---
title: "Fostering - Lead Creative and Strategic Agency 2026"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-07896e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-07896e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07896e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07896e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Department for Education"
published: "2026-10-16"
---

# Fostering - Lead Creative and Strategic Agency 2026

Buyer: Department for Education  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-07896e

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07896e.json)

## Summary

The Department for Education commissioned a lead creative and strategic agency for its National Fostering Recruitment campaign. The work covers ongoing campaign strategy and creative development, production of campaign assets for paid channels and formats, and guardianship of the campaign brand. The agency also provides creative input for low- or no-cost content on the department’s owned and shared channels, and works with WPP 650, the department and other contracted campaign agencies. This is advertising and marketing services work, focused specifically on recruiting foster carers through a national campaign. The buying organisation is the Department for Education, a central government department; delivery is for its national fostering recruitment activity.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Accenture on 16 October 2026. The award value is £2,550,000. The contract period runs from 12 November 2026 to 12 November 2028, with a single optional one-year extension, potentially taking it to 12 November 2029. The department used a below-threshold limited competition. There was one lot, and six bids were received, including six at the final stage. The award was for services and is recorded as active. The published information does not provide a separate evaluation weighting or award-criteria description.

This award demonstrates demand from the Department for Education for an integrated lead agency able to combine strategic campaign planning with creative development and delivery. A credible competitor would need to produce campaign assets across paid media channels and formats, maintain a consistent campaign brand, and develop creative content suitable for owned and shared channels where budgets are low or absent. The requirement also calls for effective collaboration with the department, WPP 650 and other contracted campaign agencies, so suppliers need to work within a wider agency structure rather than operate in isolation. Six bids reached the final stage, including one from an SME, showing that smaller firms competed alongside larger suppliers. Relevant campaign experience and the capacity to sustain national recruitment activity would be commercially pertinent when this specific requirement next returns to market.

## Notice

We are looking for a strategic and creative partner to lead the ongoing development and delivery of the National Fostering Recruitment campaign. The appointed agency will act as the lead agency for the campaign, working with WPP 650 to provide creative strategy and development; production of campaign assets across all paid channels and formats; brand guardianship of the campaign brand; creative input to support low/no-cost content for owned and shared channels; and collaboration with DfE and other contracted campaign agencies

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097906-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - limited competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Contract period | 12 Nov 2026 - 12 Nov 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £2,550,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Department for Education |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1P 3BT |
| 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 |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Accenture (UK) Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79340000 - Advertising and marketing services

## Release History

- 16 Oct 2026 at 12:26 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097906-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097906-2026
  16th October 2026 - Contract award 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-07896e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07896e.json.