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Royal Mail Election Postal Services

Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

03 Sep 2026 at 11:18

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

12 Jun 2026 at 15:31

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Welsh Government procured postal services for the May 2026 Senedd elections. The requirement covers election-related postal operations, including the handling and delivery of election mail across Wales and the wider United Kingdom. The buying organisation is Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government, based in Cardiff. The service category is postal services, classified under CPV 64110000. The requirement was awarded to Royal Mail, which is identified as the supplier and as a large organisation. The procurement concerns a single completed requirement for election postal services rather than the supply of postal equipment or general administrative support. Suppliers considering similar work would need to understand the operational demands of supporting a major public election and delivering time-sensitive postal services at national scale.

This procurement has been awarded and completed as a retrospective transparency notice. The Welsh Government used a direct award under the Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) Order 2025, with Royal Mail selected as the supplier because legislation specifies it as the universal service provider. The award date was 3 September 2026. The award value is £11,200,000 excluding VAT and £13,440,000 including VAT. The contract period runs from 4 September 2026 to 7 September 2026. The award is active and the tender is complete. The procurement was above the relevant threshold. There was one lot, covering the election postal service for May 2026, and the published outcome records Royal Mail as the successful supplier.

This award demonstrates substantial public-sector demand for election-specific postal services and shows that the Welsh Government required a supplier capable of supporting a nationally significant electoral event within a tightly defined operating period. A credible competitor for a comparable requirement would need robust postal collection, processing, sorting and delivery capacity, together with dependable nationwide logistics and systems for handling election correspondence securely and accurately. It would also need resilience for concentrated demand, reliable service performance, and the operational controls required for time-sensitive public services. Understanding the statutory position of the universal service provider would be essential, as would evidence that the business can meet the governance, assurance and delivery standards expected by the Welsh Government.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Royal Mail Election Postal Services

Notice Description

This is a retrospective notice for the award of the above to Royal Mail, as specified in legislation as the universal service provider. This relates to postal services for the May 2026 Senedd elections.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b449
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083381-2026
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

64 - Postal and telecommunications services

CPV Codes

64110000 - Postal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£11,200,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
3 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
3 Sep 20261 months ago
Contract Period
4 Sep 2026 - 7 Sep 2026 30 days
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CARDIFF
Postcode
CF10 3NQ
Postcode Area
Cardiff
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL52 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Cardiff
Electoral Ward
Cathays
Westminster Constituency
Cardiff South and Penarth

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Royal Mail

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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