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Published 1 Oct 2025, 11:22 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Creative Design Services · UK public procurement notice

Official notice

Authority: THE UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER (Education)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove threshold
Sectors: Business Services & Consultancy (79) Delivery: Northern Ireland (UKN)
Published estimate£1,291,000≈ £430k / year · £1,291,000 inc. VAT1.3% above final estimate
Submissions closed 29 Oct 2025awarded 12 Dec 2025
Awarded to Rapid Agency (NI) Ltd
Contract term 3 yrsends 20 Dec 2028 · up to 20 Dec 2031 with extensions · starts 21 Dec 2025

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The provision of Creative Design Services to deliver content for marketing campaigns and our clients business needs within faculties.

One Contract to Provide:

  • Art Working

Graphic layout from existing templates based on Ulster University brand guidelines.

  • Brand Design

Concept creation of sub brand, logo or brand lock up, including research, mood boards, concepts presentation and finally delivery of brand with associated guidelines.

  • Video

Producing story boards, on occasion scripts and managing logistics through to complete edit. Completing with captions, name plates and graphic cards. Where necessary producing and executing video content for cinema and TV including management of Clearcast, clocking and Peach upload.

  • Photography

Capturing photographs of our buildings and facilities to artistically celebrate the investment in our students and in Northern Ireland. Creating content that is both aesthetically excellent as well as accurate.

CPV: Advertising and marketing services · Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 3 yrsPublished value£1,291,000
Contract period: 21 Dec 2025 – 20 Dec 2028 (3 yrs) · up to 20 Dec 2031 with extensionsValue: £1,291,000 exc. VAT · £1,291,000 inc. VAT
Extensions: Following the initial Contract period (3 years), there are options to extend up to a further 36 months.
79000000 Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security79340000 Advertising and marketing services
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    As per Tender documentation.

  • Technical & professional ability

    As per Tender documentation.

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: 40%Price: 60%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • Quality Criteria: 40%
  • Commercial Criteria: 60%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Quality Criteria: As per Tender documentation.
  • Commercial Criteria: As per Tender documentation.
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    As per Tender documentation.

  • Technical & professional ability

    As per Tender documentation.

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 60 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 6 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.

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
1 Oct 2025, 11:22 BST
Last source update
16 Jul 2026, 16:44 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 8 Dec 2025
Authority reference
CfT 6161163
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-061476
Latest notice
Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV)
Advertising and marketing servicesBusiness services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
Delivery area
Northern Ireland (UKN)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05a5a9 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: eTendersNI · Who buys & how to bid on eTendersNI
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free Northern Ireland registration
Submission deadline
29 Oct 2025, 14:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
23 Oct 2025, 15:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Tenders must be submitted electronically via the relevant Call for Tender (CfT) opportunity on eTendersNI, website details immediately below.

Paper submissions will not be accepted or considered and will be rejected by Ulster University.

The tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗

Timeline

1 Oct 2025 → 27 Jul 2026 · 10 dates
  1. Planning notice published384 days ago
    1 Oct 2025, 11:22 BST
  2. Tender notice published384 days ago
    1 Oct 2025, 16:31 BST
  3. Next notice expected383 days ago
    2 Oct 2025, 23:59 BST
  4. Clarification questions by362 days ago
    23 Oct 2025, 15:00 BST
  5. Submission deadline356 days ago
    29 Oct 2025, 14:00 GMT
  6. Award decision expected by316 days ago
    8 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
  7. Assessment summaries sent313 days ago
    12 Dec 2025
  8. Contract starts304 days ago
    21 Dec 2025
  9. Latest notice published96 days ago
    16 Jul 2026, 16:44 BST
  10. Standstill ends85 days ago
    27 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST

Notice history

12 events · 7 releases on Find a Tender · since 1 Oct 2025
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    1 Oct 2025, 11:22 BST
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    1 Oct 2025, 15:21 BST
    UK2
  3. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    1 Oct 2025, 15:39 BST
    UK2
  4. Tender notice published
    1 Oct 2025, 16:31 BST
    UK4
  5. Status changed to active
    1 Oct 2025, 16:31 BST
  6. Procurement method changed
    1 Oct 2025, 16:31 BST
  7. Deadline published: 29 Oct 2025, 14:00 GMT
    1 Oct 2025, 16:31 BST
  8. Contract signature expected
    23 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
    scheduled
  9. Contract award notice published
    16 Jul 2026, 16:14 BST
    UK6
  10. Status changed to complete
    16 Jul 2026, 16:14 BST
  11. Contract award notice published
    16 Jul 2026, 16:24 BST
    UK6
  12. Contract details notice published
    16 Jul 2026, 16:44 BST
    UK7
Published amendments (1)

Changes made include: 1. Removing contract value ex VAT. The contract value published is including VAT. 2. Removing reference to below threshold. This procurement is above threshold. 3. Amending the PME details to include the decision to move from 4 lots to a single lot.

Routine re-releases (7)
  • 2025-10: 4 releases · 1 Oct 2025, 1 Oct 2025

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value (inc. VAT) £1,307,9791 award inc. VAT; no net value published
Bids received 5
Contracts signed 1latest 26 Jan 2026
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Rapid Agency (NI) Ltd2 Feb 2026 – 1 Feb 2029 · up to 1 Feb 2032Extensions: The contract includes the option to extend for any period up to and including 36 months. · Amended: This Contract Award Notice (UK6) is retrospective. This change has been made because the UK6 was uploaded on eTendersNI on 10 December 2025, but was rejected and was not successfully published on Find a Tender before the contract was entered into. The issue was identified after contract commencement. The award decision was made on 12/12/2025 and assessment summaries / award communications were iss…£1,307,979 inc. VAT12 Dec 2025Awarded

Contracts

  • Creative Design Services · Rapid Agency (NI) Ltd

    Signed
    26 Jan 2026
    Value
    £1,307,979 inc. VAT
    Period
    2 Feb 2026 – 1 Feb 2029 · up to 1 Feb 2032 with extensions
    Status
    active
    Extensions
    The possibility of 3 x 12 month extensions.

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
5final-stage tenders00—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Ulster University

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentNorthern Irish devolved regulations apply GB-COH: RC000726 · GB-PPON: PDLT-6268-MWZV Finance Office, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 1SAContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • Rapid Agency (NI) LtdAwarded supplierGB-COH: NI663439GB-PPON: PVTQ-8492-DWJL Catalyst Innovation Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT3 9ADContact email

Official documents & specifications (7)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure