BidSkim
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Service market

Public relations contracts

UK public sector · 56 contracts awarded in the 12 months to 6 October 2026

Covering 600+ buyer portals · 5 years of records · Updated 6 October 2026 · How we count

Contracts awarded
56
Last 12 months
Median contract
£125k
Recorded value
Recorded value
£13.5m
51 of 54 main-service contracts have a published value
Buyers
42
Suppliers
71

BidSkim assigns contracts to services from the notice text. How services are assigned

What stands out

  • The five suppliers that won the most public relations contracts took 23% of them (13 of 56).
  • The median contract, £125k, is 82% above the median across marketing & creative contracts (£69k).
  • The National Lottery Community Fund awarded 9% of the public relations contracts (5 of 56).

Who buys public relations

By contracts awarded, the 12 months to 6 October 2026.

  1. 1The National Lottery Community Fund5 contracts
  2. 2Scottish Government4 contracts
  3. 3Department of Health and Social Care3 contracts
  4. 4VisitScotland2 contracts
  5. 5Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)2 contracts
  6. 6Home Office2 contracts
  7. 7Ministry of Justice2 contracts
  8. 8The City of Liverpool College2 contracts
  9. 9Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)1 contract
  10. 10Pension Protection Fund1 contract

Top public relations contractors by contracts won

The 12 months to 6 October 2026.

  1. 1John Doe Group3 contracts
  2. 2Four Agency Worldwide3 contracts
  3. 33x1 Group3 contracts
  4. 4Fight or Flight Limited2 contracts
  5. 5Crest Advisory2 contracts
  6. 6Social Communications2 contracts
  7. 7GOLIN LIMITED t/a Golin Ketchum1 contract
  8. 8HANOVER COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED1 contract
  9. 9Headland consultancy Limited1 contract
  10. 10Freuds1 contract

Latest and largest awards

Each links to the official notice.

Latest

Largest

Contracts awarded by quarter

16Q4 2025*12Q1 202615Q2 202612Q3 20261Q4 2026*
* part quarter

Where the contracts were awarded

England 38 · Scotland 9 · Wales 5 · Northern Ireland 4

London9North West6Wales4Northern Ireland4North East3Yorkshire and The Humber3East Midlands3West Midlands3Scotland2South East1South West1UK-wide or not stated17

What is included

PR agency and press office support: media relations, press releases, story placement, broadcast PR, media handling and launch PR for organisations, programmes, campaigns and events.

  • PR agency retainers and frameworks, including combined PR and public affairs lots
  • Press office and consumer press office services
  • Media relations and media handling
  • Broadcast PR
  • Launch PR for reports, publications, rebrands and share sales
  • International media relations for student recruitment and destinations
  • Media handling and advisory support for public inquiries
  • PR-led multi-discipline communications support

What is not included

  • Communications strategy commissions (mkt.pr.communications-strategy)
  • Communications support for a named programme or development scheme (mkt.pr.programme-communications-support)
  • Crisis communications (mkt.pr.crisis-reputation-communications)
  • Public affairs (mkt.pr.public-affairs)
  • Newswire distribution of releases (mkt.pr.press-release-distribution)
  • Running the buyer's social media channels (mkt.digital.social-media-management-content)
  • Media training (another industry: edu.lead.media-and-presentation-training)
  • Media monitoring subscriptions (another industry: it.data.media-monitoring-and-social-listening)

Often bought by the same buyers