Invitation to Tender for Provision of  PR Services 2026 – 2028 

(with annual extension option)

Return to: info@nisciencefestival.com and sarah@nisciencefestival.com 

Return deadline: 12 noon on Thursday 23 July 2026.  

Information for Applicants

Overview

NISF is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading science festivals, delivering an extensive programme of events across Northern Ireland, engaging audiences of all ages with science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).

The appointed PR partner will support the strategic promotion of the Festival, increasing audience reach, enhancing reputation, and positioning NISF as a leading voice in public engagement with science.

Contract Period

The contract will commence in September 2026 and run through to March 2028, covering the full PR campaign cycle including planning, delivery and evaluation.

Subject to successful delivery, the contract may be extended annually for up to two additional years.

Submission details

• Proposals must be submitted via email with the subject line: ‘Tender: NISF PR Services’
• Submission deadline 12 noon on Thursday 23 July 2026.  
• Submissions should include all requested documentation and not exceed 10MB.

Queries

All clarifications and questions must be submitted by email no later than Thursday 9 July at midday.  

About NI Science Festival

Northern Ireland Science Festival is a flagship cultural and educational event, typically held annually in February, featuring:

• Talks, workshops, exhibitions and performances
• Partnerships with universities, industry, and cultural organisations
• Engagement across schools, families, young people, and adult audiences
• A strong commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and regional reach

The Festival plays a key role in:

• Promoting STEAM skills and careers
• Supporting public understanding of science
• Showcasing Northern Ireland as a hub of innovation

The festival offers a stimulating and wide range of events focusing on the wonders of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. These events present some of the best scientists from NI and beyond to discuss their work, cutting-edge research and what the future might hold.

During the day, the festival offers a range of workshops, tours talks and interactive activities for people of all ages. In the evening we present an eclectic mix of experiential events including scientific debate, talks, theatres, comedy, music, and film for adults and much more.

Our target audience

With events during the day for a younger audience, in the evenings for an older demographic and the weekends catering to families, the festival will be targeted at a broad spectrum and our press coverage should reflect this.  As well as targeting publications aimed at families, daily national press and local press, we hope to receive coverage in business and industry publications.  

Scope of services required

The successful candidate/agency will be required to deliver the following tasks:

• Produce and deliver an integrated Press and PR strategy for the 2027 Festival that increases media coverage in Belfast, NI, UK and ROI and internationally.
• Drafting and issuing regular media releases to national and local newspapers, business press, on-line media and, where appropriate, radio and television 
• Generate PR/editorial interest with wider media and mainstream press including regional, national and international media, local radio, local television and national networks using press releases, previews, editorials, briefings and features in conjunction with partners.
• Work to develop media partnerships for the 2027 Festival.
• Liaise closely with funders and stakeholders to ensure their communication objectives are met.
• Manage press enquiries during the festival
• Be creative and innovative in their approach with activity that reaches the identified target audiences
• Monitor and report on all media coverage summarised with a written report at the end of the festival. 
• Coordinate arrangements for tickets for journalists and media representatives at selected events.
• Provide regular press updates during the Festival period  
• Collate a post event Press and PR review with clippings for all stakeholders.

Timescales and key milestones

There will be a number of key milestones where we will require support.  These include:

• Mid December 2026 – The official press launch of the full programme of the festival
• Jan – Feb 2027 – Draft and issue press releases to local press to highlight events in each council area.  Pitch press interviews and pieces with speakers to highlight individual events at the Festival; 
• 10th February – 4 March 2027 – Various press during the festival itself, particularly on the larger events in the programme.  

Your submission

Applicants must provide evidence that they meet the following requirements and provide examples:

• Experience of producing Press and PR campaigns for Festivals/events
• In-depth working knowledge and experience of working with STEM organisations 
• Be sufficiently experienced to ensure this brief is delivered on time and to budget

Applicants must demonstrate:

• Excellent communication skills and expertise
• Excellent team working and collaborative skills
• Excellent oral and written skills
• Experience of problem solving and complaint handling.

Applicants must also:

• Be willing to undertake ‘off-duty’ working hours
• Have access to own transport

Please include the following in your submission: 

• Examples of previous work/campaigns
• Experience in Festivals/events and STEM
• A breakdown of your hourly/daily rate.

NB: The costs submitted will be fixed for the 2-year period. NI Science Festival will not accept an annual price increase without clear justification showing costs to the appointed service provider have increased. Tenderers should explain any mechanism they have in place for reviewing charges and provide details of categories of expenditure which might impact future costs.

Subject to successful contract delivery for the 2027 Festival, and agreement between the parties, the contract may be extended annually for up to a further 2 years.

Assessment of Submissions:

• Proposal and understanding of the brief – 15%

• Delivering the Service – 20%

• Skills, Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge – 30%

• Value For Money – Pricing & Costs – 25%

• Uniquely NI Science Festival – 5%

• Environmental & Ethical Practices and Added Value– 5%

Tender Clarification Notice – Addendum No. 1

Issue Date: Friday 10 July 2026

The following responses are provided in answer to questions received during the clarification period. These responses form part of the Invitation to Tender documentation and should be read in conjunction with the original tender documents.

