Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 28 Sept 2026, 16:58 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Local Democracy Reporting Platform Service

Authority: BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) (Central government)

ServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Sectors: IT Services & Software (72) Delivery: Delivery location not published
Published estimate£1,300,000≈ £433k / year · £1,560,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 26 Oct 202614:00 GMT · 27d 21h left
Clarification cut-off 26 Oct 202614:00 GMT · questions to the authority
Contract term 3 yrsup to 5 yrs with extensions · starts 1 Jan 2028
Bids per lot · this authority 3division 72 · n=5 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

This is the Procurement for the provision of Local Democracy Reporting Services (LDRS) platforms for the Local News Partnership System (LNPS). The BBC’s existing current contract for these services is expiring, and the BBC is looking to re-tender this contract.

The LNPS is a suite of tools for the creation and distribution of content by journalists for local news partners to review and/or download content from. It comprises:- a Platform for the creation of LDRS stories i.e. a LDRS Authoring System, and the review/approval workflow for publishing stories, the uploading, storing and managing of assets (video, audio, images) and their association with stories, plus a separate content portal for partners to search, discover and use text and associated content

The BBC is seeking to procure a value-for-money solution that delivers the required functionality, implementation, support and ongoing service requirements over the new contract term.

  • The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 27 Sept 2031, 00:59 BST.
  • How the procedure runs: Competitive Flexible procedure without Conditions of Participation. The procedure will consist of the following stages: Invitation to Tender ITT and Final Stage:- Clarifications, Evaluation and Shortlisting- BAFO For full details please refer to the Tender Documents
  • No preliminary market engagement: Not applicable, PME was carried out.

CPV: IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 0001Renewal 3 yrsSMEVCSEPublished value£1,300,000
Contract period: 1 Jan 2028 — 31 Dec 2030 (3 yrs) · up to 5 yrs with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£865,876/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£1,300,000 exc. VAT · £1,560,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
1+1 - up to 2 years total extension
72000000 IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

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 are scored
Quality: 50%Price: 50%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • Quality — 50%
  • Cost — 50%
Conditions of participation2
  • Technical & professional ability
    For full details please refer to tender documentation
  • Economic & financial standing
    For full details please refer to tender documentation

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) buys IT services: consulting, software, internet (CPV 72) — and who usually turns up

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)’s own published record, next to the Greater London market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: IT services: consulting, software, internet (CPV 72) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)

contract notices in 36 months: 20 in division 72 (11 route not published) · 50 in all categories (1 without competition · 25 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 5 lots. All 5 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices, which count bids assessed.

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

3division 72 · 36m · n=5 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 5 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

0%division 72 · 36m · n=5 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 8 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateall categories · 36m · n=8 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 7 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

106ddivision 72 · 36m · n=7 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 60 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=60 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 9 notices.

Last 36 months.

0%division 72 · 36m · n=9 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=5
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 5 lots on 5 contested notices · division 72, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 0%
  • 2–3 80%
  • 4–6 0%
  • 7+ 20%

Middle value 3 · 5 lots on 5 contested notices · division 72.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=8
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 8 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 0%
  • Within ±2% 88%
  • Above estimate 13%

8 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · authority’s region

Greater London · IT services: consulting, software, internet (CPV 72)

contract notices delivered in Greater London in 36 months: 718 in division 72 (318 competed, 191 route not published) · the notice publishes no delivery location, so the authority’s registered region is used

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 139 lots. 80 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 4) and 59 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4division 72 · 36m · n=139 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 139 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

7%division 72 · 36m · n=139 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 70 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimatedivision 72 · 36m · n=70 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 86 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

66ddivision 72 · 36m · n=86 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 95 lots.

Last 36 months.

65%division 72 · 36m · n=95 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 317 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

69%division 72 · 36m · n=317 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=139
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 139 lots on 130 contested notices · division 72, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 7%
  • 2–3 37%
  • 4–6 27%
  • 7+ 28%

Middle value 4 · 139 lots on 130 contested notices · division 72.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=70
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 70 lot pairs · division 72, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 41%
  • Within ±2% 37%
  • Above estimate 21%

70 lot pairs · division 72.

robust · n=8
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on this buyer’s own usual movement over 8 lots (all categories), applied to the £1,300,000 estimate on this notice.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

The middle award in BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) (all categories, n=8 pairs) lands at estimate: on this notice’s £1,300,000 that is about £1,300,000. Context for a bid, not a recommended price.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

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
Open for tender
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
Yes · next expected 27 Sept 2031
First published
28 Sept 2026, 16:58 BST
Last source update
28 Sept 2026, 16:58 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end — 19 Mar 2027, 23:59 GMT
Authority reference
PROC 2026 73 SW LDRS
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
Delivery area
Not published
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077be1 Find a Tender
Contract terms summary
Standard BBC Payments terms apply (30 days).
How it runs
Competitive Flexible procedure without Conditions of Participation. The procedure will consist of the following stages: Invitation to Tender ITT and Final Stage:- Clarifications, Evaluation and Shortlisting- BAFO For full details please refer to the Tender Documents
Review and risk notes
Risks
Not applicable at this stage.

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via SAP Ariba
Submission portal named on this notice: SAP Ariba · Who buys & how to bid on SAP Ariba
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free buyer-specific invitations
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Tender submission deadline
26 Oct 2026, 14:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
26 Oct 2026, 14:00 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £1,300,000 excludes VAT (£1,560,000 including VAT).

Timeline

5 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedjust passed
    28 Sept 2026, 16:58 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 28 days
    26 Oct 2026, 14:00 GMT
  3. Submission deadlinein 28 days
    26 Oct 2026, 14:00 GMT
  4. Award decision expected byin 172 days
    19 Mar 2027, 23:59 GMT
  5. Contract starts
    1 Jan 2028, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    28 Sept 2026, 16:58 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PJRB-3233-GTQL Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, London, W1A 1AA

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender