Ofcom Market Research Framework 2024 - 2028

Suppliers will have expertise in standard quantitative research techniques, including face to face, online and telephone interviews. Robust data quality assurance processes are essential. Tenderers should also have expertise on research with UK citizens, consumers & audiences and with advanced statistical techniques, such as segmentations and key driver analysis. Projects will typically relate to broadcasting, telecoms, online behaviour, and postal services. Projects will include UK residential respondents and, occasionally, business surveys. Tenderers must be able to comply with the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct. Tenderers awarded a place on this Lot 1 will be invited by Ofcom as and when the need arises, to bid for specific service requirements via a “mini competition”. Please note that being added to the framework does not guarantee any business, nor will it necessarily provide the opportunity to bid for quantitative research projects that Ofcom considers to be non-standard or specialist in nature.

Suppliers will have expertise in a range of standard qualitative research techniques amongst UK citizens, consumers and audiences. For example, focus groups, depth interviews, deliberative techniques and ethnography. Projects will typically relate to broadcasting, telecoms, online behaviour, and postal services. Projects will include UK residential respondents and, occasionally, business surveys. Audio visual recording will often be required. Tenderers must be able to comply with the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct. Tenderers awarded a place on this Lot 2 will be invited by Ofcom as and when the need arises, to bid for specific service requirements via a “mini competition”. Please note that being added to the framework does not guarantee any business, nor will it necessarily provide successful tenderers exclusive appointment for qualitative research projects that Ofcom considers to be non-standard or specialist in nature.

Suppliers will have expertise in a range of qualitative research techniques amongst a minority or hard-to-reach group (or groups) of adults in the UK population. This Lot will include suppliers who have specialist expertise in conducting research among a particular group (e.g. disabled people, ethnic minority groups) and may also include suppliers who have the capacity and expertise to conduct research among a range of different minority groups. Ability to adapt methods to recruit and research inclusively with target populations will be key. Projects on this Lot will typically relate to broadcasting, but may include other sectors. Audio visual recording will often be required. Tenderers must be able to comply with the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct. Tenderers awarded a place on this Lot 3 will be invited by Ofcom as and when the need arises, to bid for specific service requirements via a “mini competition”. Please note that being added to the framework does not guarantee any business, nor will it necessarily provide successful tenderers exclusive appointment for qualitative research projects that Ofcom considers to be non-standard or specialist in nature.

Suppliers will need to have the highest ethical and safeguarding standards, and experience of research with vulnerable children and sensitive topics. Our focus here is on online safety in relation to UK children. In 2023 we expect that the Online Safety Bill will be passed which will make Ofcom the regulator responsible for online safety in the UK. It is crucial that we secure an in-depth understanding of user experience, attitudes and behaviours. This means an increased need for us to conduct research with children, focused on online safety issues (which are often sensitive and difficult-to-research topics). The safety of participants and researchers is of utmost importance and successful suppliers will need to provide us with full details of ethics and safeguarding approaches. We are seeking research partners with experience and understanding in this area to deliver high-quality ethical research to inform public debate. It is possible that some of our research needs may require specialist expertise (e.g. trauma informed clinicians) and we are open to suppliers partnering with other specialists to meet project needs. Tenderers must be able to undertake qualitative and/or quantitative research that complies with the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct. Tenderers awarded a place on this Lot 4 will be invited by Ofcom as and when the need arises, to bid for specific service requirements via a “mini competition”. Please note that being added to the framework does not guarantee any business, nor will it necessarily provide successful tenderers exclusive appointment for children’s research projects that Ofcom considers to be non-standard or specialist in nature.

Suppliers will need to be able to be able to deliver statistically robust online surveys amongst the UK population. Typical requirements will be for UK-representative samples, or for surveys amongst minority groups in the UK population (for example, customers of a particular supplier, or vulnerable groups). Our requirements from suppliers will typically be for a ‘full-service’ provision, to include advice, questionnaire design and analysis and reporting. Bids to join the framework will be assessed on this basis, although the winning bidder(s) will also be required to provide ‘field and tab’ services from time to time, where Ofcom would provide the agency with a questionnaire and the output requirement will be data tables and files only. Often, the projects commissioned on this lot will be designed to efficiently collect consumer data to deliver to relatively tight project deadlines. Tenderers must comply with the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct. Under Lot 5 the default position will be that Ofcom will call off specific service requirements on a ranking basis. The Tenderer ranked first under this Lot will be offered the work first, should they decline or not be in a position to complete the work the second placed supplier will be offered the work and so on.

Suppliers will have good understanding and experience of projects that involve behavioural science. Our in-house behavioural insight team will require support for projects that apply behavioural science techniques to policy design, particularly with regards to online behaviour. We anticipate that suppliers on this Lot will be invited to submit proposals for projects including the provision of randomised control trials, literature reviews, user research (incl. user testing) and behavioural analysis among adults (and occasionally children). Tenderers awarded a place on this Lot 6 will be invited by Ofcom as and when the need arises, to bid for specific service requirements via a “mini competition”. Please note that being added to the framework does not guarantee any business, nor will it necessarily provide successful tenderers exclusive appointment for behavioural research projects that Ofcom considers to be non-standard or specialist in nature.