Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Media Buying
Authority: Scottish Water
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionScottish Water is establishing a framework for Media Planning and Buying Services to support paid advertising and communications across Scotland. The appointed supplier will work in partnership with Scottish Water to identify, plan, buy, manage, and evaluate media activity across national and regional audiences. Services will span TV/On‑Demand, audio including radio, digital, social, out‑of‑home, and press.<br/><br/>The supplier will provide expert media planning advice, high‑performing media schedules, campaign setup and optimisation, and full monitoring, reporting, and insights. They will also offer value‑added services such as audience profiling, industry and competitor analysis, account management, and production of digital, social, and radio advertising assets. Close collaboration with Scottish Water’s Corporate Affairs team and other departments is required to support proactive and reactive communication needs.
CPV: Advertising and marketing services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 1 suppliers
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Scottish Water provide vital water and waste water services, essential to daily life,…Published value£17,600,000
Scottish Water provide vital water and waste water services, essential to daily life, to over 2.6 million households and more than 160,000 business premises across Scotland, and therefore need to be able to plan and carry out paid-for advertising/comms which have the scope to reach and engage with customers at both a pan-Scotland level and a regional/local level. In order to identify, plan and use the most effective platforms/channel mix to reach the target customer audience/base Scottish Water would like to source a framework for the supply of Media Planning & Buying Services that reflects a full range of media planning and buying capabilities underpinned by flexible, reliable, cost effective and customer focused service.<br/><br/>The scope of the contract is to work in partnership with Scottish Water, supplying the media planning and buying services, which will include:<br/>- providing high quality technical advice and proposals for the most effective platforms and advertising/media channel mix to be considered for the campaign paid-for advertising activity <br/>- proposing media schedules which will deliver effective/high performing campaigns at both national (Scotland-wide) and/or regional/local level that offer Scottish Water the maximum potential reach, engagement and value.<br/>- providing monitoring, evaluation, campaign analysis & insights and reporting pre, during and post any campaign/advertising activity.<br/><br/>The media buying services will be for both proactive and reactive activity and will include, but are not limited to, campaign/advertising activities across the following platforms/channels:<br/>- AV including TV and On Demand services<br/>- Audio including Radio<br/>- Digital<br/>- Social<br/>- Out Of Home <br/>- Press<br/><br/>It is expected that the selected supplier will work closely with the Corporate Affairs team as the primary contact but will also be able to maintain and manage relationships and work independently with other Scottish Water departments who are considering a paid-for advertising media schedule to deliver either proactive and/or reactive comms activity as appropriate. The supplier will be expected to provide a number of value added services to SW including but not limited to:-<br/><br/>
- Industry-specific market analysis, updates and advice and provision of information including competitor monitoring, consumer, industry and channel analysis and insight<br/>
- Reporting & insights (pre, during and post campaign/advertising analysis activity)<br/>
- Dedicated Account Manager<br/>
- Audience profiling<br/>
- Planning, buying and management of all media proposed<br/>
- Optimisation and management including set up of campaigns/advertising activity (inclusive of ASBOF levy and any media commission/copyright licence, but excluding adserving if required)<br/>
- Management of SW account, including all meetings, travel and expenses in the servicing of the account.<br/>
- Ability to create, set up and deliver digital and social adverts<br/>
- Ability to source voiceover artists, produce and deliver finalised radio adverts (including appropriate RACC clearance) and supply final file to radio station. Additional information: To access the following opportunity, please register using the following link: atamis-scottishwater.my.salesforce-sites.com/ProSpend__CS_PublicL… ↗
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).
- Shortlisting
- See Procurement Documents or further information
- “Provision of Media Buying” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 1 suppliers, not a single contract.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Negotiated procedure with prior call for competition
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0025 Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (Directive 2014/25/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 18 Feb 2026, 13:18 GMT
- Last source update
- 18 Feb 2026, 13:18 GMT
- Authority reference
SW26/CON/1540- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-014771- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-065712Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Performance terms
See Procurement Documents or further information
Publisher note: To access this opportunity, please register using the following link: https://atamis-scottishwater.my.salesforce-sites.com/ProSpend__CS_PublicLandingPage?SearchType=Projects
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 23 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission","written"}
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
18 Feb 2026 → 23 Mar 2026 · 2 dates- Notice published251 days ago18 Feb 2026, 13:18 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends219 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown23 Mar 2026, 12:00 GMT
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Glasgow Sheriff CourtReview body
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Technical selection criteria
- Economic and financial selection criteria