This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

29 Jun 2026 at 10:48

Summary of the contracting process

York St John University is in the planning stage of a procurement process for media, content, and business engagement services. The tender, titled "Media, Content and Business Engagement Services," falls under the services category and is intended to enhance media visibility and audience engagement for the University's Business School. This procurement process, initiated on 29th June 2026, is set for pre-market engagement with milestones including supplier participation through a questionnaire by 7th August 2026. The estimated contract value is £130,000, with procurement scheduled to start in Q1 2027 and run through December 2030. The University, located in York, aims to enrich its engagement with local, regional, and sectoral audiences through two distinct service lots: Media, Content and Audience Reach, and Business Engagement, Events and Economic Insight.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses specializing in media, communications, and stakeholder engagement. It is particularly suitable for organisations such as local and regional media outlets, business publishers, event planners, and marketing agencies. The University's focus on boosting its profile through innovative media campaigns and business networking makes this an ideal opportunity for specialists in audience development and event management. By participating in this preliminary engagement process, businesses can influence how services are structured and offered, potentially increasing their chances of securing long-term contracts with a reputable educational institution.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Media, Content and Business Engagement Services

Notice Description

The University's Business School is seeking external organisations to support media visibility, audience engagement, business community outreach and stakeholder engagement activities. These services include content and editorial opportunities, audience development, business networking, economic insight initiatives, events and promotional activities. The University is considering a procurement approach comprising two service lots: Lot 1 - Media, Content and Audience Reach Lot 2 - Business Engagement, Events and Economic Insight This pre-market engagement exercise is intended to inform the development of the full procurement and ensure that the Invitation to Tender (ITT) reflects current best practice, innovation and market capability. Total value PS130,000 (Estimated) Contract dates (January 2027 - December 2030) Duration: Up to 4 years (initial term plus extensions) Anticipated start: Q1 2027 (indicative) Engagement deadline TBC (Q4 2026) Engagement process description The University's objective is to establish a proportionate and effective approach to procuring services that strengthen its profile, reputation and engagement with key audiences. This includes strengthening the University's ability to: - Increase visibility and awareness amongst local, regional and sector audiences. - Promote University expertise, research, teaching and impact. - Engage employers, businesses, civic partners and external stakeholders. - Support knowledge exchange and regional economic engagement. - Extend reach through relevant media, content and audience channels. - Deliver effective business-facing events and engagement programmes. - Demonstrate measurable value and impact from external communications activity. The University is seeking market insight to inform how this requirement can best be delivered, including approaches, methodologies and innovations that are aligned to the Higher Education sector. Indicative scope of requirement While requirements continue to be refined, the University anticipates that appointed supplier(s) may support the following activities. Lot 1 - Media, Content and Audience Reach Possible services may include: - Editorial and content opportunities. - Sponsored content and feature articles. - Thought-leadership content. - Expert commentary placement. - Audience development and distribution. - Digital and print promotion. - Newsletter and online publication opportunities. - Multi-channel awareness campaigns. - Stakeholder communications support. - Campaign measurement and performance reporting. The University welcomes views on how such services are commonly structured, measured and contracted within comparable organisations. Lot 2 - Business Engagement, Events and Economic Insight Possible services may include: - Business networking events. - Employer engagement activities. - Roundtable discussions and stakeholder forums. - Conferences and thought-leadership events. - Business rankings and recognition programmes. - Economic insight reports and publications. - Regional business engagement initiatives. - Event promotion and attendance generation. - Programme sponsorship opportunities. - Reporting and impact evaluation. The University welcomes feedback on innovative approaches to business engagement and the most effective delivery models for higher education institutions. Purpose of this engagement This pre-market engagement exercise is designed to: - Test the University's current assumptions about delivery approach and scope. - Understand what represents standard market practice for media, content and business engagement services. - Understand whether the proposed two-lot structure is appropriate and attractive to suppliers. - Explore how smaller, specialist suppliers can be encouraged to participate. - Identify innovative approaches, tools and methodologies emerging in the market. - Explore delivery models appropriate to the UK Higher Education sector. - Understand suitable performance measures and reporting frameworks. - Ensure the eventual ITT reflects practical, implementable and market-aligned requirements. Insights gathered will directly inform the final specification and procurement approach.

Planning Information

Engagement activities During the engagement period, the University may: - Invite suppliers to submit written responses or position statements. - Hold market engagement sessions or one-to-one discussions. - Request examples of comparable projects and delivery models. - Seek feedback on lot structure, contract term and evaluation approach. - Request demonstrations of relevant methodologies, audience development approaches or event delivery models. Participation is entirely voluntary and will not influence any future procurement evaluation. How to participate Suppliers interested in contributing to this engagement are invited to register their interest by completing a short questionnaire here (https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=juOKXFv4CUO37IYoFaN67rIjyQptK4ZBhDIz3ovo3BtUQUcyNjVHVFIzN0xWOENFTjFUTVJWREpXNS4u&route=shorturl) The University is particularly interested in hearing from: - Local and regional media organisations. - Business and economic publishers. - Event and stakeholder engagement specialists. - Marketing, communications and public relations agencies. - Membership and business network organisations. - Consortia and collaborative partnerships. Further details regarding timelines and engagement activities will be shared with registered participants. Important notice This notice is issued solely for the purpose of pre-market engagement. It: - Does not constitute a call for competition. - Does not form part of any procurement process. - Does not commit the University to undertake any future procurement. The intention is to ensure that any future procurement is well-informed, proportionate and aligned to market capability.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06beef
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/060684-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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


CPV Codes

79341000 - Advertising services

79342200 - Promotional services

79416000 - Public relations services

79952000 - Event services

79970000 - Publishing services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£130,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Jun 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
7 Aug 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
YORK
Postcode
YO31 7EX
Post Town
York
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE2 North Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE21 York
Delivery Location
TLE21 York

Local Authority
York
Electoral Ward
Guildhall
Westminster Constituency
York Central

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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