Scope
Description
S4C, through this tender process, is seeking to appoint a company to recruit and maintain an online panel of adults (16+) comprising of Welsh speakers across the UK and non-Welsh speakers in Wales, and to conduct continuous surveys in relation to viewing and appreciation of S4C programmes, and overall measures for other channels and AV services.
S4C wishes to appoint a provider to recruit and administer a panel of members of the public to provide estimates of viewing and audience appreciation data in connection with S4C programmes and content.
The key elements of the services to be provided are:
- The recruitment, management and administration of an online standalone representative panel sufficient to deliver daily adult (16+) samples of 375 Welsh speakers in Wales, 75 Welsh speakers in the rest of the UK and 150 non-Welsh speakers in Wales.
- All recruitment must be conducted bilingually in Welsh and English, with Welsh at first contact for Welsh speakers.
- Geographic and demographic representation of the panel to reflect population measures, with weighting to either census populations or BARB Establishment Survey populations (to be discussed).
- Capture panellists' daily consumption of all S4C's programmes and content (live and catch-up), and ascertain their appreciation via a score attributed by them to each piece of viewed content. This includes S4C's broadcast channel, all S4C content available on Clic and iPlayer, and S4C video content seen on third-party platforms (e.g. YouTube); and Newyddion S4C, S4C's online news service.
- The pre-broadcast and final daily schedules for S4C (and other channels and services as required) will need to be sourced from recognised industry providers. Post-TX logs from S4C as supplied to Barb should be used as the definitive programme and metadata source for final reporting.
- Regular surveys to the panel to ascertain general PSM and other leading channel/service appreciation and attitudes, use of other media and services, and appreciation of other broadcasters' programmes for occasional benchmarking, as agreed.
- S4C will specify different ad-hoc questions from time to time to be served to the panel, on average once a month.
- Reporting will be regular - daily where practicable, at least weekly - and encompass aggregated tabulations, respondent-level data and a query system.
- Each member of the panel shall be contacted bilingually or in the language of their choice, Welsh or English, and all communication & documentation shall be bilingual or in the language of the panellist's choice.
- Surveys shall be conducted online in accordance with a relevant industry body's best practice (such as the Market Research Society).
- All practicable steps should be taken to exclude individuals in households in which anyone is connected to the media industry in Wales.
- The successful tenderer shall ensure that at least one staff member is a Welsh speaker to provide Welsh language services and deal with any questions or queries from panel members.
- The organisation providing the service must abide a relevant industry society's Code of Conduct in relation to the provision of these services to and on behalf of S4C (for example the MRS Code of Conduct).
For further information please see the attached documents.
Total value (estimated)
- £1,250,000 excluding VAT
- £1,500,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 29 October 2025 to 29 October 2029
- Possible extension to 29 October 2030
- 5 years, 1 day
Description of possible extension:
Option to extend for a further 12 months
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics
Contract locations
- UKL - Wales
Submission
Enquiry deadline
9 September 2025, 12:00pm
Tender submission deadline
23 September 2025, 12:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
- Welsh
- English
Award decision date (estimated)
17 October 2025
Recurring procurement
Publication date of next tender notice (estimated): 19 August 2030
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | Fee for providing the services |
Cost | 30.00% |
| Data management, provision and reporting methods | See attached Invitation to Tender for further breakdown |
Quality | 20.00% |
| Recruitment and replenishment of a suitable panel | See attached Invitation to Tender for further breakdown |
Quality | 16.00% |
| Optimising responses | See attached Invitation to Tender for further breakdown |
Quality | 14.00% |
| Management and administration of the panel | See attached Invitation to Tender for further breakdown |
Quality | 12.00% |
| Data Protection Systems | See attached Invitation to Tender for further breakdown |
Quality | 4.00% |
| Payment Schedule | A suggested payment schedule for the fee |
Quality | 4.00% |
Other information
Description of risks to contract performance
Defective software, insufficient sample of participants, lack of Welsh speaking staff. Please see draft contract.
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Justification for not publishing a preliminary market engagement notice
Contracting authority already has sufficient, up-to-date knowledge from previous procurements and existing market research.
Documents
Associated tender documents
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Assets/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=343537
Invitation to Tender for the provision of Viewing and Audience Appreciation Data Services
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Assets/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=343538
APPENDIX 1_Draft Contract
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Assets/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=343539
APPENDIX 3_Basic Information Form
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Assets/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=343540
Gwahoddiad i Dendro ar gyfer darparu Gwasanaethau Data Gwylio a Gwerthfawrogiad y Gynulleidfa
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Assets/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=343541
ATODIAD 1_Cytundeb Drafft
https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Assets/NoticeBuilder_FileDownload.aspx?id=343542
ATODIAD 3_Ffurflen Wybodaeth Sylfaenol
Contracting authority
S4C
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PWPJ-3962-ZGHL
Canolfan S4C yr Egin
Caerfyrddin
SA31 3EQ
United Kingdom
Email: cyfreithiol_legal@s4c.cymru
Website: https://s4c.cymru
Region: UKL14 - South West Wales
Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government
Devolved regulations that apply: Wales