Official UK procurement notice
Media Buying Services for Guildhall School
Authority: The Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe City invites Bidders to complete and submit a request to participate in the Procurement for the provision of Media Buying Services for the Guildhall School.
Guildhall School is where passion meets purpose. We deliver world-class professional training in music, drama, production and design across our iconic, state-of-the-art facilities in the heart of the City of London.
The School is seeking an experienced supplier to provide strategic digital media planning and buying services to support the recruitment of students, programme participants and audiences across the full range of the School’s activities.
The successful supplier will be responsible for developing and delivering effective paid media strategies, ensuring that the School’s media budget is used in the most creative, efficient and impactful way possible. This will include strategic planning, media buying, campaign optimisation, performance monitoring and reporting.
Suppliers with a strong track record in digital media planning and buying, particularly within the higher education sector, are invited to participate in the Invitation to Participate (ITP) stage of this procurement process.
This tendering exercise is being undertaken using the electronic tendering system ‘City of London Corporation Sourcing & Contracts Portal’ (cityoflondon.ukp.app.jaggaer.com ↗) Suppliers will need to register an interest on the system in order to participate and registration is free.
The estimated contract value given at sections 31 and 32 is for the full duration of the contract including the maximum possible extensions. The estimated annual contract value is therefore £225,000 exc. VAT)
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 27 Aug 2030, 23:59 BST.
- How the procedure runs: A compliant submission is one that is substantially complete and complies with the requirements set out in the Invitation to Participate (ITP) document. Compliant submissions will be assessed against the Conditions of Participation set out in the Qualification Envelope. All questions within the Qualification Envelope will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. A failure to meet any of the Conditions of Participation will result in the Bidder failing the ITP stage and the Bidder will not progress further in the procurement process. The Conditions of Participation include a number of Technical and Professional Ability questions relating to previous contract experience and the provision of relevant contract examples. Responses to these questions will be scored on a 0–5 basis in accordance with the Scoring Matrix set out in the ITP document. A minimum score of 3 (Good) will be required for each Technical and Professional Ability question. Failure to achieve a minimum score of 3 for any question will result in the Bidder failing the relevant Condition of Participation and, consequently, the ITP stage. Suppliers that successfully meet all of the Conditions of Participation will be invited to the Tender Stage. The Tender Stage will comprise a number of written questions, a commercial submission and an interview stage. Following assessment of the written responses and commercial submission, only those suppliers considered to have a realistic prospect of being awarded the Contract will be invited to participate in the interview stage. Suppliers shall note that the City intends to utilise the provision set out in Schedule 5, paragraph 8 of the Procurment Act for future procurment of similar services.
CPV: Advertising campaign services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£900,000
- Economic & financial standing
Bidders will be assessed against the following financial criteria:
a) Minimum Revenue Requirement
b) D&B Overall Business Risk
The Minimum Revenue Requirement will be calculated by dividing the Bidder’s annual average revenue for the last two reported financial years by the estimated annual Contract value, as set out in the Tender Notice at Section UK4_21. Bidders will be required to achieve an unrounded result of 2.0 or greater to pass this criterion.
The City will obtain a credit report from D&B Credit using the Bidder’s Company Registration Number. Bidders assessed as ‘Low’, ‘Moderate-Low’ or ‘Moderate’ in respect of their Overall Business Risk will pass this element of the Finance Check.
Further details of the financial assessment, including the methodology and requirements, are set out in the ITP documentation.
- Technical & professional ability
The ITP will require Bidders to respond to a number of Technical and Professional Ability questions based on their previous contract experience and relevant contract examples. Responses to these questions will be scored on a 0–5 basis. A response will be considered a pass where it achieves a minimum score of 3 (Good).
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: 55%
- Responsible Procurement: 15%
- Price: 30%
Published award criteria (3)
- Technical
- Price
- Responsible Procurement
- Economic & financial standing
Bidders will be assessed against the following financial criteria:
a) Minimum Revenue Requirement
b) D&B Overall Business Risk
The Minimum Revenue Requirement will be calculated by dividing the Bidder’s annual average revenue for the last two reported financial years by the estimated annual Contract value, as set out in the Tender Notice at Section UK4_21. Bidders will be required to achieve an unrounded result of 2.0 or greater to pass this criterion.
