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Postal Services

Sunderland City Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

21 Sep 2026 at 17:36

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

22 May 2025 at 17:46

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Sunderland City Council is buying postal services across two areas. Lot 1 covers hybrid and bulk mail: printing and posting hard-copy documents, generating email and SMS communications, and producing bulk documents from supplied data for physical or digital delivery. Work will be submitted through a hybrid mail system or Secure File Transfer Protocol, with demand mainly from Revenues and Benefits services including Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates, Business Improvement District Levy, periodic income, sundry debts and benefits. Lot 2 covers physical mail, collected from Council offices and posted for the Council and its partners. The services will be delivered in Sunderland and are classed as postal services (CPV 64110000). Both lots are suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises; Lot 1 is also suitable for voluntary, community and social enterprises.

The procurement has reached tender: the Council invited offers through an above-threshold open procedure. Enquiries were due by 16 October 2026 at 12:00, and tenders by 22 October 2026 at 12:00. The contract period for both lots is 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2031, with an option, entirely at the Council’s discretion, to extend by up to two years. The total estimated value is £3,816,000 excluding VAT and £4,579,200 including VAT. Lot 1 is valued at £2,742,000 excluding VAT (£3,290,400 including VAT); Lot 2 at £1,074,000 excluding VAT (£1,288,800 including VAT). Award decisions were due by 3 December 2026. Lot 1 is evaluated on price 45%, quality 45%, demonstration 5% and social value 5%. Lot 2 uses price 45%, quality 50% and social value 5%.

This opportunity suits postal and communications providers able to manage both physical and digital outbound communications at Council scale. Lot 1 favours suppliers with established hybrid-mail capability, including document printing, physical posting, email and SMS generation, data-led bulk production, secure file transfer and digital-channel delivery. Providers should be able to support Revenues and Benefits communications and work collaboratively on service consolidation, efficiency and increased digital adoption. Lot 2 favours an operator able to collect mail from Council offices, post on behalf of the Council and its partners, and flex capacity when volumes rise during peak periods. Businesses can pursue either lot, with small and medium-sized enterprises explicitly considered suitable; Lot 1 also welcomes voluntary, community and social enterprises. Social value forms part of the evaluation for both lots, while Lot 1 additionally requires a service demonstration.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Postal Services

Notice Description

Postal Services that includes hybrid mail, bulk mailings and revenues and benefits

Lot Information

Hybrid and Bulk Mail

The Provider must be capable of supporting a full range of outbound customer communications, including (but not limited to) the printing and posting of hard copy documents, the generation and issuance of mail such as email and SMS, and the production of bulk documents from supplied data for delivery via either physical or digital channels. The Council has operated a hybrid mail system for over seven years, during which time it has significantly transformed its outgoing mail processes to improve quality, flexibility, and digital capability. The Council is seeking opportunities to work collaboratively with Providers to further increase efficiency and reduce overall spend, potentially through greater consolidation of mail services and increased adoption of digital communication methods. Jobs will be provided via upload to a hybrid mail system or via Secure File Transfer (SFTP) for bulk mailing. The requirement for bulk mail is predominately from the Council's Revenues and Benefits services, which includes Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates, Business Improvement District Levy, Periodic Income, Sundry Debts and Benefits Service

Renewal: The contract may be extended at the entire discretion of the Authority for a maximum period of up to 2 years.

Physical Mail

The Council requires a postal services Provider to collect physical mail items from The Council's offices and post them on behalf of the Council and its Partners (The Council). Volumes of post will not be evenly distributed across the year therefore the Provider must have flexibility to accommodate increased volumes during peak periods.

Renewal: The contract may be extended at the entire discretion of the Authority for a maximum period of up to 2 years.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-051f61
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089364-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

64 - Postal and telecommunications services

CPV Codes

64110000 - Postal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£3,816,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£3,816,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Sep 2026Today
Submission Deadline
22 Oct 20261 months to go
Future Notice Date
30 Jan 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jul 2027 - 30 Jun 2031 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Sunderland City Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SUNDERLAND
Postcode
SR1 3AA
Postcode Area
Sunderland
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC44 Sunderland
Delivery Location
TLC23 Sunderland
Local Authority
Sunderland
Electoral Ward
Millfield
Westminster Constituency
Sunderland Central

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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