Award

UK5 - Transparency notice

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

01 Apr 2026 at 12:44

Award

01 Apr 2026 at 12:36

Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Education, based at Sanctuary Buildings in London, has completed a procurement process for the service titled "UK5 - Transparency notice". This procurement falls under the recreational, cultural and sporting services category and was conducted through a direct award method due to the sole source capabilities of the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA). The contract involves granting schools licences to access and copy content from newspapers and news websites. The procurement stage reached completion with the award status currently pending, and the standstill period ending on 14th April 2026. The contract period is set from 15th April 2026 to 31st March 2033, offering a substantial opportunity with a contract value exceeding £2.2 million.

Such a tender provides significant growth opportunities for businesses involved in copyright management and licensing services, especially those with experience in educational licensing. Organisations like Copyright Management Organisations (CMOs) can benefit from this procurement, given their expertise in handling copyright materials for educational and extracurricular activities. Although NLA Media Access Ltd has been identified as the supplier, similar large-scale entities with exclusive rights to intellectual property within the sector could find themselves well-positioned to engage in future opportunities of this nature.

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Notice Title

UK5 - Transparency notice

Notice Description

Schools require licences to access copyright materials for teaching and learning and extracurricular activities. Copyright licences are handled by and purchased from Copyright Management Organisations (CMOs). CMOs are a type of licensing body that grant rights to materials on behalf of rights holders (e.g. authors/composers). Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA): Permits schools to the copying of content from national, regional and local newspapers and certain news websites.

Procurement Information

Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA) are the sole source of the licence that permits educational establishments to copy content from national, regional and local newspapers and certain news websites.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-067ac2
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030374-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award 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

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services


CPV Codes

92000000 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£2,296,740 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Apr 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
31 Mar 20263 days ago
Contract Period
14 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2033 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION
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
SW1P 3BT
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

NLA MEDIA ACCESS

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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