In a circular published for attendees of the government’s Agile Communications event, held last month in London, the Cabinet Office advises firms to ensure they are registered as a supplier on the Government Procurement Service eSourcing Suite before the tender is published.

Firms should also register with Contracts Finder for alerts to ensure they have plenty of time to complete applications, in advance of the proposed short deadlines. In the statement, the government warns: “We urge you to start planning for this process now as timetables will be tight.”

The roster will sit under the Government Communications Network, which has replaced the Central Office of Information (COI) as of 1 April.

In its last year, COI research spend was reduced from £27.4m in the 2009/10 financial year to £9.5m for 2010/11 – cuts that were broadly in line with the reduction in total COI spend, which was down 68%. At its peak, the COI was spending £29m in research in 2008/09. It had 108 agencies on its last research roster.

Tenders for marketing rosters are due to be published next month with appointments due by October.