Official UK procurement notice
Creative Services Framework · UK public procurement notice
Authority: Transport for Greater Manchester (Public body)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionTransport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) are looking to appoint multiple marketing agencies to develop a Creative Services framework. The agencies will assist TfGM to develop and deliver multi-channel campaigns across Greater Manchester (GM) as well as our business-as-usual activity with the aim of encouraging more people to travel sustainably.
TfGM has been successful in delivering several engaging and high-profile campaigns in recent years and now wishes to expand on that success due to its growing responsibilities.
TfGM covers a wide remit of exciting and transformational projects across GM from delivering infrastructure for active travel including a cycle hire scheme, through to developing an app and providing major Public Transport services across tram, rail and bus networks.
Given this expansion and the fact marketing is a specialist area, TfGM's internal Marketing team is looking to source external support to help deliver its ambitions.
TfGM are looking to award suppliers under the following lots:
Lot 1: Strategy & Creative - includes marketing strategy, creative concepting, campaign creative, multi-channel campaign execution & production, seasonal planning, messaging strategy and audience & market analysis.
Lot 2: Artwork & Graphics - includes graphic design, creating artwork, versioning and copywriting.
- How the procedure runs: There will be two stages to the tender process. Stage 1 - PSQ Stage 2 - ITT Suppliers will be shortlisted via the PSQ process, before being invited to the ITT stage.
CPV: Advertising and marketing services · Graphic design services · Market research services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Places
- up to 8 suppliers · 8 bids on the busiest of 2 lots (1.0 per place) · 6 appointed
- Framework period
- 3 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 2 Mar 2026
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
1% of call-off value · Further information on rebate fees can be found in the tender documents on Pro Contract. Tender Reference: DN759994.
Published description of the framework
Services awarded via the framework for any projects under Lots 1 and 2, will be called off either via mini competition through a 'pitch'/competitive quotation process or via a Direct Award, which is permitted up to the value of £50k (exc. VAT).
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value · same conditions of participation on every lot · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Strategy & CreativeAwardedRenewalPublished value£3,000,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
A financial risk assessment methodology has been provided as part the PSQ. Prospective Suppliers are required to read this information thoroughly and follow the instructions in order to complete the self-assessment prior to the PSQ submission deadline.
Suppliers are required to confirm whether they already have, or can commit to obtain, prior to the commencement of the contract, the levels of insurance cover indicated below:
Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £5,000,000
Public Liability Insurance = £10,000,000
Professional Indemnity Insurance = £5,000,000
A response of 'No' or failure to attach suitable evidence of the commitment will Fail to meet this condition of participation.
- Technical & professional ability
For Stage 1, the PSQ there are three (3) Technical Ability questions, scored in line with the award criteria found within the PSQ document.
The score for each question will be added together to give a Total Score (out of 100%) for each Supplier. All Suppliers who receive a Total Score will be ranked by score and the top suppliers will be taken through to Stage 2. It is envisioned that ten (10) suppliers will be taken through for Lot 1, and six (6 ) suppliers will be taken through for Lot 2.
The sixteen (16) shortlisted suppliers will then be invited to Stage 2 ITT. The criteria for this part of the tender will be split into Technical, Social Value and Commercial.
Lot #2Artwork & GraphicsAwardedRenewalPublished value£700,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
A financial risk assessment methodology has been provided as part the PSQ. Prospective Suppliers are required to read this information thoroughly and follow the instructions in order to complete the self-assessment prior to the PSQ submission deadline.
Suppliers are required to confirm whether they already have, or can commit to obtain, prior to the commencement of the contract, the levels of insurance cover indicated below:
Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £5,000,000
Public Liability Insurance = £10,000,000
Professional Indemnity Insurance = £5,000,000
A response of 'No' or failure to attach suitable evidence of the commitment will Fail to meet this condition of participation.
- Technical & professional ability
For Stage 1, the PSQ there are three (3) Technical Ability questions, scored in line with the award criteria found within the PSQ document.
The score for each question will be added together to give a Total Score (out of 100%) for each Supplier. All Suppliers who receive a Total Score will be ranked by score and the top suppliers will be taken through to Stage 2. It is envisioned that ten (10) suppliers will be taken through for Lot 1, and six (6 ) suppliers will be taken through for Lot 2.
The sixteen (16) shortlisted suppliers will then be invited to Stage 2 ITT. The criteria for this part of the tender will be split into Technical, Social Value and Commercial.
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Technical: 45%
- Commercial: 45%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Technical
- Social Value
- Commercial
- Economic & financial standing
A financial risk assessment methodology has been provided as part the PSQ. Prospective Suppliers are required to read this information thoroughly and follow the instructions in order to complete the self-assessment prior to the PSQ submission deadline.
Suppliers are required to confirm whether they already have, or can commit to obtain, prior to the commencement of the contract, the levels of insurance cover indicated below:
Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £5,000,000
Public Liability Insurance = £10,000,000
Professional Indemnity Insurance = £5,000,000
A response of 'No' or failure to attach suitable evidence of the commitment will Fail to meet this condition of participation.
