Award

Audience Services

THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION (BBC)

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

06 May 2025 at 14:03

Award Notice
Tender

04 Mar 2024 at 15:21

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), headquartered in London, has successfully completed the procurement process for 'Audience Services' under the industry category of Customer Services. This follows a competitive procedure with negotiation, aimed at enhancing BBC’s customer management capabilities by handling various services such as editorial inquiries, technical support, and audience feedback. The tender process, which was active until 3rd April 2024, awarded the contract to Serco Limited. The services will commence on 16th April 2026, with the contractual service expected to last until 31st March 2031, and a potential extension up to three years. The procurement involved a significant contract value of £40.6 million and was selectively opened to SMEs but not VCSEs, highlighting BBC's commitment to innovation and efficiency through the introduction of technologies like AI.

This tender presents a valuable opportunity for businesses specialising in customer services to leverage the partnership with a prestigious organisation like the BBC. Companies offering innovative technological solutions that enhance customer engagement and service efficiencies will find this contract particularly appealing. Additionally, firms adaptable to potentially expanding service scopes, such as increased social media use, can bolster their growth by demonstrating their capability to align with the BBC’s strategic objectives, including the 'Digital First' approach. Business entities that aim to build long-term strategic collaborations and possess the ability to handle high-profile service demands will find this tender aligns well with their growth ambitions.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Audience Services

Notice Description

The BBC has procured customer management services to support a broad range of services including: - Handling editorial and non-editorial complaints - Responding to enquiries - Managing comments & appreciations - Technical support for iPlayer, Sounds, BBC Account - Reception Advice - BBC Action Lines - BBC Charitable Appeals & Donations collections (Lifeline & Radio 4) - Artist mail - Ticketing for BBC shows - 'Take Part' in a show - BBC Switchboard The BBC has a mission to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which continue to inform, educate and entertain. Audience Services supports this by continuing to put our audiences at the heart of our operation, providing them exceptional service, irrespective of channel. We engage them with respect and understanding and work to build audience loyalty to the BBC and the Licence Fee. The over-riding objective of the procurement was to enhance the service offering whilst maintaining the high quality of the services enjoyed by audiences today. Potential efficiency opportunities were assessed for all service lines, in particular how the introduction of new technologies such as AI can augment case handling making our skilled agents even more efficient and effective. We also want to make better use of the rich data we compile to help us drive audience insights across the BBC. Examples of potential use cases already identified include: - Sifting and grouping contacts which relate to the same issue, which can be handled via bulk responses - Drawing from our Knowledge database to draft responses for agents to review - Increasing audience self-service via dynamic FAQ surfaced using Chatbot We made use of the negotiation phase of this procurement to work with bidders to really develop this thinking and ensure we deliver the best operating model possible for the next generation of Audience Services. The procurement has awarded the contract to a single supplier to provide a seamless end-to-end service to audiences in conjunction with the BBC team. The BBC has entered into a contract to allow for a 12-month transition period, to Service Commencement on 16th April 2026. The service provision has an initial term of five years ending on 31st March 2031. The Contract may be extended, at the BBC's discretion, by up to 36 months. This means that the maximum length of the service provision could be 8 years. The total value includes all maximum, potential extensions to the contract.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-95ced625-82f5-42f2-8596-de2cdab6b901
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/684026db-6eae-4b6d-84a8-09d20c1d27c5
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive procedure with negotiation (above threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79342300 - Customer services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£40,600,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£40,600,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
3 Apr 2024Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
7 Apr 202510 months ago
Contract Period
15 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2031 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION (BBC)
Contact Name
Jonathan Palfreeman
Contact Email
jonathan.palfreeman@bbc.co.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
W1A 1AA
Post Town
West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
West End
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SERCO

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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