---
title: "Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority - Public Affairs and Communications Support"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e705"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e705"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e705.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e705.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Cheshire West and Chester Council"
published: "2026-08-19"
---

# Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority - Public Affairs and Communications Support

Buyer: Cheshire West and Chester Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e705

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## Summary

Cheshire West and Chester Council procured public affairs and communications support for the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority. The requirement covers strategic public affairs advice aligned with organisational priorities and emerging programmes; relationship management with UK Government, ministers, parliamentarians, officials and other political stakeholders; and identifying opportunities to influence national policy, funding decisions and major government processes. The supplier is also expected to produce political and stakeholder communications, including letters, briefings, submissions, speeches and meeting preparation. Further work includes engagement with MPs, council leaders, neighbouring authorities, businesses, universities and regional partners, alongside media relations, thought leadership, political intelligence, horizon scanning and coordinated communications across policy, media and corporate channels. The services are delivered in North West England.

The procurement has been completed and the contract was awarded to CWE Communications Ltd. It used a direct award below the relevant threshold, without competition, for one lot. The award is for public relations consultancy services. The contract was signed on 30 July 2026 and runs from 30 July 2026 to 31 December 2026, with an optional three-month extension to 31 March 2027. Its value is £48,750 excluding VAT, or £58,500 including VAT. The evaluation basis was therefore the council’s direct-award decision rather than a competitive tender. The contract is active and the procurement is recorded as complete, so this opportunity has already resulted in a supplier appointment rather than an invitation to submit bids.

This procurement shows demand from the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority for an external public affairs and communications partner able to combine political influence, stakeholder engagement and strategic communications. A credible future competitor would need established relationships across central and local government, including ministers, parliamentarians, officials, MPs and council leaders, together with the judgement to identify policy and funding opportunities. Relevant capability includes producing concise briefings, submissions, speeches, letters and meeting preparation; providing political intelligence and horizon scanning; and coordinating public affairs, policy, media and corporate communications. Suppliers should also be able to support proactive media work, reputation building and thought leadership while engaging businesses, universities and regional partners. The requirement suits a flexible public relations consultancy with experience of complex public-sector stakeholder environments.

## Notice

The Combined Authority is seeking flexible public affairs and communications support to strengthen its profile, improve engagement with government and political stakeholders, and ensure clear, strategic communication of its priorities. The CA requires external support to: * Provide strategic public affairs advice aligned to organisational priorities and emerging programmes. * Build and manage relationships with UK Government, ministers, parliamentarians, officials and other political stakeholders. * Identify opportunities to influence national policy, funding decisions and major government processes. * Produce high quality political and stakeholder communications, including letters, briefings, submissions, speeches and meeting preparation. * Support engagement with local MPs, council leaders, neighbouring authorities, businesses, universities and regional partners. * Strengthen the CA's reputation through proactive media, stakeholder engagement and thought leadership. * Provide political intelligence, horizon scanning and advice on emerging issues. * Ensure coordinated communications across public affairs, policy, media and corporate channels.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078749-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 19 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 30 Jul 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £48,750 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Cheshire West and Chester Council |
| Locality | ELLESMERE PORT |
| Postcode area | Chester |
| Postcode | CH65 0BA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD6 Cheshire |
| ITL 3 | TLD63 Cheshire West and Chester |
| Local authority | Cheshire West and Chester |
| Electoral ward | Central & Grange |
| Westminster constituency | Ellesmere Port and Bromborough |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CWE COMMUNICATIONS LTD |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79416200 - Public relations consultancy services

## Release History

- 19 Aug 2026 at 08:40 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078749-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078749-2026
  19th August 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-06e705. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e705.json.