- Technical & professional ability
For Stage 1, the PSQ there are three (3) Technical Ability questions, scored in line with the award criteria found within the PSQ document.
The score for each question will be added together to give a Total Score (out of 100%) for each Supplier. All Suppliers who receive a Total Score will be ranked by score and the top suppliers will be taken through to Stage 2. It is envisioned that ten (10) suppliers will be taken through for Lot 1, and six (6 ) suppliers will be taken through for Lot 2.
The sixteen (16) shortlisted suppliers will then be invited to Stage 2 ITT. The criteria for this part of the tender will be split into Technical, Social Value and Commercial.
- Price carries 45 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4.5 points. Quality carries 45 of 100: the paper moves it further than the discount.
- “Creative Services Framework” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 8 suppliers, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible 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
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 14 May 2025, 17:06 BST
- Last source update
- 5 May 2026, 19:05 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 27 Oct 2025
- Authority reference
DN759994- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-049647- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0513aeFind a Tender
- How it runs
There will be two stages to the tender process.
Stage 1 - PSQ
Stage 2 - ITT
Suppliers will be shortlisted via the PSQ process, before being invited to the ITT stage.
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 17 Sept 2025, 16:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 3 Sept 2025, 16:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
call-off levy · 1% of call-off value · Further information on rebate fees can be found in the tender documents on Pro Contract. Tender Reference: DN759994.
Tenders must be submitted electronically via Pro Contract: procontract.due-north.com/Register ↗
Timeline
14 May 2025 → 18 May 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published14 May 2025, 17:06 BST
- Next notice expected23 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published18 Aug 2025, 17:48 BST
- Clarification questions by3 Sept 2025, 16:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends399 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown17 Sept 2025, 16:00 BST
- Award decision expected by358 days ago27 Oct 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts233 days ago2 Mar 2026
- Assessment summaries sent169 days ago5 May 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published168 days ago5 May 2026, 19:05 BST
- Standstill ends155 days ago18 May 2026, 23:59 BST
Notice history
10 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 14 May 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published14 May 2025, 17:06 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published18 Aug 2025, 17:48 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £3,700,00018 Aug 2025, 17:48 BSTwas £1,850,000
- Status changed to active18 Aug 2025, 17:48 BST
- Procurement method changed18 Aug 2025, 17:48 BST
- Deadline published: 17 Sept 2025, 16:00 BST18 Aug 2025, 17:48 BST
- Tender notice published19 Aug 2025, 14:09 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published5 May 2026, 19:05 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete5 May 2026, 19:05 BST
- Contract signature expected22 Jun 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-05: 1 release · 14 May 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast£3,700,000 is the framework's published maximum, restated by the publisher on 6 award rows. It is one ceiling, not 6 separate sums, and no share per lot is published; those rows read “ceiling above”.
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 · Strategy & Creative3 awards | |||
| MEANWHILE LTD1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2029 · up to 30 Jun 2030Extensions: Extension dependant on framework still meeting requirements for TfGM. | ceiling above | 5 May 2026standstill to 18 May 2026 | Standstill |
| THE BEHAVIOURS AGENCY LIMITED1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2029 · up to 30 Jun 2030Extensions: Extension dependant on framework still meeting requirements for TfGM. | ceiling above | 5 May 2026standstill to 18 May 2026 | Standstill |
| Vivid Everywhere Ltd1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2029 · up to 30 Jun 2030Extensions: Extension dependant on framework still meeting requirements for TfGM. | ceiling above | 5 May 2026standstill to 18 May 2026 | Standstill |
| Lot 2 · Artwork & Graphics1 award | |||
| Fresh Approach (UK) LimitedSME1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2029 · up to 30 Jun 2030Extensions: Extension dependant on framework still meeting requirements for TfGM. | ceiling above | 5 May 2026standstill to 18 May 2026 | Standstill |
| Across several lots2 awards | |||
| Agent Marketing LimitedSME1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2029 · up to 30 Jun 2030Extensions: Extension dependant on framework still meeting requirements for TfGM. | ceiling above | 5 May 2026standstill to 18 May 2026 | Standstill |
| THG INGENUITY LIMITED1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2029 · up to 30 Jun 2030Extensions: Extension dependant on framework still meeting requirements for TfGM. | ceiling above | 5 May 2026standstill to 18 May 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Strategy & Creative | 8final-stage tenders | 8 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Artwork & Graphics | 6final-stage tenders | 6 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
6 commercial parties on the notice- AGENT MARKETING LIMITEDFramework contractor
- FRESH APPROACH (UK) LIMITEDFramework contractor
- MEANWHILE LTDFramework contractor
- THE BEHAVIOURS AGENCY LIMITEDFramework contractor
- THG INGENUITY LIMITEDFramework contractor
- Vivid Everywhere LtdFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (10)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: TfGM are using Pro-Contract / The Chest for the management of this procurement. This is where the tender documents will be held and where suppliers must submit their bids. The Pro-Contract ref number is DN759994. If interested suppliers are not registered already on this e-sourcing portal, we recommend that they do so as soon as possible. Here is the link to register - https://procontract.due-north.com/Register
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender