Home / Opportunities / Opportunity
PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Helicopter Services — BBC Live Newsgathering

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 27 Sept 2026, 09:01.

Opportunity overview

BBC Newsgathering uses a dedicated helicopter to support its live broadcast news-gathering operations across the United Kingdom. The helicopter provides an aerial news-gathering and live broadcast capability that is integral to the BBC’s ability to cover breaking news events, planned operations, and major incidents from the air, transmitting live footage directly to BBC News studio facilities. The current contract for this service is approaching the end of its term. The BBC is conducting pre-tender market engagement under the Procurement Act 2023 to understand the landscape of suppliers capable of delivering this service before potentially proceeding to a formal competitive procurement. This is a specialist service. The BBC requires a supplier with direct, demonstrable experience of working in a fast-paced live television news environment — not general aerial work, corporate charter, or commercial helicopter operations. Suppliers are encouraged to consider their suitability carefully before responding. Please review the RFI document uploaded on to the Jaggaer e-tendering platform.

Classification

  • CPV34711500 — Helicopters
  • CPV60424120 — Hire of helicopters with crew

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-06c1ab
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
Status
planning

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Communication

Future Notice Date
1 Sept 2026, 23:59

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planning

Suitability

Sme
Yes
Vcse
Yes

Contract period

Starts
1 Jan 2027, 00:00
Ends
1 Jan 2027, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
60424120
Description
Hire of helicopters with crew
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
34711500
Description
Helicopters

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UK
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Planning and budget

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
This is a request for information related to Helicopter Services for BBC Newsgathering. Please access the BBC's e-sourcing platform to review the RFI documentation to be returned before the engagement deadline: https://bbc.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
Due
15 Jul 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Documents

Entry 1
Id
061914-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Published
1 Jul 2026, 16:02
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)
Id
GB-PPON-PJRB-3233-GTQL

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PJRB-3233-GTQL

Address

Street Address
Broadcasting House, Portland Place
Locality
London
Postal Code
W1A 1AA
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKI32

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · London · UKI32 · W1A 1AA · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UK · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 061914-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·