Award

NLA Media Access Licence for Newspaper Content

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK & PENSIONS

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

04 Jun 2026 at 13:00

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

04 Jun 2026 at 12:52

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), located in London, United Kingdom, has completed the procurement process for the "NLA Media Access Licence for Newspaper Content," falling under the services category with CPV classification 79980000 – Subscription services. This contract was awarded by direct award method, due to the service's exclusivity to NLA Media Access Limited, who hold exclusive rights. The procurement reflects the necessity for ongoing, legally compliant access to UK and international news content, crucial for DWP's operational activity, media monitoring, and strategic communications. The award decision was substantiated in compliance with the Procurement Act 2023 and was necessary to ensure uninterrupted access to licensed content. The contract commenced on 17 June 2026, and it will run until 31 March 2027, with a notable gross value of £299,226.72.

This tender presents unique opportunities for businesses with capabilities in media licensing and content distribution. While the direct nature of this award limited competition, it highlights the potential value for businesses that are capable of securing exclusive rights to media content. Companies within the industry of content licensing and media monitoring can draw insight from this process, potentially exploring collaborations or exclusivity deals that might position them for future opportunities in similar public procurement exercises.

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

Notice Information

Notice Title

NLA Media Access Licence for Newspaper Content

Notice Description

DWP requires ongoing, legally compliant access to UK and international news content to support operational activity, media monitoring, and strategic communications. The Department for Work and Pensions ("the Authority") intends to award this contract directly to NLA Media Access Limited ("NLA") in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 ("PA23"). This is justified on the basis that the services can be supplied only by a particular supplier due to the existence of exclusive rights (paragraph 5 of Schedule 5 PA23). NLA is the collective licensing body representing a wide range of UK newspaper and magazine publishers and is the only organisation currently authorised to grant licences permitting the copying, sharing and internal distribution of such content across multiple publishers. There is no reasonable alternative or substitute capable of providing an equivalent service, and the absence of competition is not the result of any artificial narrowing of the Authority's requirements. This notice is being published after the commencement of the contract in order to ensure transparency in respect of the Authority's decision to make this direct award. Due to the urgent requirement to ensure continuity of lawful access to licensed content, the contract was awarded prior to publication of this notice. The Authority acknowledges that the notice was not issued in advance of the contract award and is now publishing this information to provide visibility of the justification and the Authority's obligations under the Procurement Act 2023.

Procurement Information

The Department for Work and Pensions ("the Authority") intends to award this contract directly to NLA Media Access Limited ("NLA") in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 ("PA23"). This is justified on the basis that the services can be supplied only by a particular supplier due to the existence of exclusive rights (paragraph 5 of Schedule 5 PA23). NLA is the collective licensing body representing a wide range of UK newspaper and magazine publishers and is the only organisation currently authorised to grant licences permitting the copying, sharing and internal distribution of such content across multiple publishers. There is no reasonable alternative or substitute capable of providing an equivalent service, and the absence of competition is not the result of any artificial narrowing of the Authority's requirements. This notice is being published after the commencement of the contract in order to ensure transparency in respect of the Authority's decision to make this direct award. Due to the urgent requirement to ensure continuity of lawful access to licensed content, the contract was awarded prior to publication of this notice. The Authority acknowledges that the notice was not issued in advance of the contract award and is now publishing this information to provide visibility of the justification and the Authority's obligations under the Procurement Act 2023.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ad92
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052839-2026
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

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

CPV Codes

79980000 - Subscription services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£249,355 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Jun 2026Today
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
31 Mar 20262 months ago
Contract Period
16 Jun 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEPARTMENT FOR WORK & PENSIONS
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
SW1H 9NA
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)

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-06ad92-2026-06-04T14:00:22+01:00",
    "date": "2026-06-04T14:00:22+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06ad92",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PJCP-7274-TLRQ",
            "name": "Department for Work & Pensions",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PJCP-7274-TLRQ"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Caxton House, 6-12 Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "SW1H 9NA",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI32"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Professional Services Team",
                "email": "professional.services@dwp.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PLMM-3896-RGZM",
            "name": "NLA Media Access",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PLMM-3896-RGZM"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Mount Pleasant House, Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells",
                "locality": "Kent",
                "postalCode": "TN1 1HJ",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKJ46"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "arose@nla.co.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false,
                "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
                "shelteredWorkshop": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PJCP-7274-TLRQ",
        "name": "Department for Work & Pensions"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06ad92",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "NLA Media Access Licence for Newspaper Content",
        "description": "DWP requires ongoing, legally compliant access to UK and international news content to support operational activity, media monitoring, and strategic communications. The Department for Work and Pensions (\"the Authority\") intends to award this contract directly to NLA Media Access Limited (\"NLA\") in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 (\"PA23\"). This is justified on the basis that the services can be supplied only by a particular supplier due to the existence of exclusive rights (paragraph 5 of Schedule 5 PA23). NLA is the collective licensing body representing a wide range of UK newspaper and magazine publishers and is the only organisation currently authorised to grant licences permitting the copying, sharing and internal distribution of such content across multiple publishers. There is no reasonable alternative or substitute capable of providing an equivalent service, and the absence of competition is not the result of any artificial narrowing of the Authority's requirements. This notice is being published after the commencement of the contract in order to ensure transparency in respect of the Authority's decision to make this direct award. Due to the urgent requirement to ensure continuity of lawful access to licensed content, the contract was awarded prior to publication of this notice. The Authority acknowledges that the notice was not issued in advance of the contract award and is now publishing this information to provide visibility of the justification and the Authority's obligations under the Procurement Act 2023.",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "direct",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "The Department for Work and Pensions (\"the Authority\") intends to award this contract directly to NLA Media Access Limited (\"NLA\") in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 (\"PA23\"). This is justified on the basis that the services can be supplied only by a particular supplier due to the existence of exclusive rights (paragraph 5 of Schedule 5 PA23). NLA is the collective licensing body representing a wide range of UK newspaper and magazine publishers and is the only organisation currently authorised to grant licences permitting the copying, sharing and internal distribution of such content across multiple publishers. There is no reasonable alternative or substitute capable of providing an equivalent service, and the absence of competition is not the result of any artificial narrowing of the Authority's requirements. This notice is being published after the commencement of the contract in order to ensure transparency in respect of the Authority's decision to make this direct award. Due to the urgent requirement to ensure continuity of lawful access to licensed content, the contract was awarded prior to publication of this notice. The Authority acknowledges that the notice was not issued in advance of the contract award and is now publishing this information to provide visibility of the justification and the Authority's obligations under the Procurement Act 2023.",
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            }
        ],
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "singleSuppliersIntellectualPropertyExclusiveRights"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "title": "NLA Media Access Licence for Newspaper Content",
            "status": "pending",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 299226.72,
                "amount": 249355.6,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-PPON-PLMM-3896-RGZM",
                    "name": "NLA Media Access"
                }
            ],
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "79980000",
                            "description": "Subscription services"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "UK",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2026-06-17T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2027-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "052830-2026",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK5",
                    "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052830-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-06-04T13:52:07+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "052839-2026",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052839-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-06-04T14:00:22+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2026-06-17T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ],
            "date": "2026-04-01T00:00:00+01:00",
            "standstillPeriod": {
                "endDate": "2026-06-16T23:59:59+01:00"
            }
        }
    ],
    "language": "en"
}