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Crisis Media Management

Northern Lighthouse Board

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

27 Jul 2026 at 16:38

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Tender

09 Jun 2026 at 16:25

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Northern Lighthouse Board procured crisis media management and associated communications support, a public-sector communications service covering serious incidents and related reputational risks. The appointed provider is expected to operate a full press office with a dedicated media telephone line, manage the Board’s social media channels and website, advise spokespeople, and provide a media adviser at or near an incident scene. The service also covers maintaining media contacts, updating adviser details, securely managing confidential information about Board staff and assets, and supporting exercises. Additional work includes advice on negative press or social-media engagement and media training for spokespeople handling interviews, press conferences and public statements. Exercises take place at the Board’s headquarters in Edinburgh or its Oban Base. The buyer is the Northern Lighthouse Board.

This was a below-threshold open competition for services, evaluated on a price-per-quality-point basis with quality weighted at 100%. The single lot was suitable for SMEs. Enquiries closed on 30 June 2026 and tender submissions closed on 7 July 2026. The procurement was awarded to Charlotte Street Partners Limited, with the contract signed on 23 July 2026. The contract is active from 24 July 2026 to 23 July 2030. Its value is £65,000 excluding VAT, or £78,000 including VAT. The lot’s stated contract period was 13 July 2026 to 12 July 2030. The procurement is complete, and the award covers the full crisis media management requirement rather than separate lots or competing suppliers.

This requirement demonstrates demand for a specialist crisis communications provider able to deliver dependable, round-the-clock media response for a public authority. A credible competitor would need a staffed press office, continuous on-call coverage, rapid deployment of an experienced media adviser to an incident location, and the ability to support senior spokespeople under pressure. Relevant capability includes managing press enquiries, websites and social channels during a serious incident, maintaining current media and adviser contact networks, and giving practical advice on reputational issues outside a full crisis. Suppliers should also be able to deliver structured media training and crisis exercises in Edinburgh and Oban. Strong information governance is important: the service involves confidential staff and asset information that must be securely stored, controlled and used only under the Board’s instructions.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Crisis Media Management

Notice Description

The Northern Lighthouse Board is looking to award a contract for the provision of Crisis Media Management to commence July 2026 for a period of 4 years. The service to be provided is Crisis Media Management and associated support to NLB, in the event of a serious incident. The successful contractor will be required to be on call 24 hours / 365 days per annum, including leap years. In the event of a serious incident, the contractor will be expected to: *Provide a full press office service with a dedicated phone line for dealing with media enquiries. This will also include management of NLB's social media channels and website. *Advise and support NLB spokespeople on dealing with the media. *Provide a media adviser at the scene or close to the scene of the incident to deal with the media and to provide support to NLB spokespeople. *NLB will provide the contractor with key staff contact information and general information about its assets. It will be NLB's responsibility to update this information. The contractor must hold this information on a strictly confidential basis, and it must only be used in the event of incidents or exercises following NLBs written or verbal instructions. Please detail how the information will be stored/managed. *The contractor will be required to hold and update a list of media contacts. *The contractor will be responsible for providing NLB with up-to-date details of their advisors. Ad-hoc Requirements In addition to the above, you may also be required to provide the following: Support for NLB's Communication Officer From time to time, the Communications Officer may require guidance on managing negative engagement on social media or in the press. While these situations may not constitute a full crisis, they can still pose a risk to NLB's reputation and therefore benefit from timely support and advice. Media Training for NLB spokespeople This is to equip NLB spokespeople with the skills and strategies to handle interviews, press conferences, and public statements with confidence and to communicate key messages clearly, stay on track under pressure, respond to challenging questions, and present themselves in a credible, engaging way across TV, radio, print, and digital platforms. Exercise These will take place at either NLB's headquarters in Edinburgh or at the Oban Base.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b120
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070926-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79430000 - Crisis management services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£65,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
£65,000 Under £100K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£65,000 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
7 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
23 Jul 20261 months ago
Contract Period
24 Jul 2026 - 23 Jul 2030 4-5 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
Northern Lighthouse Board
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
EDINBURGH
Postcode
EH2 3DA
Postcode Area
Edinburgh
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM1 East Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM13 City of Edinburgh
Delivery Location
TLM Scotland
Local Authority
City of Edinburgh
Electoral Ward
City Centre
Westminster Constituency
Edinburgh North and Leith

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Charlotte Street Partners 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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