---
title: "Centre for Excellence - Strategic Branding"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f46f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f46f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f46f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f46f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "North East Combined Authority"
published: "2026-09-08"
---

# Centre for Excellence - Strategic Branding

Buyer: North East Combined Authority  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f46f

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f46f.json)

## Summary

North East Combined Authority commissioned strategic branding services for the National Centre for Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality. The work is intended to support skills development, innovation and workforce growth across the visitor economy, while positioning the North East as a leader in tourism and hospitality skills and innovation. The scope covers defining the brand, developing creative concepts, producing a distinctive logo and creating supporting identity and application guidance. The resulting identity is intended to reflect the Centre’s vision as a nationally and internationally recognised hub, and to provide consistent presentation across key audiences, partners, the Centre’s launch and future promotional activity. This is a marketing and brand identity commission delivered for a public-sector flagship initiative led by the North East Combined Authority.

The procurement is complete and was awarded directly to Gardiner Richardson Limited, an SME. It used a below-threshold procedure without competition. The award is for one lot and has a value of £5,500 including any applicable taxes. The award date is 8 September 2026, with the contract running from 8 September 2026 to 30 September 2026. The selected supplier is responsible for the strategic brand identity, creative development, logo and application guidance described in the scope. The published process records the procurement category as services and the relevant classification as advertising and marketing services. The award status is recorded as pending, while the tender itself is complete; a signature milestone was scheduled for 8 September 2026.

This opportunity indicates demand from the North East Combined Authority for compact, senior-level brand strategy and creative delivery supporting a public-facing skills and economic-development initiative. Suppliers well placed for comparable work would combine strategic positioning, visual identity and logo development with the ability to turn a brand into practical guidance for consistent use by partners and across promotional activity. Experience of communicating complex public-sector, education, tourism or workforce-growth programmes would help a competitor demonstrate relevance, as would the capacity to work with multiple stakeholder groups and audiences. Credible providers would need to produce a distinctive identity that works beyond an initial launch, supports a nationally and internationally ambitious proposition, and can be applied consistently across future communications.

## Notice

This project will develop a strategic brand identity for the National Centre for Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality, a flagship initiative designed to support skills development, innovation and workforce growth across the visitor economy. The commission will create a distinctive brand, logo and supporting identity that reflects the Centre's vision as a nationally and internationally recognised hub for excellence in tourism and hospitality. The work will include brand definition, creative development and application guidance to ensure a consistent and professional identity across key audiences, partners and future promotional activities. The branding will support the Centre's launch, stakeholder engagement and long-term ambition to position the North East as a leader in tourism and hospitality skills and innovation.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084843-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency 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 | 8 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 8 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £5,500 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | North East Combined Authority |
| Locality | NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE |
| Postcode area | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Postcode | NE4 5BZ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC43 Tyneside |
| Local authority | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Electoral ward | Arthur's Hill |
| Westminster constituency | Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | GARDINER RICHARDSON LIMITED |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79340000 - Advertising and marketing services

## Release History

- 8 Sep 2026 at 12:22 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084843-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084843-2026
  8th September 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://gardiner-richardson.com/
- 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-06f46f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f46f.json.