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Bloomberg News Subscription

Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

17 Sep 2026 at 17:05

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

17 Sep 2026 at 16:37

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office bought an enterprise-wide Bloomberg News subscription for its staff and overseas posts, giving users direct access to news content and related subscription services. Access covers up to 500 staff in the first year and up to 750 staff in the second year. The service is intended for use across the FCDO and its overseas operations, rather than for a single office or location. This is a services requirement for subscription-based news access, including enterprise licensing and authentication arrangements. The buying organisation is the UK central government department Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, headquartered in London.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Bloomberg L.P. on 17 September 2026. It used a direct award procedure. The stated justification was that Bloomberg was the only supplier able to provide Bloomberg News, direct access, enterprise licensing and suitable authentication and security arrangements, with no reasonable alternative route identified. The award value is USD 273,500 excluding tax and USD 328,200 including tax. The contract period runs from 30 September 2026 to 29 September 2028, covering two years of access. There was one lot, and Bloomberg L.P. holds the active award. A contract signature milestone was scheduled for 29 September 2026.

For a future requirement of this kind, credible competitors would need to provide reliable enterprise news access for a dispersed government workforce, including users based overseas. The procurement indicates demand for direct access to Bloomberg News, organisation-wide licensing and authentication and security arrangements suitable for a central government department. Suppliers would need the operational capacity to support hundreds of authorised users across changing annual access levels, maintain consistent service across overseas posts and manage enterprise subscription administration. Relevant experience would include delivering secure, authenticated digital news or information services to large organisations, with robust user management, dependable availability and clear licensing rights. Established capability in government or other security-conscious environments would strengthen a supplier’s position.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Bloomberg News Subscription

Notice Description

This is a contract for the purchase of an enterprise-wide subscription to Bloomberg News for FCDO staff and PAGs overseas for 2 years' access, based on access for up to 500 staff for year 1 and 750 staff for year 2.

Procurement Information

Direct award is justified under Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023, as Bloomberg is currently the only supplier able to meet FCDO's requirement for Bloomberg News, direct access, enterprise licensing and suitable authentication/security arrangements. No reasonable alternative route has been identified.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0774ce
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/088422-2026
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

22 - Printed matter and related products

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

CPV Codes

22210000 - Newspapers

79980000 - Subscription services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£273,500 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
30 Sep 2026 - 29 Sep 2028 2-3 years
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
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1A 2AH
Postcode Area
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BLOOMBERG FINANCE L.P.

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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