Award

The Economist Corporate Subscription

FOREIGN, COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

05 Mar 2026 at 13:19

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

22 Dec 2025 at 17:25

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

22 Dec 2025 at 12:46

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), located in London, is undertaking a procurement process for digital access subscriptions to The Economist and The Economist Intelligence Unit Viewpoint, specifically for its staff. This procurement falls within the category of services, and it is being executed using a direct award method due to intellectual property rights exclusive to The Economist Group Limited. The procurement title is "The Economist Corporate Subscription," and it aims to enhance the access to informative publications to support FCDO’s operations. The process has reached the awarding stage as of 5th March 2026, following initial awards dated back to December 2025. Contracts are set to run from 7th January 2026 to 31st December 2027. The total contract value amounts to £444,120 GBP, encapsulating a comprehensive subscription service for the organisation.

This tender presents a substantial opportunity for The Economist Group, a large supplier based in London, as they hold exclusive rights necessary for fulfilling FCDO's requirements. Businesses that specialise in providing unique subscription-based publications with significant intellectual property protection would have been ideally suited to compete in such a procurement. While the direct award method limits broad participation, entities within the publishing and digital subscription industry can explore similar opportunities that require specific rights or capabilities. This procurement highlights the significant business growth potential in catering to government organisations' needs for specialised information services.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

The Economist Corporate Subscription

Notice Description

The purchase of digital access to The Economist and The Economist Intelligence Unit Viewpoint for FCDO staff

Procurement Information

The FCDO requires access to a number of publications to support our staff's work. The Economist is a unique creative work. PA23 - Schedule 5 (a); due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05fb82
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019918-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

22 - Printed matter and related products

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

CPV Codes

22210000 - Newspapers

79980000 - Subscription services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£444,120 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£444,120 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
22 Dec 20254 months ago
Contract Period
22 Jan 2026 - 31 Dec 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
FOREIGN, COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1A 2AH
Post Town
South 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
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

THE ECONOMIST

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-05fb82-2026-03-05T13:19:32Z",
    "date": "2026-03-05T13:19:32Z",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-05fb82",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PXRR-8771-PHVX",
            "name": "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PXRR-8771-PHVX"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "King Charles Street",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SW1A 2AH",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI32"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Michelle Dilkes",
                "email": "commercial.smi@fcdo.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PWTT-6412-WYMN",
            "name": "The Economist",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PWTT-6412-WYMN"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "The Adelphi, 1 - 11 John Adam Street",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "WC2N 6HT",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI32"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "andrescardesin@eiu.com"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false,
                "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
                "shelteredWorkshop": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PXRR-8771-PHVX",
        "name": "Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "project_12402",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "The Economist Corporate Subscription",
        "description": "The purchase of digital access to The Economist and The Economist Intelligence Unit Viewpoint for FCDO staff",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "direct",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "The FCDO requires access to a number of publications to support our staff's work. The Economist is a unique creative work. PA23 - Schedule 5 (a); due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required",
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            }
        ],
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "singleSuppliersIntellectualPropertyExclusiveRights"
            }
        ],
        "coveredBy": [
            "GPA"
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "status": "active",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 444120,
                "amount": 444120,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-PPON-PWTT-6412-WYMN",
                    "name": "The Economist"
                }
            ],
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "22210000",
                            "description": "Newspapers"
                        },
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "79980000",
                            "description": "Subscription services"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "UKI32",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2026-01-07T00:00:00+00:00",
                "endDate": "2027-12-31T23:59:59+00:00"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "085382-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK5",
                    "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085382-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-12-22T12:46:40Z",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "085584-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085584-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-12-22T17:25:27Z",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2026-01-07T23:59:59+00:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ],
            "title": "The Economist Corporate Subscription",
            "date": "2025-12-22T00:00:00+00:00",
            "standstillPeriod": {
                "endDate": "2026-01-06T23:59:59+00:00"
            }
        }
    ],
    "language": "en",
    "contracts": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "awardID": "1",
            "status": "active",
            "period": {
                "startDate": "2026-01-22T00:00:00+00:00",
                "endDate": "2027-12-31T23:59:59+00:00"
            },
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 444120,
                "amount": 444120,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "dateSigned": "2026-01-22T00:00:00+00:00",
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "A-12915",
                    "documentType": "contractSigned",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/A-12915",
                    "format": "application/pdf"
                },
                {
                    "id": "019918-2026",
                    "documentType": "contractNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK7",
                    "description": "Contract details notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019918-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-03-05T13:19:32Z",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "noAgreedMetricsRationale": "Not required"
        }
    ]
}