Find a TenderAwardedContract award notice
Published 10 Aug 2026, 09:28 BST

Official UK procurement notice

2026-821 Social for Campaign Media Buying

Official notice

Authority: AHDB

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£5,000,000≈ £2.5m / year · £6,000,000 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 16 Sept 2026awarded 20 Oct 2026
Award (standstill) to Lux Illuminating Brands Ltd
Contract term 2 yrsends 31 Mar 2029 · up to 31 Mar 2032 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Awarded - AHDB is seeking an experienced social media planning and buying agency to develop, deliver, implement and optimise paid social campaigns across its Beef & Lamb, Pork and Dairy sectors. Campaign activity will support and integrate with AHDB's broader always on marketing programme, ensuring a coordinated and impactful approach across campaign bursts and key periods. They will work alongside the current social media agency who develop the creative content for campaigns and manage paid advertising outside of campaign bursts.

The successful agency will act as a partner to AHDB, working collaboratively to maximise the campaign performance, audience engagement and return on investment.

The agency will bring proven expertise in delivering high-performing consumer food and drink campaigns, leveraging audience insight, data-driven planning and platform-specialist knowledge to achieve both awareness, reach and behavioural change objectives, while delivering measurable business outcomes.

The successful agency should demonstrate:

  • Strong experience planning and buying large-scale paid social campaigns.
  • Experience within food or drink
  • Strong understanding of health-conscious and family audiences.
  • Expertise across Meta, TikTok, Pinterest and future social platforms.
  • A proven track record of delivering measurable improvements in campaign performance and return on investment
  • Excellent analytical capability, reporting and insight generation.

CPV: Advertising and marketing services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 2 yrsSMEPublished value£5,000,000
Contract period: 1 Apr 2027 – 31 Mar 2029 (2 yrs) · up to 31 Mar 2032 with extensionsValue: £5,000,000 exc. VAT · £6,000,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligible
Extensions: 1+1+1
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    As per tender documents

  • Technical & professional ability

    As per tender documents

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored
Quality: 70%Price: 20%Social value: 10%
Published sub-criteria (3)
  • Technical: 70%
  • Pricing/Cost: 20%
  • Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
  • Pricing/Cost: 20%
  • Technical: 70% Technical
  • Social Value: Social Value 10%
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    As per tender documents

  • Technical & professional ability

    As per tender documents

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 20 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 2 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
10 Aug 2026, 09:28 BST
Last source update
21 Oct 2026, 10:12 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 9 Nov 2026
Authority reference
2026-821
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-075543
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV)
Advertising and marketing services
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06dfaf Find a Tender
Contract terms summary

30 days from receipt of invoice

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: Defra Group eSourcing
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free
Submission deadline
16 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
9 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome ↗

Submissions will not be accepted outside of the eSourcing portal

Timeline

10 Aug 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 8 dates
  1. Tender notice published76 days ago
    10 Aug 2026, 09:28 BST
  2. Clarification questions by46 days ago
    9 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
  3. Submission deadline39 days ago
    16 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
  4. Assessment summaries sent5 days ago
    21 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
  5. Latest notice published4 days ago
    21 Oct 2026, 10:12 BST
  6. Today
    25 Oct 2026
  7. Standstill endsin 5 days
    30 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
  8. Award decision expected byin 15 days
    9 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  9. Contract startsin 157 days
    1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 10 Aug 2026
  1. Tender notice published
    10 Aug 2026, 09:28 BST
    UK4
  2. Contract award notice published
    21 Oct 2026, 10:12 BST
    UK6
  3. Status changed to complete
    21 Oct 2026, 10:12 BST
  4. Contract signature expected
    9 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
    scheduled

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1some still in standstill
Awarded value £5,000,0001 award exc. VAT
Bids received 11 from SMEs
Named bidders 1published on the award notice
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Lux Illuminating Brands LtdSME1 Mar 2027 – 28 Feb 2029 · up to 28 Feb 2032Extensions: 1+1+1£5,000,00020 Oct 2026standstill to 30 Oct 2026Standstill

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
1final-stage tenders · 6 at stage one10—

Who bid

Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PBHX-8363-MBBV Middlemarch Business Park, Coventry, West Midlands, CV3 4SUContact name, email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • Lux Illuminating BrandsAwarded supplierGB-PPON: PXZX-6315-XVZD 27 Maritime Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH6 6SEContact email

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender