Local Democracy Reporting Service Platform

The BBC is currently considering a fully managed Software‑as‑a‑Service (SaaS) offering and welcomes feedback on alternative approaches where relevant. This must include hosting, ongoing support, administration, security, and maintenance as part of the service. The system will support users across multiple partner organisations based throughout the UK.

International access is not required. The service is expected to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. While usage may occur at any time, the primary period of activity is anticipated to be between 10:00 and 20:00.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) Authoring Tool is used for the creation and publication of news stories that are shared with Local News Partnership (LNP) partners. Originally commissioned in 2017 and subsequently renewed, the tool is now under review and is scheduled for replacement from January 1, 2028.

The portal supports the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), a public service news agency funded by the BBC, delivered by the local news sector, and used by qualifying partners. All partners operate to common editorial standards and publish content into a shared system. Please review the RFI document uploaded on to the Jaggaer e-tendering platform.