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NLA Media Access Licence for Newspaper Content

Department for Work and Pensions

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

17 Jun 2026 at 14:13

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

04 Jun 2026 at 14:00

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

04 Jun 2026 at 13:52

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Work & Pensions has awarded a contract to NLA Media Access for the NLA Media Access Licence for Newspaper Content. This contract, which falls under the services category of subscription services, pertains to providing legally compliant access to UK and international news content for operational activities, media monitoring, and strategic communications. The procurement, conducted via a direct award under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023, was necessary due to NLA's exclusive rights as the sole entity authorised to license such content. The contract commenced on 17th June 2026 and will end on 31st March 2027, covering services across the United Kingdom with the total contract value being £299,226.72 Gross.

This procurement process, classified under direct award due to exclusive intellectual property rights, presents limited opportunities for other businesses given the specific requirements and rights involved. However, related industries, such as those providing supplementary media analysis or content management services, might find indirect growth opportunities through offering supportive services to organisations like the Department for Work & Pensions. Whilst the direct award limits competition, businesses focusing on creating or managing compliant digital media content could explore potential collaborations with industry publishers represented by NLA Media Access.

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/057156-2026
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

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
£249,355 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Jun 20263 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Apr 20266 months ago
Contract Period
17 Jun 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active, Pending
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Department for Work and 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
Postcode Area
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 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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