchers across institutions get consistent access conditions.
Next Steps
As this is a single-publisher agreement, the practical step for most suppliers is to understand Jisc's model rather than seek a place. Publishers wanting similar sector deals should study Jisc's licensing approach and watch for renewal talks ahead of 31 December 2027. Library service suppliers can use the APUC catalogue to see which other library agreements are coming up for renewal.
How Athena Can Help
This agreement does not admit other suppliers, so our advice is about where to bid instead. Our framework search and registration service identifies library and information agreements that are open or due to open, and plans your applications around them.
When you do bid, our bid writing and editing support drafts and checks the responses against the evaluation criteria, and our bid/no-bid tools help you decide which Jisc or APUC opportunities are worth the effort.
