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Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority b- Interim Head of News

Cheshire West and Chester Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

01 Sep 2026 at 09:50

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Cheshire West and Chester Council bought recruitment services for an Interim Head of News. The requirement covered finding and appointing an interim senior communications and news leader, rather than delivering general human resources support. It was classified as human resources management consultancy services. The procurement was associated with Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority, but the named buying organisation is Cheshire West and Chester Council, based at The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port. The successful supplier, Castlefield Recruitment, is based in Leeds and is identified as a small or medium-sized enterprise. The work relates to public-sector recruitment and senior communications appointments for the council and its wider Cheshire and Warrington context.

This procurement has been awarded. It used a limited procedure without a prior call for competition, through the PSF Y25007 Framework direct-award call-off route. The stated justification was that the services could be provided by a particular economic operator for technical reasons, with the appointment made under that framework. Price was the award criterion. One bid was recorded. Castlefield Recruitment received the active award linked to the requirement. The associated lot is recorded as cancelled, while the award remains active. The contract value is £78,000 excluding any unspecified tax treatment, in GBP. The contract was signed on 11 August 2026. No contract duration is stated in the procurement data.

This award demonstrates demand from Cheshire West and Chester Council for specialist recruitment support to secure an interim Head of News. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need experience recruiting senior communications, media or public-affairs professionals, particularly for interim appointments in local government or comparable public bodies. Capability to identify, assess and place suitable senior candidates would be central, alongside an understanding of news leadership, public-sector communications and the need for a rapid, targeted search. The route used here also matters: suppliers would need access to, or an equivalent position within, the relevant public-sector framework arrangements and the ability to compete for direct-award or related call-off work. Castlefield Recruitment shows that an SME can deliver this type of requirement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority b- Interim Head of News

Notice Description

Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority - Recruitment services for the position of Interim Head of News

Lot Information

Lot 1

Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority - Recruitment services for the position of Interim Head of News

Procurement Information

This appointment was made using PSF Y25007 Framework - Direct award Call Off

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ef33
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082466-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79414000 - Human resources management consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£78,000 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
ELLESMERE PORT
Postcode
CH65 0BA
Postcode Area
Chester
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD6 Cheshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD63 Cheshire West and Chester
Delivery Location
TLD North West (England)
Local Authority
Cheshire West and Chester
Electoral Ward
Central & Grange
Westminster Constituency
Ellesmere Port and Bromborough

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Castlefield Recruitment Limited

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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