Find a TenderAwardedContract details notice

Published 25 Jun 2026, 14:33 BST

Official UK procurement notice

ID 6207077 - DFE - The Consumer Council - Market Research

Official notice

Authority: Consumer Council for Northern Ireland (Central government)·On behalf of: CPD

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable

Sectors: Research & Development (R&D) (73)Business Services & Consultancy (79) Delivery: Northern Ireland (UKN)

Published estimate£2,000,000≈ £2.0m / year · £2,400,000 inc. VAT

Submissions closed 27 Jul 2026awarded 14 Sept 2026

Awarded to COGNISENSE LTD

Contract term 1 yrends 16 Aug 2027 · up to 16 Aug 2029 with extensions · starts 17 Aug 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland sought to appoint a market research Supplier who can deliver insight on behalf of the Consumer Council that fully aligns to the organisation’s statutory powers and objectives regarding understanding consumers and undertaking best practice research. Suppliers were referred to the Specification Schedule for full details of the deliverables required under this contract. Following completion of the procurement process and the mandatory standstill period, the contract was awarded on 1st October 2026.

CPV: Design and execution of research and development · Market and economic research; polling and statistics · Market research services · Marketing services · Research consultancy services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published

Lot #1AwardedRenewal 1 yrPublished value£2,000,000

Contract period: 17 Aug 2026 – 16 Aug 2027 (1 yr) · up to 16 Aug 2029 with extensionsValue: £2,000,000 exc. VAT · £2,400,000 inc. VAT

Extensions: Initial contract period of one year with two options to extend for any period up to, and including, twelve months each.

73210000 Research consultancy services 73300000 Design and execution of research and development 79300000 Market and economic research; polling and statistics 79310000 Market research services 79342000 Marketing services

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

AC1 - Proposed Methodology: This is a scored criterion with a Quality weighting of 24.5 - as detailed in the tender documents.
AC2 - Proposed Team Experience: This is a scored criterion with a Quality weighting of 24.5 - as detailed in the tender documents.
AC3 - Risk Management: This is a scored criterion with a Quality weighting of 10.5 - as detailed in the tender documents.
AC4 - Social Value: This is a scored criterion with a Quality weighting of 10.5 - as detailed in the tender documents.
AC5 - Total Contract Price: This is a scored criterion with a Cost weighting of 30 - as detailed in the tender documents.

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: 25 Jun 2026, 14:33 BST
Last source update: 2 Oct 2026, 12:49 BST
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 17 Aug 2026
Authority reference: ID 6207077
FTS notice number: 2026/S 000-059900
Latest notice: Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV): Design and execution of research and developmentMarket and economic research; polling and statisticsMarket research servicesMarketing servicesResearch consultancy services
Delivery area: Northern Ireland (UKN)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06bd34 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: 27 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
Clarification deadline: 20 Jul 2026, 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 the Contracting Authority / Buyer. The tender documents are available with unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at: URL etendersni.gov.uk/epps ↗

Timeline

25 Jun 2026 → 2 Oct 2026 · 8 dates

Tender notice published119 days ago
25 Jun 2026, 14:33 BST
Clarification questions by94 days ago
20 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
Submission deadline87 days ago
27 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
Contract starts66 days ago
17 Aug 2026, 00:00 BST
Award decision expected by65 days ago
17 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
Assessment summaries sent38 days ago
14 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
Standstill ends28 days ago
23 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
Latest notice published20 days ago
2 Oct 2026, 12:49 BST

Notice history

5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 25 Jun 2026

Tender notice published
25 Jun 2026, 14:33 BST
UK4
Contract award notice published
14 Sept 2026, 12:15 BST
UK6
Status changed to complete
14 Sept 2026, 12:15 BST
Contract signature expected
24 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
scheduled
Contract details notice published
2 Oct 2026, 12:49 BST
UK7

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £2,000,0001 award exc. VAT

Bids received 54 from SMEs

Contracts signed 1latest 1 Oct 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
COGNISENSE LTDSME25 Sept 2026 – 24 Sept 2027 · up to 24 Sept 2029Extensions: Two options to extend for any period up to, and including, twelve months each.	£2,000,000	14 Sept 2026	Awarded

Contracts

ID 6207077 - DFE - The Consumer Council - Market Research · COGNISENSE LTDSME
Signed
1 Oct 2026
Value
£2,000,000
Period
27 Oct 2026 – 26 Oct 2027 · up to 26 Oct 2029 with extensions
Status
active
Extensions
Two options to extend for any period up to, and including, twelve months each.
No agreed KPIs: The value of this contract is below the relevant threshold of £5 million including VAT and as such the reporting and publication of KPIs is not mandated.

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
5final-stage tenders	4	3	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

3 public bodies on the notice

Consumer Council for Northern Ireland

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central governmentNorthern Irish devolved regulations apply GB-PPON: PCCW-8342-GYDJ Seatem House, 28-32 Alfred Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT2 8ENContact email

Other public bodies

CPDBeneficiary authority
CPD - Supplies and Service DivisionProcess contact pointProcuring entityConstruction and Procurement Delivery -Supplies and Services Division, is a Centre of Procurement Expertise and provides a central procurement function for central government in Northern Ireland.GB-PPON: PVWG-8426-YWXV Belfast, Northern IrelandContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

COGNISENSE LTDAwarded supplierGB-PPON: PZCH-3642-JXNP Adelaide House, 1 Falcon Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT12 6SJContact email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender2 Oct 2026, 12:49 BST
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender14 Sept 2026, 12:15 BST
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender25 Jun 2026, 14:33 BST