---
title: "Education Recruitment Advertising and Resourcing Services (NERARS)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-064e5b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-064e5b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064e5b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064e5b.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "SOUTHERN UNIVERSITIES MANAGEMENT SERVICES (SUMS)"
published: "2026-02-11"
---

# Education Recruitment Advertising and Resourcing Services (NERARS)

Buyer: SOUTHERN UNIVERSITIES MANAGEMENT SERVICES (SUMS)  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-064e5b

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-064e5b)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064e5b.json)

## Summary

Southern Universities Management Services (SUMS) is in the planning stage of a procurement process for the Education Recruitment Advertising and Resourcing Services (NERARS) Framework Agreement. This tender falls under the advertising and marketing services category and is intended to support public and student recruitment in the education sector across the United Kingdom. The process involves pre-market engagement to gather insights into pricing models and commercial strategies, with a survey deadline set for 27th February 2026. Full procurement details will be communicated on 16th June 2026, following market engagement activities.

This framework agreement presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in advertising, media buying, recruitment, and marketing services. Both SMEs and VCSEs are encouraged to engage, given the framework's suitability for such enterprises. With a contract value projected at £120 million, participating in this process enables businesses to gain substantial exposure and establish themselves in the education recruitment sector. The agreement is designed to include a diverse range of services from advertising consultancy to creative campaign management, providing ample avenues for businesses to showcase their capabilities and expand their client base over the coming years before the contract kicks off in March 2027.

## Notice

The Education Recruitment Advertising and Resourcing Services Framework Agreement supports the public sector with education recruitment advertising and resourcing as well as student recruitment advertising. The current framework is made up of 2 lots as described below; Lot 1 - Education Recruitment Advertising & Resourcing Education Recruitment Advertising and Resourcing which range from all types of advertising services including recruitment of staff, advertisement creation and production, type setting and copy writing, media buying, art direction, brand management and where required full creative services for new advertising campaigns. Lot 2 - Student Recruitment Marketing Student Recruitment Advertising marketing to attract UK and overseas students and is focussed on media buying and advertisement placement.

### Planning Information

SUPC are looking to conduct Pre Market Engagement for the re-tender of the Education Recruitment Advertising and Resourcing Services (NERARS) Framework Agreement. The framework supports the public sector with education recruitment advertising and Resourcing as well as student recruitment advertising. The purpose of the PME is to understand different commercial models that we could use to make informed decisions to assist the pricing model and specification for the new iteration of the framework. We would like feedback to gain a better understanding of how you manage your prices, what you think works well, what you have seen that works well on other tenders/frameworks and what you would like to see on the new iteration of the framework. A market engagement questionnaire has been created for all who are interested to express interest, provide feedback on the current structure and provide valuable insights that will help shape the next framework. The link for the survey can be found at; https://forms.office.com/e/EfVpuqWGk9 (alternatively the link to the survey can be found in the document attached to this notice) If required, SUPC might request a follow up meeting with the supplier to discuss their survey response in more detail. The deadline for responses to the survey is 27th February 2026. Disclaimer This Pre-Market Engagement is intended solely to gather market insights and inform future scoping for the potential framework. It does not represent a solicitation, request for proposal, or commitment to proceed with any procurement process. No contractual or financial obligations arise from participation in this engagement. All decisions remain subject to internal approvals and applicable policies. Non-Commitment: This is not a tender and does not guarantee a future procurement. No Advantage/Disadvantage: Engagement (or lack of) does not influence any subsequent tender evaluation. Engagement also does not guarantee participation in the procurement process. Accuracy Liability: The information provided is for market research only Rights Reserved: SUPC reserve the right to change the process or abandon the procurement altogether, should they wish to.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012604-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 11 Feb 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 16 Jun 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Mar 2027 - 28 Feb 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £120,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SOUTHERN UNIVERSITIES MANAGEMENT SERVICES (SUMS) |
| Locality | READING |
| Post town | Reading |
| Postcode | RG6 6BU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ16 Berkshire West |
| Local authority | Wokingham |
| Electoral ward | Hillside |
| Westminster constituency | Earley and Woodley |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security
- 79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics
- 79310000 - Market research services
- 79320000 - Public-opinion polling services
- 79340000 - Advertising and marketing services
- 79341000 - Advertising services
- 79341100 - Advertising consultancy services
- 79341200 - Advertising management services
- 79341400 - Advertising campaign services
- 79341500 - Aeral advertising services
- 79342000 - Marketing services
- 79342100 - Direct marketing services
- 79342200 - Promotional services
- 79342300 - Customer services
- 79342310 - Customer survey services
- 79342311 - Customer satisfaction survey
- 79342320 - Customer-care services
- 79342400 - Auction services
- 79342410 - Electronic auction services
- 79600000 - Recruitment services
- 79800000 - Printing and related services
- 79810000 - Printing services
- 79811000 - Digital printing services
- 79820000 - Services related to printing
- 79821000 - Print finishing services
- 79821100 - Proofreading services
- 79822000 - Composition services
- 79822500 - Graphic design services
- 79823000 - Printing and delivery services
- 79824000 - Printing and distribution services
- 79900000 - Miscellaneous business and business-related services

## Release History

- 11 Feb 2026 at 17:00 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012604-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012604-2026
  11th February 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://forms.office.com/e/EfVpuqWGk9
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.supc.ac.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-h6vhtk-064e5b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064e5b.json.