RM6124: Communications Marketplace

UK government and public sector organisations can access a wide range of specialist marketing and communications services from agencies across the UK and overseas.

The agreement uses a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) with a filtering system to help identify a shortlist of relevant agencies to invite to competition. Agencies can apply to join at any time throughout the life of the agreement. Registration is free and there is no limit on the number of agencies who can join the Marketplace. If you would like to be part of this agreement, apply to join.

The agreement covers:

creative development
direct marketing
sponsorship
events
production
Public Relations (PR)
social marketing and emerging channels
campaign coordination
marketing and advertising technology advice
data science
in-house agency services
recruitment advertising
partnerships
content aggregation marketing
marketing and communications strategy
marketing strategic advice and consultancy
data provision, management and augmentation
internal communications and engagement
innovation and experience

The Marketplace enables direct relationships with agencies of all sizes, who provide specialist expertise and niche services. You can choose an agency to work on a standalone basis or to support an integrated campaign.

The Communications Marketplace complements the Campaign Solutions 2 (RM6125) Framework Agreement. Campaign Solutions 2 provides access to longer term, strategic relationships for end to end campaign solutions.

broad range of marketing and campaign services to meet client needs
ability to shortlist agencies based on the needs of your brief (filter by: services, audience, outcome and location for delivery)
increased agility with an unlimited number of agencies providing flexible access to talent and specialist expertise to meet the changing needs of clients
agencies can apply to join at any time
low barrier to entry for SMEs with just a simple registration process

Please read the 'How to buy' tab below for detailed instructions on how to find out which suppliers are on this framework.

Before using this agreement you must have internal approval from your organisation.

Central government organisations and ALBs will need to secure Cabinet Office approval before committing to advertising, marketing and communications (AMC) expenditure of £100,000 or over. If you have any questions about the AMC spend control process, email the GCS team.

To buy through this agreement you will need to:

Register as a buyer
1. note: you can use the above link to register as a buyer or supplier
2. once registered you will need to agree to the terms of use on the Communications Marketplace DPS page
on your ‘Manage your DPS Category Exports’ page, you will now have two options:
1. view appointed agencies
2. click on the link to create a new category export (this is how you filter the suppliers who can meet your needs)
when creating a new category, use the filtering tool to select all the options that apply to your specific needs
click the ‘filter’ option and this will create a list of capable agencies
save your filtered list of capable agencies by clicking the ‘save category’ option
from your ‘Manage your Category Exports’ page, you can export the list of agencies and contact details into an Excel spreadsheet
use this list of agencies to run a further competition
invite the agencies identified by the DPS to bid against your detailed brief, evaluation criteria and contract format
1. as new agencies can apply to join the DPS at any time, your list of capable agencies is only up to date for 2 working days from the date of its creation
2. if your further competition excludes eligible agencies it potentially breaks procurement regulations
3. if you don’t use your agency list within 2 working days you will need to select the ‘search again’ option in your export
4. then you should repeat steps 3 to 5 to create an up to date list
5. to run a further competition you can use our free eSourcing tool
allow at least 10 days for standard agency responses, or longer if your needs are more complex
1. for more guidance on recommended procurement timescales, read the customer guidance document
evaluate agency responses
ask the winning agency(ies) to provide any needed evidence to show that they can meet your needs
1. we advise that you set all agencies a deadline of 2 days to submit evidence
if you’re happy with the evidence provided, award the contract
where appropriate, notify us of the award on Find A Tender Service and complete this Google Form to inform GCA of your award details.

Charge for central government

Government bodies using this agreement must pay the Government Communication Service (GCS) management charge. This is 1% of the total net contract value.

This charge is a set contribution from all government communications spending through the agreements and funds the GCS. It has been in existence since 2013/14 and is approved by the Civil Service Board, Ministerial Board and with the agreement of all Directors of Communications.

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) became Government Commercial Agency (GCA) on 1 April 2026. Documents published before this date may still refer to CCS. All contract documents remain valid for existing and new contracts, and there are no changes to how you work with us.

RM6124 PIN

RM6124 Contract notice

Communications Marketplace

Description

Benefits

Products and suppliers

How to buy

Charge for central government

Documents