The City will obtain a credit report from D&B Credit using the Bidder’s Company Registration Number. Bidders assessed as ‘Low’, ‘Moderate-Low’ or ‘Moderate’ in respect of their Overall Business Risk will pass this element of the Finance Check.
Further details of the financial assessment, including the methodology and requirements, are set out in the ITP documentation.
- Technical & professional ability
The ITP will require Bidders to respond to a number of Technical and Professional Ability questions based on their previous contract experience and relevant contract examples. Responses to these questions will be scored on a 0–5 basis. A response will be considered a pass where it achieves a minimum score of 3 (Good).
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 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
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 27 Aug 2030
- First published
- 12 May 2026, 10:48 BST
- Last source update
- 27 Aug 2026, 18:13 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 15 Dec 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-081983- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069670Find a Tender
- How it runs
A compliant submission is one that is substantially complete and complies with the requirements set out in the Invitation to Participate (ITP) document.
Compliant submissions will be assessed against the Conditions of Participation set out in the Qualification Envelope. All questions within the Qualification Envelope will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.
A failure to meet any of the Conditions of Participation will result in the Bidder failing the ITP stage and the Bidder will not progress further in the procurement process.
The Conditions of Participation include a number of Technical and Professional Ability questions relating to previous contract experience and the provision of relevant contract examples. Responses to these questions will be scored on a 0–5 basis in accordance with the Scoring Matrix set out in the ITP document. A minimum score of 3 (Good) will be required for each Technical and Professional Ability question. Failure to achieve a minimum score of 3 for any question will result in the Bidder failing the relevant Condition of Participation and, consequently, the ITP stage.
Suppliers that successfully meet all of the Conditions of Participation will be invited to the Tender Stage.
The Tender Stage will comprise a number of written questions, a commercial submission and an interview stage. Following assessment of the written responses and commercial submission, only those suppliers considered to have a realistic prospect of being awarded the Contract will be invited to participate in the interview stage.
Suppliers shall note that the City intends to utilise the provision set out in Schedule 5, paragraph 8 of the Procurment Act for future procurment of similar services.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 22 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 22 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 10 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
This tendering exercise is being undertaken using the electronic tendering system ‘City of London Corporation Sourcing & Contracts Portal’ (cityoflondon.ukp.app.jaggaer.com ↗) Suppliers will need to register an interest on the system in order to participate and registration is free.
Once registered, Suppliers can access the opportunity by clicking on th following link: cityoflondon.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/go/0096284401A044319E51 ↗
Timeline
12 May 2026 → 27 Apr 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published166 days ago12 May 2026, 10:48 BST
- Market engagement142 days ago4 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
This is a Preliminary Marketing Engagement (PME) exercise for digital paid media agency services for Guildhall School of Music & Drama, a department of the City of London Corporation (“the City”).
If you feel that your organisation is able to contribute to this exercise, suppliers shall register free of charge via the cityoflondon.ukp.app.jaggaer.com ↗ portal.
Once registered, the supplier can access the questionnaire by clicking on the following link: cityoflondon.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/go/77396695019E1B850250 ↗
Please note that this is not a call for competition.
The following are pertinent to this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) Questionnaire. Suppliers responding must have;
- An understanding of what the City of London Corporation and Guildhall School are aiming to deliver
- An experience of working with higher education institutions, arts and cultural organisations, or comparable purpose-driven clients
- Capability to comply with the Corporation’s requirements for the provision of digital paid media agency services, including campaign planning, media buying, performance measurement and strategic advisory
- An excellent approach to customer service
For the avoidance of doubt, this notice is for the purpose of conducting a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise and will not formally begin the procurement or constitute any commitment by the City of London Corporation to undertake any procurement exercise.
Participation in the PME will be at each organisations own cost. No expense in responding to this PME will be reimbursed by the City.
The PME will run from 12th May 2026 to 4th June 2026 at midday.
- Tender notice published58 days ago27 Aug 2026, 18:13 BST
- Next notice expected47 days ago7 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Clarification questions by45 days ago10 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline33 days ago22 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 52 days15 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 184 days27 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
5 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 12 May 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published12 May 2026, 10:48 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published27 Aug 2026, 18:13 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £900,00027 Aug 2026, 18:13 BSTwas £850,000
- Status changed to active27 Aug 2026, 18:13 BST
- Procurement method changed27 Aug 2026, 18:13 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: The final documents, including the Pricing Schedule, will be provided to Suppliers at the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage.
Notices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender