Planning

Public Relation/Communication Support - Key Projects

THE WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

26 Mar 2026 at 15:02

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The West of England Combined Authority is initiating the procurement process for a contract titled "Public Relation/Communication Support - Key Projects." This contract falls under the services category, specifically targeting public relations services, marketing management consultancy services, and advertising and marketing services. The procurement is currently in the planning stage with a pre-market engagement scheduled in two phases. The first phase involves an online presentation on Microsoft Teams on the 15th of April 2026, followed by a questionnaire, due by the 24th of April 2026. This engagement activity will help refine the scope and commercial model for the contract. The procurement relates to projects with significant political and community stakeholder involvement, aiming to facilitate public consultation and communication for initiatives such as the Spatial Development Strategy and Mass Transit. The project location is primarily the West of England region, and the communication model and final scope will be developed post-engagement.

This tender represents a substantial opportunity for businesses specialising in public relations, marketing consultancy, and advertising, particularly those comfortable navigating politically sensitive environments. The contract value is notably significant, with a gross amount projected at £1,800,000, and it is designed for SMEs, offering a potential growth opportunity in a highly competitive industry. Businesses equipped to handle communication strategies for large-scale projects will find this tender particularly appealing. The contract period spans from July 2026 to May 2029, with the possibility of renewal until May 2030. The structure allows flexibility and continuity, presenting an avenue for long-term engagement and collaboration with the Combined Authority. Interested parties are encouraged to register for the pre-market engagement to gain insights into the approach and to influence the final procurement model, fostering a collaborative development process.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Public Relation/Communication Support - Key Projects

Notice Description

The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) is seeking to engage the market to help design and develop its scope of the provision of public relation/ communication support for key projects being delivered by the MCA, including: the Spatial Development Strategy; West Innovation Arc; Mass Transit. The engagement will also focus on the planned commercial modelling expected for this contract. The nature of these projects is highly political with various key stakeholders both internally and externally within the community. They will require support for public consultation.

Planning Information

The MCA is planning to conduct pre-market engagement in two phases. The first phase will include a presentation from project leads and the commercial team to outline the current approach to this procurement. This presentation will be held online via Microsoft Teams on 15th April 2026 from 9am to 10am. Please note, this presentation will be recorded and available to all bidders as part of the ITT pack, once the ITT is published, in line with the Procurement Act 2023. The second phase will be a questionnaire following the presentation in phase one. This questionnaire will speak to the issues and rationale raised in the presentation and will aide the MCA in further developing a final scope and commercial model for this procurement. The market will have until Friday 24th April 2026 to respond to the questionnaire. We requested all companies interested in participating in phase one to register using the following link. https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/Sc9zjL0tkd

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06756d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028042-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79340000 - Advertising and marketing services

79413000 - Marketing management consultancy services

79416000 - Public relations services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Mar 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
4 May 20261 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Jun 2026 - 31 May 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS1 6AL
Post Town
Bristol
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK51 Bristol, City of
Delivery Location
TLK1 Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area, TLK11 Bristol, City of, TLK12 Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Local Authority
Bristol, City of
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Bristol 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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