Marketing tenders cover campaigns, brand and design, PR and communications, and advertising and media buying, bought by councils, NHS bodies, universities and arm’s-length bodies. This page lists live notices matched to those codes, explains what buyers check (accessibility of digital work, data protection and insurance) and how creative tenders are scored and won. Market research has its own CPV code and isn’t in this list. Our tender eligibility checker is coming soon. Until then, tell us your trade and postcode to join the free weekly list of live tenders, starting soon.
What buyers usually ask marketing suppliers for
The pack sets the detail. These are the points with a legal or policy basis, plus the ones to check before you price.
Professional indemnity insurance
Buyers set the level of cover contract by contract, and we can’t give a typical figure. Read the insurance section of the pack first. If your policy is below what it asks, find out early whether you can raise the cover before award. See professional indemnity for agencies.
Accessibility of digital outputs
Public sector websites and mobile apps must meet WCAG 2.2 AA, and the body must publish an accessibility statement, under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. The duty sits with the public body, but if you build a campaign site, microsite or app for one, expect the pack to ask how you will meet it. The guidance lists exemptions, such as live audio and video and third-party content the body didn’t pay for or develop, so ask what is in scope.
Data protection and Cyber Essentials
Campaigns can collect personal data through sign-ups, consultation forms and mailing lists. PPN 014 asks central government departments, executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies and NHS bodies to require Cyber Essentials, or equivalent controls, for contracts with certain characteristics, such as handling citizens’ personal information. It says the scheme shouldn’t be applied to every contract as a matter of course, and evidence of Cyber Essentials (or equivalent) is needed before award. PPN 014’s own examples say the scheme wouldn’t be relevant to marketing planning that doesn’t need access to personal data. Councils aren’t named in the PPN but may adopt the same approach. If you will hold personal data for a central government or NHS buyer, check early whether certification is in scope. See Cyber Essentials for government contracts.
Case studies and portfolio
If the pack asks for case studies, match them to the buyer’s audience and scale, and state the result in measures the buyer will recognise, such as reach, response or cost per enquiry. Check the word limits, how recent the work must be and whether the pack wants public sector examples. Only quote results you can back up, because a buyer may ask for a referee.
How to win marketing contracts
Read the evaluation
A buyer awards to the most advantageous tender: the one that meets its requirements and best satisfies the award criteria. In a marketing tender the pack sets the split between quality and price, and the marks for each question. Find the weightings first and put the most effort where the most marks are. If there is a creative response, pitch or presentation stage, check what it is worth before you spend days on it. Our guide covers writing a tender response.
Lots, frameworks and call-offs
On above-threshold contracts, buyers must consider lots, or give reasons for not using them, so a large brief may be split into strategy, creative and media. Some marketing work is bought through frameworks, where each job is a call-off that may or may not be competed among the framework’s suppliers. In that case getting onto the framework is the real contest, so read the framework notice, not just the call-off. Our guide covers frameworks and dynamic markets.
Below-threshold quotes
From 1 January 2026, services contracts fall under the full Act rules at £135,018 including VAT for central government and £207,720 for other authorities. Below that, when a buyer invites tenders, section 85 bars a separate suitability stage before tenders are submitted, but the buyer can still assess suitability at the award stage (Welsh devolved buyers follow their own rules, and call-offs from frameworks are excluded).
If a buyer advertises a below-threshold contract worth £12,000 or more (central government, including NHS trusts) or £30,000 or more (other authorities), including VAT, it must first publish a below-threshold tender notice (section 87). Buyers can also invite quotes from chosen suppliers without advertising.
Social value
Central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies must give social value at least a 10% weighting on above-threshold contracts where it is relevant and proportionate (PPN 002). NHS bodies are outside its scope, and other buyers set their own weighting. For an agency that might mean apprenticeships, paid placements or commissioning local freelancers. Be specific and measurable. Our guide covers social value in tenders.
Pitfalls to check before you commit
- Unpaid spec work. If the pack asks for a full creative concept before award, find out whether it is paid, what it is worth in the scoring and who owns the ideas if you lose.
- IP and usage rights. Read who owns the finished work, where and for how long it can be used, and what happens to your pre-existing material.
- Media pass-through. Check whether your price includes media spend or passes it through at cost, and whether any rebates or commission must be declared.
Who issues marketing tenders
Councils, NHS bodies, universities and arm’s-length bodies all buy campaign, PR and design work. Division 79 (business services) had 52 live notices in the week to 10 Oct 2026. Marketing is one slice of that division, so the live list above is the better guide to current volume. For neighbouring work, see business services tenders, web design tenders and consultancy tenders.
Questions
Where are public sector marketing and PR contracts advertised?
Notices appear on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, and the live list on this page draws on both. Some work is bought through frameworks, where the buyer calls off a job from suppliers already appointed, so not every job gets its own notice. Below the thresholds, buyers can also invite quotes from chosen suppliers without advertising.
Do agencies need professional indemnity insurance for public tenders?
Only where the buyer asks for it. The level is set tender by tender and we can't give a typical figure, so read the insurance section of the pack before you price.
Do I have to do free creative work to win a tender?
It depends on the pack, and we can't give a general rule. Some tenders score a creative response, pitch or concept. Check whether it is paid, how much of the score it carries and who owns the ideas if you don't win, then weigh that in your decision to bid.
Do public sector campaigns need to meet accessibility rules?
Public sector websites and mobile apps must meet WCAG 2.2 AA, and the body must publish an accessibility statement. If you build a campaign site or app for a public body, expect that standard. The guidance lists exemptions, such as some third-party content the body didn't pay for or develop, so ask the buyer what is in scope.
Can a small agency win a council marketing contract?
Yes, it is possible. On above-threshold contracts, buyers must consider splitting a contract into lots or give reasons for not doing so. Below the thresholds, section 85 bars a separate suitability stage before tenders are submitted, but the buyer can still assess suitability at the award stage (Welsh devolved buyers and framework call-offs are excluded). A small agency can compete for a lot or a smaller commission. Check the weightings and the experience the pack asks for first.