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LEGISLATION PRINT PUBLISHING CONTRACT

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

18 Sep 2026 at 10:26

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The National Archives is procuring a print publishing service for legislation and related publications across the United Kingdom. The supplier will print legislation, associated documents, annual bound volumes, legislative effects, Chronological Tables and correction slips, covering all aspects of print production to exacting quality standards and prescribed deadlines. The service also includes making printed items available for sale, taking payments, handling customer enquiries and complaints, order despatch and record keeping. The supplier must administer publishing charges to government departments by issuing invoices, chasing overdue payments, transferring receipts to The National Archives quarterly and reporting outstanding invoices. This is a public-sector service contract for printing and related services (CPV 79800000), with The National Archives as the buying organisation.

The process reached tender: the buyer invited offers through an open competitive flexible procedure. It uses two stages: Stage 1 submissions are assessed first, after which the four highest-ranked bidders are invited to submit Stage 2 responses. The deadline for enquiries is 8 October 2026 at 17:00 BST, and the tender submission deadline is 30 October 2026 at 17:00 UTC. The contract is due to run from 1 August 2027 to 31 July 2029, with three optional 12-month extensions available until 31 July 2032. The maximum estimated value over five years is £4,200,000 including VAT (£3,500,000 excluding VAT). Award is expected by 22 January 2027. Evaluation is 45% quality, 45% price and 10% social value. Electronic submissions in English are allowed.

This opportunity suits established commercial printers and print-publishing businesses able to deliver legally significant publications accurately, consistently and to fixed, non-negotiable production deadlines. Suppliers need end-to-end production capability, including print finishing, stock and distribution management, order fulfilment, sales administration, customer service, payment handling and reliable record keeping. They must also be able to manage financial administration for government publishing charges: invoicing departments correctly, monitoring receipts, pursuing overdue accounts, reporting arrears and making scheduled transfers to The National Archives. The requirement is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, but bidders will need sufficient operational resilience, quality-control processes and capacity to support recurring legislation output and associated publications across the United Kingdom.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

LEGISLATION PRINT PUBLISHING CONTRACT

Notice Description

The purpose of this Procurement Process is for The National Archives (TNA) to select a Print Publishing Supplier to deliver its Legislation Print Publishing Contract. The intention is to award the Contract for an initial period 2 years, with options to extend for three further periods of up to twelve months each (2+1+1+1). The attached Invitation to Tender document gives an overview of the print publishing requirements and should be read in conjunction with Annexes 1 - 4, which provide more information about what is printed and why. If you require access to them, please contact us at procurement@nationalarchives.gov.uk We estimate the maximum contract value over the whole contract term (i.e. 5 years) to be circa PS4,200,000 (inc. VAT). The Print Publishing Supplier will operate the print publishing of legislation, associated documents, annual bound volumes of legislation and legislative effects, Chronological Tables and correction slips. The Print Publishing Supplier is responsible for all aspects of print production. The Print Publishing Supplier will make sure that all printed items are made available for sale and deliver all aspects of order fulfilment and customers services related to the printing and sale of legislation items, including taking payment, handling enquiries and complaints, despatch and record keeping. Printing legislation is a statutory requirement - the Print Publishing Supplier must provide a print publishing service that meets exacting quality standards and specifications, and that prints legislative items to prescribed and non-negotiable deadlines. In addition, government departments pay a publishing fee for online publishing. The Print Publishing Supplier is not responsible for online publishing but is responsible for the financial administration of the publishing charges made to government departments. This involves invoicing departments for the correct publishing fees and ensuring that invoices are paid in a timely manner, including chasing where invoices have not been paid. The Print Publishing Supplier then transfers the publishing fees to The National Archives on a quarterly basis. The Print Publishing Supplier needs to inform The National Archives of any overdue outstanding departmental invoices.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Three extension options of 12 months each.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077519
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/088522-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79800000 - Printing and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£3,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£3,500,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Sep 20263 days ago
Submission Deadline
30 Oct 20262 months to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Aug 2027 - 31 Jul 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
RICHMOND
Postcode
TW9 4DU
Postcode Area
Twickenham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI7 Outer London - West and North West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI75 Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Richmond upon Thames
Electoral Ward
Kew
Westminster Constituency
Richmond Park

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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