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ID 6699778 - DAC 29/26 - DoF - NLA Media Access

Department of Finance

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

27 Aug 2026 at 14:09

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department of Finance, through CPD – Supplies and Services Division, procured a media copyright-licensing subscription service for its Media Monitoring Unit. The requirement is for an NLA licence covering permission to copy and circulate newspaper, magazine and website content. The licence supports the production and distribution of daily newspaper cuttings, including material from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and UK national newspapers, to Ministers, Special Advisers, departmental press offices, senior officials and external customers. The service is delivered for the Department of Finance’s media-monitoring activity in Northern Ireland. NLA Media Access Limited, based in Tunbridge Wells, was selected as the supplier. The procurement is categorised as services and includes newspaper, journal, periodical and magazine subscription activity.

This procurement has been awarded through a direct award and is complete. One lot was awarded to NLA Media Access Limited. The award value is £150,000 excluding VAT, or £180,000 including VAT. The contract period runs from 3 September 2026 to 5 June 2029, with signature scheduled for 2 September 2026. The Department used a direct award because NLA Media Access was identified as the only UK provider with the relevant intellectual-property and exclusive rights, and no reasonable alternative was available. The licence is above the relevant threshold. The award covers subscription and newspaper-content licensing services. The procurement is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, although the exclusive-rights rationale meant that only the rights holder was selected.

This award demonstrates recurring public-sector demand for legally compliant access to newspaper and other media content for government monitoring and communications. A credible future competitor would need to hold, control or lawfully administer the intellectual-property and exclusive rights required to license copying and circulation across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and UK national newspapers. It would also need to provide broad content coverage and permissions suitable for distributing cuttings to senior public officials, press offices and external customers. Operational capability should support daily media monitoring and circulation throughout weekends and public holidays, with continuity strong enough to avoid copyright breaches. Suppliers without equivalent rights or a demonstrable lawful alternative to the incumbent’s licensing model are unlikely to be competitive for this requirement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

ID 6699778 - DAC 29/26 - DoF - NLA Media Access

Notice Description

NLA Media Access Ltd is an organisation founded by the UK national newspapers to protect the industry's copyright. All Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and UK national newspapers are covered by the Newspaper Licensing Agreement (NLA). The NLA gives permission for organisations to copy from an extensive range of newspapers, magazines and websites. The DoF Media Monitoring Unit requires a NLA licence to enable it to copy and circulate cuttings for distribution to Ministers, Special Advisers, Departmental Press Offices, senior officials and external customers. This contract is essential to allow the Media Monitoring Unit to continue to produce daily newspaper cuttings, including weekends and public holidays.

Procurement Information

NLA Media Access Ltd (NLA) is the only provider within the UK with the rights to give permission to the bodies listed within the contract to continue to meet their media monitoring requirements, and no reasonable alternatives are available for the provision of the service. The licence is essential to allow the Media Monitoring Unit to continue to produce daily newspaper cuttings, including weekends and public holidays. Failure to award a contract and continuing to access media material would result in the DoF Media Monitoring Unit being in breach of the copyright legislation if it continued to provide this service. Direct award conditions and permissible justifications are set out under Chapter 3 and Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act. Based on the information provided there appears to be justification for a direct award on the grounds set out under paragraph 5 where; (a)due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06eda4
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081788-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

22 - Printed matter and related products

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

CPV Codes

22200000 - Newspapers, journals, periodicals and magazines

79980000 - Subscription services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£150,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Aug 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
3 Sep 2026 - 5 Jun 2029 2-3 years
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 of Finance
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT4 3SX
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Stormont
Westminster Constituency
Belfast East

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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