--- title: "105016 - Media Consumption Pathways and Trust" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06d487" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d487" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d487.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d487.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT" published: "2026-07-27" --- # 105016 - Media Consumption Pathways and Trust Buyer: DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06d487 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d487) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d487.json) ## Summary The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), located in London, United Kingdom, is planning a procurement process titled "Media Consumption Pathways and Trust". This project, scheduled under the planning stage, delves into research and development within the services category. A significant engagement milestone includes a virtual seminar on 10th September 2026 with a registration deadline of 18th September 2026. The project is set within the scope of the DCMS Science and Analysis R&D Programme and will be commissioned either through a Competitive Flexible Procedure or the RM6126 Research and Insights framework, beginning 8th March 2027 and concluding on 7th March 2030. This procurement presents expansive opportunities for businesses specialising in research and development, particularly those focused on social research services. Enterprises, especially SMEs and VCSEs, that can leverage behavioural cohort studies and explore media trust perception are well-positioned to benefit. The project's substantial budget of £1.5 million to £1.8 million indicates a significant investment in understanding media consumption patterns, promising potential growth for companies capable of contributing to the DCMS's goal of enhancing the UK's information ecosystem integrity. ## Notice DCMS is seeking to commission a two-phase research project to investigate UK media consumption habits and public trust in media. Phase 1 would consist of a behavioural cohort study (or another appropriate methodology) to map the specific "user pathways" audiences take to find, consume, and value information across different media sources, such as traditional news broadcasts and social media, across different demographics. Building on these findings, Phase 2 would explore how individuals perceive trust in different media sources due to their own perception of mis/disinformation, assess the broader effects of these consumption pathways on factors such as viewer retention and wider social cohesion, as well as overall integrity of the UK's information ecosystem. This project will be commissioned either through a Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023, or through the RM6126 Research and Insights framework. This is part of the DCMS Science and Analysis R&D Programme, which supports R&D capability within the department. This project will run concurrently alongside three other large projects across 2027-2030; these include 'what works' research into AI adoption in DCMS sectors; a continuation of previous research to develop data-intensive approaches for capturing engagement at unticketed cultural, heritage, and sporting events/activities/locations, e.g. using mobile app data to model how people participate in our events; and a continuation of previous research to design and improve methods for holistically tracking the long-term impact of major events, tested on a major event. ### Planning Information One Virtual Engagement Seminar (Thursday 10th September 2026; 14:00 - 15:00) Please sign up by copying the link below and pasting into browser to reach the Market Engagement Registration Form. There will be an introduction to the research, allowing for time at the end for a Q&A on the prospective research. Please ensure you have registered to receive a Microsoft Teams meeting link to the seminar. https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=bplOgonFVkCVszLEnIpEx4FxwFXJMJlOkexCFt6L-ihUN0ExUU1TSEtQM1pTM0JLUk0xMFdYSFBXNy4u&route=shorturl ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070952-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | 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 | 27 Jul 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 21 Sep 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 8 Mar 2027 - 7 Mar 2030 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £1,500,000 | | 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 | DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | South West London | | Postcode | SW1A 2BQ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | Westminster | | Electoral ward | St James's | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 73300000 - Design and execution of research and development - 79315000 - Social research services ## Release History - 27 Jul 2026 at 16:17 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070952-2026 - 27 Jul 2026 at 15:16 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070908-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070952-2026 27th July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070908-2026 27th July 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.dcms.gov.uk - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=bplOgonFVkCVszLEnIpEx4FxwFXJMJlOkexCFt6L-ihUN0ExUU1TSEtQM1pTM0JLUk0xMFdYSFBXNy4u&route=shorturl - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## 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-06d487. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d487.json.