Official UK procurement notice
Public Relations · UK public procurement notice
Authority: Aster Group Limited
What is being bought3 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionProvision of Public Relations Services
- How the procedure runs: 2 stage Procedure involving Interview
CPV: Public relations services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework · open framework scheme (admission reopens)
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Places
- up to 8 suppliers · 19 bids on the busiest of 3 lots (2.4 per place) · 6 appointed
- Framework period
- 4 yrs · up to 5 yrs 11 mo from 20 Apr 2026
Published description of the framework
The Framework will be operated and managed by Aster Group for internal use
Lots and requirements (3)Procurement structure
3 lots · all with a published value · a supplier may bid for at most 2 and win at most 2 of them · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Public Affairs (PA) ServicesAwardedRenewalPublished value£0
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #2Public Relations (PR) ServicesAwardedPublished value£0
The source published no individual description for this lot.
Lot #3Ad Hoc Special ProjectsAwardedPublished value£0
The source published no individual description for this lot.
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 (2)
- Technical (Stage 1 Evaluation): 70%
- Cost (Stage 1 Evaluation): 30%
Published award criteria (2)
- Cost (Stage 1 Evaluation)
- Technical (Stage 1 Evaluation)
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Public Relations” 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
- Open framework scheme
- 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
- 11 Sept 2025, 13:32 BST
- Last source update
- 23 Oct 2026, 12:59 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 23 Mar 2026
- Authority reference
CAS-01125-R8Q1V8- Lot 2- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-079138- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05989cFind a Tender
- How it runs
2 stage Procedure involving Interview
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 16 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Appointment period ends
- 16 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 7 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
11 Sept 2025 → 23 Oct 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published11 Sept 2025, 13:32 BST
- Market engagement389 days ago30 Sept 2025, 23:59 BST
This Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PIN) is issued to inform the market of a potential upcoming procurement for Public Affairs (PA) and Public Relations (PR) consultancy services. The purpose of this engagement is to:
Understand market capabilities and interest
Inform the scope and structure of the procurement
Explore suitable commercial and delivery models
Identify potential risks and opportunities
This is not a call for competition and does not constitute a formal procurement process.
Interested suppliers are invited to participate by completing a Preliminary Market Engagement Questionnaire. The questionnaire seeks feedback on service capabilities, delivery models, commercial preferences, and suggestions for framework design. Please follow this link to express your interest and access the related documents: in-tendhost.co.uk/aster/aspx/ProjectMa… ↗
Responses will be used to shape the procurement strategy and documentation.
Subject to the outcome of this engagement, the contracting authority may proceed with a formal procurement process. Suppliers who do not participate in this engagement will not be excluded from future opportunities.
It is mandatory for any interested suppliers to register on the new CENTRAL DIGITAL PLATFORM which is part of the enhanced Find a Tender Service.
- Next notice expected355 days ago3 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Tender notice published326 days ago2 Dec 2025, 21:58 GMT
- Clarification questions by290 days ago7 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends281 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown16 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by215 days ago23 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent188 days ago20 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Contract starts188 days ago20 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published1 day ago23 Oct 2026, 12:59 BST
Notice history
12 events · 6 releases on Find a Tender · since 11 Sept 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published11 Sept 2025, 13:32 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published11 Sept 2025, 13:48 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published2 Dec 2025, 21:58 GMTUK4
- Published value updated2 Dec 2025, 21:58 GMT
- Status changed to active2 Dec 2025, 21:58 GMT
- Procurement method changed2 Dec 2025, 21:58 GMT
- Contract award notice published20 Apr 2026, 21:14 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete20 Apr 2026, 21:14 BST
- Procurement method changed20 Apr 2026, 21:14 BST
- Contract signature expected6 May 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published23 Oct 2026, 11:32 BSTUK7
- Contract details notice published23 Oct 2026, 12:59 BSTUK7
Routine re-releases (6)
- 2025-12: 1 release · 2 Dec 2025
- 2025-09: 2 releases · 11 Sept 2025, 11 Sept 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast£304,000 inc. VAT is the framework's published maximum, restated by the publisher on 2 award rows. It is one ceiling, not 2 separate sums, and no share per lot is published; those rows read “ceiling above”.
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 · Public Affairs (PA) Services1 award | |||
| CAVENDISH CONSULTING LIMITED, MADANO PARTNERSHIP LIMITEDPublic Affairs (PA)7 May 2026 – 6 May 2030 | ceiling above | 20 Apr 2026 | Awarded |
| Lot 2 · Public Relations (PR) Services1 award | |||
| CITY PRESS SERVICES LIMITED, See Media LTDSMEPublic Relations (PR)7 May 2026 – 6 May 2030 | ceiling above | 20 Apr 2026 | Awarded |
| Lot 3 · Ad Hoc Special Projects1 award | |||
| BUILDING RELATIONS LTDSME, CITY PRESS SERVICES LIMITED, JEFFERSON COMMUNICATIONS JC LIMITED, MADANO PARTNERSHIP LIMITEDSpecial Ad-Hoc Projects7 May 2026 – 6 May 2030 | £120,000 inc. VAT | 20 Apr 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
All 2 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £304,000, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.
Public Affairs · CAVENDISH CONSULTING LIMITED, MADANO PARTNERSHIP LIMITED
- Signed
- 7 Jul 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 7 Jul 2026 – 6 Jun 2028 · up to 6 Jul 2030 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- 2 periods of 12 months
3 agreed KPIs: Stakeholder Satisfaction · Advocacy Impact · Timeliness and relevance of government / policy intelligence.
- Stakeholder Satisfaction, Satisfaction of internal stakeholders with PA support.
- Advocacy Impact, Focus on impact of advocacy efforts (e.g., ability to document outcomes, policy shifts, stakeholder feedback).
- Timeliness and relevance of government / policy intelligence., Timeliness and relevance of government / policy intelligence Measurement and evaluation of quality stakeholder engagements facilitated
Public Relations · CITY PRESS SERVICES LIMITED, See Media LTDSME
- Signed
- 9 Jun 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Period
- 9 Jun 2026 – 8 Jun 2028 · up to 8 Jun 2030 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- 2 periods of 12 months each
3 agreed KPIs: Industry standard e.g. AMEC. · Performance against SLAs · Engagement
- Industry standard e.g. AMEC., Adherence to Industry standard e.g. AMEC to inform impact of results.
- Performance against SLAs, Measuring performance against SLAs e.g. responsiveness during crisis situations.
- Engagement, Engagement and interpretation metrics (e.g., social media reach, website traffic). Timeliness and quality of deliverables
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Public Affairs (PA) Services | 16final-stage tenders | 16 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Public Relations (PR) Services | 19final-stage tenders | 19 | 0 | — |
| 3 · Ad Hoc Special Projects | 16final-stage tenders | 16 | 1 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
6 commercial parties on the notice- BUILDING RELATIONS LTDFramework contractor
- CAVENDISH CONSULTING LIMITEDFramework contractor
- CITY PRESS SERVICES LIMITEDFramework contractor
- JEFFERSON COMMUNICATIONS JC LIMITEDFramework contractor
- MADANO PARTNERSHIP LIMITEDFramework contractor
- SEE MEDIA LIMITEDFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (11)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications
- Signed contract Framework/Lot 1 Contract
- Signed contract Framework/Call-Off (Lot 2) Contract
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details 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
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender