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Domain Name Service (DNS) Solution

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

05 Aug 2026 at 12:26

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

03 Jun 2026 at 14:33

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
AwardUpdate

03 Jun 2026 at 14:30

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Award

03 Jun 2026 at 14:17

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The BBC procured an Internet-facing authoritative Domain Name Service (DNS) solution for BBC Online and related services. The service is intended to keep the BBC’s online presence available across the UK and globally, supporting high-availability architecture, load balancing across service architectures, failover responses when services have problems, and routing users to suitable services. The requirement covers information technology services, data network management and support, computer network services, and Internet domain names. The buying organisation is the British Broadcasting Corporation, and delivery supports online services used across the UK and worldwide. The requirement is for a service provider with direct responsibility for the DNS platform and access to the technical and operational teams delivering it, rather than a reseller or other third party.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded to IBM United Kingdom Limited. Award 1 was made on 29 May 2026 for £1,100,000 excluding VAT, or £1,320,000 including VAT, with a contract period from 12 June 2026 to 28 May 2029. A second active award to IBM is recorded for the same lot, without a stated value or award date. The related contract was signed on 29 May 2026 for £1,100,000 excluding VAT, or £1,320,000 including VAT, and runs from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2029, with one possible 12-month extension to 31 May 2030. The route is recorded as a direct award. The original competitive procedure was terminated on 18 December 2025 after an internal review found no suitable bids and concluded that proceeding would not provide value for money.

This award demonstrates demand from the BBC for enterprise-grade authoritative DNS supporting a critical, Internet-facing broadcasting and media platform. Suppliers best placed for a future requirement would be DNS operators or technology providers able to deliver resilient, globally available services and maintain service continuity across complex online architectures. Relevant capability includes high-availability design, DNS-based load balancing, automated or rapid failover, traffic routing, network management and operational support. The BBC’s stated need for direct access to the teams responsible for delivery means a credible supplier would need its own technical and operational capability, rather than acting solely as a reseller. Experience supporting major public-facing digital services, with sufficient organisational capacity for continuous, specialist service management, would also be important.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Domain Name Service (DNS) Solution

Notice Description

The BBC is procuring an Internet-facing authoritative DNS (Domain Name Service) solution. The purpose of this solution is to ensure BBC Online and related services continue to remain available in the UK across the globe. Due to the critical nature of this service to the BBC's online presence, it is essential the BBC has direct access to the technical and operational teams responsible for providing the DNS services. To ensure service continuity and the necessary level of technical expertise, the BBC will not accept tender submissions from third parties, such as resellers. Currently, the high availability design of BBC Online relies heavily on DNS for load balancing across different service architectures, failover responses in the event of service problems, and ensuring the best possible audience experience by routing clients to the most appropriate services that can respond to their requests. Original Tender notication was published using PCR2015. A decision to terminate the Competitive Procedure was taken on 18/12/2025 following an internal review which concluded that no suitable bids were received and proceeding would not currently deliver value for money for the license fee payer.

Procurement Information

Original Tender notication was published using PCR2015. A decision to terminate the Competitive Procedure was taken on 18/12/2025 following an internal review which concluded that no suitable bids were received and proceeding would not currently deliver value for money for the license fee payer.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ac8d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074148-2026
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
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72222300 - Information technology services

72315000 - Data network management and support services

72417000 - Internet domain names

72700000 - Computer network services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,100,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,100,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Aug 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
29 May 20264 months ago
Contract Period
1 Jun 2026 - 31 May 2029 3-4 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
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)
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
W1A 1AA
Postcode Area
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
West End
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

IBM United Kingdom Limited

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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