Scope
Reference
VA/CON/F25/60
Description
We are launching our new museum in east London on April 18, 2026. The launch of V&A East Museum is a pivotal moment for the V&A. It presents a unique opportunity to attract both existing and entirely new audiences. We needed a holistic media strategy that will not only attract entirely new audiences but also span the launch of the Museum and its inaugural temporary exhibition - The Music is Black: A British Story. In order to reach these new audiences who wouldn't normally consider going to a Museum, we needed a bespoke media campaign that would show up unlike any campaign the target audience will have experienced from a museum.
For this campaign, we opted to use Manning Gottlieb OMD (a division of OMD Group Limited) as the provider of Media Services under CCS framework agreement RM6123. We chose this framework as it offered a compliant and speedy route to market with a single supplier that had an excellent reputation, and our initial conversation with them showed that they could meet their brief.
Despite our intention to use the CCS framework, it has since emerged that this is not feasible because:
1. This is a complicated and bespoke campaign. Once the strategy was handed to the OMD government buying team, it became apparent that there were extra layers of approval baked into the framework agreement that we (and the OMD planning team) were not aware of.
2. The approval process would apply to the V&A because of our classification as a central government authority. However, the framework agreement does not take into account our Cultural Freedom Bodies Freedoms Charter that exempt us from the spend control for advertising, marketing, and communications.
3. There are approvals required because of non-standard special build out-of-home elements of the campaign. These elements are key for reaching these new audiences.
4. The approvals required under the CCS framework would delay our campaign to the point where it would not meet the timescales of our launch, severely affecting our ability to market these historic events. We'll also lose our opportunity to interact with the audiences and seed the story of the museum before it opens.
Contract 1
Supplier
Contract value
- £299,875 excluding VAT
- £359,850 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Earliest date the contract will be signed
6 February 2026
Contract dates (estimated)
- 7 February 2026 to 6 August 2026
- 6 months
Main procurement category
Services
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
Option to vary the media required for the campaign to allow for flexibility
CPV classifications
- 79341000 - Advertising services
Contract locations
- UKI - London
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Direct award
Direct award justification
- Single supplier - technical reasons
- Additional or repeat goods, services or works - extension or partial replacement
Having produced the strategy, OMD are now required to deliver it. We have a trusted team who are embedded in the launch strategy. They've are working closely alongside our creative agencies to develop the launch campaign creative and we need a team who understand the nuances of a highly complicated launch and multi-faceted campaign.
We engaged with OMD in good faith that the framework route was viable. The time and cost of change prohibits us from considering an alternative.
Supplier
OMD GROUP LIMITED
- Companies House: 02078820
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PZNX-4753-GTZL
Bankside 3, 90-100 Southwark Street
London
SE1 0SW
United Kingdom
Email: mgomdgovernment@manninggottliebomd.com
Website: https://www.mgomd.com/
Region: UKI44 - Lewisham and Southwark
Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): No
Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No
Contract 1
Contracting authority
Victoria and Albert Museum
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PQLN-4536-WVGN
Cromwell Road
London
SW7 2RL
United Kingdom
Email: procurement@vam.ac.uk
Region: UKI33 - Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham
Organisation type: Public authority - central government