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Public Relations

ASTER GROUP LIMITED

This public procurement record has 6 releases in its history.

Award

23 Oct 2026 at 12:59

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

23 Oct 2026 at 11:32

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

20 Apr 2026 at 21:14

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

02 Dec 2025 at 21:58

UK4 - Tender Notice
PlanningUpdate

11 Sep 2025 at 13:48

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

11 Sep 2025 at 13:32

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Aster Group Limited procured public affairs, public relations and ad hoc special-project services. Public affairs covers policy and advocacy support, government and policy intelligence, and stakeholder engagement. The public relations requirement covers PR consultancy and delivery, with performance assessed against industry standards, service levels, audience engagement and the timeliness and quality of outputs. The third lot is for special ad hoc projects. Aster’s framework is for its internal use. Delivery is across England for the public affairs and PR lots, with the special-project lot covering the UK. The requirement is split into three lots, allowing suppliers to focus on distinct communications and advisory capabilities rather than treating the work as a single service.

The procurement is complete and all three lots have been awarded. Aster selected Cavendish Consulting and Madano Partnership for public affairs, City Press Services and See Media for public relations, and City Press Services, Jefferson Communications, Building Relations and Madano Partnership for ad hoc special projects. Each award was dated 20 April 2026. The gross award values are £304,000 for public affairs, £304,000 for PR and £120,000 for special projects; these are separate lot values, not a combined total. The associated contracts are active and signed. The PR contract runs from 9 June 2026 to 8 June 2028, with two 12-month renewal periods. The public affairs contract runs from 7 July 2026 to 6 June 2028, also with two 12-month renewal periods. The special-project contract period is 7 May 2026 to 6 May 2030. The open competition used a two-stage flexible procedure including interview. Cost carried 30% and technical quality 70%; suppliers could bid for up to two lots and receive up to two awards.

For suppliers considering comparable future work with Aster, the awards show demand for both ongoing public affairs and PR support and a separate route for one-off communications projects. Credible competitors need to demonstrate practical policy and advocacy capability, including the ability to produce timely, relevant government intelligence, secure and evaluate stakeholder engagement, and show the impact of advocacy. PR suppliers should be able to measure outcomes using recognised industry approaches, deliver against service levels including responsiveness in a crisis, and evidence audience engagement through measures such as social reach and website traffic. Strong technical proposals matter more than price in this evaluation model. The three-lot structure and SME suitability recorded for public affairs indicate that specialist suppliers can be relevant, while the multi-supplier awards show that Aster uses more than one provider for its communications requirements.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Public Relations

Notice Description

Provision of Public Relations Services

Lot Information

Lot 1 - Public Affairs (PA) Services Public Relations (PR) Services Ad Hoc Special Projects

Planning Information

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: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/aster/aspx/ProjectManage/605 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.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05989c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100462-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

79416000 - Public relations services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£770,557 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£752,783 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
£424,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£304,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
3 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
20 Apr 20266 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
ASTER GROUP LIMITED
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
DEVIZES
Postcode
SN10 2AZ
Postcode Area
Swindon
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK72 Wiltshire
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Wiltshire
Electoral Ward
Urchfont & Bishops Cannings
Westminster Constituency
Melksham and Devizes

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
6
Supplier Names

CAVENDISH CONSULTING LIMITED

MADANO PARTNERSHIP

CITY PRESS SERVICES LIMITED

See Media LTD

JEFFERSON COMMUNICATIONS JC LIMITED

BUILDING RELATIONS LTD

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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