--- title: "In-Contract Price Rises Qualitative Research Project" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-b2789ad8-770c-4146-bfbc-105d1a3a1e87" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-b2789ad8-770c-4146-bfbc-105d1a3a1e87" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b2789ad8-770c-4146-bfbc-105d1a3a1e87.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b2789ad8-770c-4146-bfbc-105d1a3a1e87.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "OFCOM" published: "2023-07-03" --- # In-Contract Price Rises Qualitative Research Project Buyer: OFCOM Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-b5fd17-b2789ad8-770c-4146-bfbc-105d1a3a1e87 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-b2789ad8-770c-4146-bfbc-105d1a3a1e87) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b2789ad8-770c-4146-bfbc-105d1a3a1e87.json) ## Summary The contract titled "In-Contract Price Rises Qualitative Research Project" was awarded by Ofcom. The procurement falls under the industry category of market research services. The procurement method used was "selective" through a "Call-off from a framework agreement." The tender closed on June 6, 2023, with a contract period running from June 19, 2023, to September 29, 2023. The project is located in London, United Kingdom. This public procurement process led to an award to Community Research, a supplier suited for providing market research services. This tender presents opportunities for SMEs and VCSEs interested in engaging in qualitative research projects and working with governmental organisations like Ofcom. Businesses looking to contribute to consumer awareness and understanding of contractual terms and market functioning can find valuable growth opportunities through similar tenders. ## Notice Many communications providers include annual inflation-linked in-contract price rise terms in their consumer contracts, typically in the formula of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) or Retail Prices Index (RPI) plus X% (where X is almost universally 3.9%). This, in combination with fast-rising rates of inflation, has led to large and likely unexpected price rises in 2022 and 2023 for many fixed broadband and mobile customers and for some pay TV customers. Price rises usually take effect in March or April each year and apply to all customers on contracts with relevant price rise terms, regardless of when they signed up to the contract. Providers can offer contracts with a commitment period of up to 24 months, which means that customers on contracts with price rise terms could face up to two annual price rises while they are in-contract. Ofcom want to assess the impact of these price rise terms on consumers, including on their ability to understand and choose the right deals for them and, how this in turn may impact the effective functioning of markets more generally. Our preliminary research suggests that consumer awareness and understanding of in-contract price rises, and inflation generally, is low. We would like to conduct a piece of qualitative work to explore levels of current knowledge, consumer journeys and to test potential remedies. The main objective of this piece of research is to measure the extent to which consumers understand the possible impact of in-contract price rises on their monthly payment, the extent to which they engage with these terms during the purchasing process, and whether an inability to understand the possible magnitude of a price rise will lead to them not being able to make an informed decision. We will use the research findings, alongside other evidence, to assess whether consumer harm is occurring. We would also like to test potential remedies that could facilitate better consumer awareness and understanding of annual in-contract price rises and/or address other consumer harms identified. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/54b27f3b-b653-4bd4-8953-9f7df25733d9 | | Notice type | Award Notice | | Procurement type | Framework | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Selective | | Procurement method details | Call-off from a framework agreement | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | SME | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 3 Jul 2023 | | Submission deadline | 6 Jun 2023 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 19 Jun 2023 | | Contract period | 18 Jun 2023 - 29 Sep 2023 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £56,754 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £56,754 | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | OFCOM | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South East London | | Postcode | SE1 9HA | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East | | ITL 3 | TLI44 Lewisham and Southwark | | Local authority | Southwark | | Electoral ward | Borough & Bankside | | Westminster constituency | Bermondsey and Old Southwark | | Delivery location | TLI London | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | COMMUNITY RESEARCH | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79310000 - Market research services ## Release History - 3 Jul 2023 at 13:40 - AwardUpdate - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/54b27f3b-b653-4bd4-8953-9f7df25733d9 - 30 Jun 2023 at 10:25 - AwardUpdate - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/54b27f3b-b653-4bd4-8953-9f7df25733d9 - 29 Jun 2023 at 13:50 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/54b27f3b-b653-4bd4-8953-9f7df25733d9 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/54b27f3b-b653-4bd4-8953-9f7df25733d9 3rd July 2023 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder ## Notice URLs - https://ofcom.bravosolution.co.uk ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-b2789ad8-770c-4146-bfbc-105d1a3a1e87. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-b2789ad8-770c-4146-bfbc-105d1a3a1e87.json.