Can you indicate what you expect to be covered in the assessment section: “Uniquely NI Science Festival”?

This section is intended to give applicants the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the NI Science Festival, its values, audiences and distinctive position within the cultural and science engagement landscape. We are interested in how your proposed approach reflects what makes the Festival unique, and how you would communicate this through an effective PR campaign that supports our objectives.

Under the Value for Money – Pricing and Costs section, we note that you have asked for a breakdown of hourly and daily rates only. Can you confirm if there is anything else you need to cover in this section?

In addition to providing hourly and daily rates, applicants should clearly identify the proposed agency fees for delivering the core services set out in the tender. Any anticipated third-party costs should be itemised separately, where applicable.

Can we assume that any third-party costs associated with this service will be covered separately by NISF – for example, media monitoring costs and photography?

We have an internal budget for media monitoring costs, main festival photography and social media advertising which is utilised by the Festivals Marketing Manager – we do not have a dedicated budget for influencer partnerships, but where agencies feel these activities would enhance the campaign, they are welcome to make recommendations and provide associated costs for that separately.

There’s no indicated budget or day-rate ceiling anywhere in the brief. Can you give a guide figure so pricing lands in the right bracket?

We have intentionally not specified a budget for this contract. We are seeking proposals based on the scope of services set out in the Invitation to Tender and wish to understand each agency’s proposed approach and associated costs. As outlined in the tender, applicants should clearly identify their agency fees, including hourly and daily rates where requested. Any anticipated third-party costs should be itemised separately.

“Off-duty hours” – does this mean evenings/weekends just during the festival fortnight (10–21 Feb), or is there an on-call expectation across the whole contract period?

The expectation relates primarily to the Festival delivery period (10–21 February 2027), when media activity may take place during evenings and weekends. Outside of the Festival period, we would expect normal business hours unless an emergency PR issue has arisen.

In-house comms – does NISF have any internal comms/marketing resource we’d be working alongside (as opposed to an encumbant agency), or is PR entirely outsourced to the appointed agency?

NISF has an in-house Marketing Manager who you would be working alongside.

Speaker/talent liaison – for press interviews with festival speakers, will NISF handle speaker availability and sign-off, or is that within our remit to coordinate directly? (we would expect to do this for most of our clients)

Speaker/talent liaison – we would expect the PR agency to liaise with them on press interviews – we will provide contact details for agents etc.  

Is there a preferred format/template for the post-event coverage report and clippings?

No preferred format/template for the report.

How many funders/stakeholders will need sight of press materials before release, and what’s the typical turnaround time for approvals?

This changes year to year, but is generally with our main funders at Dept for the Economy and Belfast City Council.  Turn around time could be a day to a two weeks.  

Do you typically use a newswire service for press releases? If so, which one? And do you have a negotiated rate?

Our previous PR companies have dealt with this in-house – we do not have a deal or rate with anyone.

Is there an in-person presentation stage to the selection process. If so, when/where will this take place?

This will depend on the number of applications and results of the scoring process.  There would be an option for online interview.  

Is not being based in Northern Island a barrier to selection? 

We welcome applications from agencies regardless of location. However, applicants should demonstrate how they will effectively service the contract, including attendance at key meetings and an on-site presence during the Festival where required.

is there any social content creation/management that is needed as part of this scope of work? Or is that managed separately?

Social media content creation and management will be delivered by the Northern Ireland Science Festival team. We are, however, open to proposals that include appropriate influencer engagement where this would add value to the campaign. Any influencer activity would be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to available funding. 

Should our integrated approach include organic social media content and influencer engagement or is the remit for this project traditional media relations only?

The primary focus of the contract is media relations and press office activity. Organic social media content will be delivered by the Northern Ireland Science Festival team. We are, however, open to proposals that include appropriate influencer engagement where this would add value to the campaign. Any influencer activity would be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to available funding.

Are there budgets in place for influencer partnerships, media partnerships, social media advertising?

We have an internal budget for social media advertising which is utilised by the Festivals Marketing Manager – we do not have a dedicated budget for influencer partnerships, but where agencies feel these activities would enhance the campaign, they are welcome to make recommendations and provide associated costs for that separately.  

Is there a budget defined for the media partnership(s)?

No dedicated budget has been allocated for media partnerships. Any suggested media partnerships should be included as optional recommendations, with associated costs clearly identified.

Is there an overall budget for the PR / press office / media relations activity we should plan to work to?

We have not set a fixed budget for this contract and are keen to receive proposals that demonstrate the best value for money and the most appropriate approach to delivering the brief. As part of your submission, we’d ask that you provide a clear breakdown of agency fees and identify any additional costs separately.  The proposed fee should primarily relate to the agency’s professional services. Any optional costs such as media partnerships, journalist hosting, travel, photography/content creation or other third-party expenses should be clearly itemised and quoted separately, as these may be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on available budgets and campaign requirements.

Is this intended to be an ongoing PR partnership or a campaign-focused appointment and what level of support are you expecting across the wider scope (media partnerships, content, stakeholder engagement)

The contract will commence in September 2026 and run through to March 2028, covering the full PR campaign cycle including planning, delivery and evaluation.  Subject to successful delivery, the contract may be extended annually for up to two additional years.

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