Derry City & Strabane District Council

Tender for the provision of a Marketing Agency to support the Investment Proposition for Derry City & Strabane District Council

T BUS 17 - 014

Tender Document

Derry City & Strabane District Council

Council Offices

98 Strand Road

Derry

BT48 7NN

Email:

Web:

Table of Contents

Contents2

Introduction & Scope of Works3

Instructions to Tenderers8

Evaluation / Award Criteria16

Form of Tender19

Terms & Conditions20

Form of Assurance 21

Collusive Tendering Certificate22

Declaration of Commitment to

Promoting Equality of Opportunity23

Fair Employment Declaration25

Prompt Payment Certificate26

Statement Relating To Good Standing27

Public Procurement & Tax Compliance 30

Freedom of Information31

Non Submittal Form32

Appendix33

Introduction & Scope of Works

1. Introduction

Derry City & Strabane District Council (DCSDC) has an extremely ambitious capital plan and a key element of the financial strategy required to delivery this plan will involve the Council maximising income from the strategic assets which are in its ownership, using a range of possible funding options and development partnership routes.

The Council has a unique opportunity available to it now and into the future to utilise its land assets in a way which will generate long term revenue and help to underpin the ambitious investment plans that have been articulated from within the recently completed Strategic Inclusive Growth Plan.

Taking on board the current property market conditions and the potential for significant investment by central government in one or more major projects in the North West region as part of the soon to be published Programme for Government, the Council wish to develop an Investment Proposition (IP) for the urban areas of DCSDC.

The messaging, content and design of the Investment Proposition document will be created in conjunction with senior council officers over a period of six months, commencing in March 2017. The IP project has already procured specialist input from a number of subject experts including:

An urban designer & place making specialist

• A corporate finance expert
• A commercial estate agent

The deliverables resulting from this 6 month project will allow the Council to position itself nationally and internationally as an investment location by showcasing the assets that it has available for investment, their location within the City and their potential to contribute to the city of the future. The IP will allow the council to access investment market intelligence which in turn will allow it to make well informed decisions as to how best to advance the commercialisation of its portfolio of assets and to progress a strategy to robustly market the most suitable sites at the most appropriate times. This approach will position the Council in the positive and proactive position of being strategic and well informed in its planning to maximise the return from its portfolio of assets. This IP is the first step in the Council preparing to invite developers and/or investors to formally register their interest in one or more potential joint venture financial partnership arrangements, with DCSDC as their long term development partners.

In order to best position itself in a competitive market, one where councils across the UK and beyond are marketing themselves to investors & developers, DCSDC will create this, its own unique Investment Proposition and use it to position itself in the investment market as a viable and attractive investment consideration.

The IP document will be the key deliverable of this six month commission and will be used to stimulate internal and external investment in the Derry & Strabane urban areas.

The Three Outputs of the Investment Proposition:

The Investment Proposition will be a multi-purpose document and will produce the following three outputs;

-A commercial investment marketing tool kit; The IP will succinctly set out the case for investment in Derry and Strabane to local, national and international investors & developers. It will briefly tell the story of where the area has come from, set out the ambitious future that it is has ahead, outline the opportunities which will exist as a result of the planned central and local government investment programmes in the area, and contain a detailed section outlining the physical land assets available for consideration for development by way of development partnerships with DCSDC.

-A data collection process; By launching the Investment Proposition to the local, national and international market of investors and developers, and by inviting them to register their interest with DCSDC within a prescribed proforma, the Council will develop an insightful data base which will consist of current, open market informed intelligence as to the appetite for investment and the investment preferences and patterns of potential investors, the sites which are of most interest to them and the financial tools and partnership structures which are most attractive to them. Importantly this data collection and subsequent market intelligence base with allow the senior council officers and elected members to agree a planned and strategic approach to the actual hard disposal of assets or interests in particular sites. The response received from the soft market testing which the Council will do using the Investment Proposition, will allow the Council to be strategic and proactive, rather than reactive, in attracting the best forms of investment and partnership for the longevity, sustainability and holistic growth and development of the council area as a whole.

-An initial internal visioning tool which will be progressed as part of the Derry City Centre Development Framework (DCCDF); the internal visioning work required as part of the IP, which will be facilitated by the Urban Designer & Place Making specialist but led by the senior council officers will ensure that extensive strategic thought has been given to the brief which will be issued as part of the procurement documents for the integrated design team who will be appointed to carry out the DCCDF plan in 2017, which is the forerunner to the Local Development Plan (LDP).

Scope of Works for Marketing Agency

In order for the Investment Proposition to contain the breadth of relevant information that the target market audience will require, Council now needs to appoint the services of aMarketing Agency to support the work of the IP and assist with marketing. The timeline for the production of a working draft of the IP is six months (commencing January 2017)with the appointment of the specialists, and the commencement of their individual work streams and deliverables.

The successful Marketing Agency will be required to deliver all of the following outputs:

Part 1 –Sub Brand (available budget up to £3,000.00)

Develop a sub brand and associated guidelines which will fit with the objectives of the IP. It is envisaged that any sub brand will have a contemporary look and feel and will appeal to a business to business audience. The purpose of the sub brand is to ensure that all marketing materials commissioned as part of this piece of work are consistent. The sub brand should complement the existing Council brand and marketing guidelines and will be applied to the Council website, social media and any marketing collateral produced.

All technical information in relation to the sub brand should be provided within the guidelines and include tone, applications, fonts, use of imagery and colour options etc.

The sub brand guidelines should be provided in hard and electronic formats. Within the sub brand guidelines the successful company will be expected to produce templates/concepts for the following:

• Powerpoint template
• Digital and print versions of Brochure/Leaflet
• Digital marketing application for web and social media platforms
• Application for a range of advertising

Part 2 –Copywriting (budget up to £2,000.00)

The successful company or individual will be required to develop marketing content for the IP for use in a variety of contexts such as print, digital and online.

DCSDC and its specialist partners will provide details on the IP content

Part 3 –Photography (budget up to £3,000.00)

A photographic image bank is required to support this work which will include at least 50 images to support each of the key selling messages.

Council will provide details on suggested subjects however it is expected that the successful company or individual will be pro-active in identifying suitable and relevant images.The imagery must be suitable for a wide range of promotional uses including on the print and digital based campaigns.

Part 4 – video (budget up to £5,000.00)

The successful company/individual must create a short video, no longer than 2 minutes, that makes the case for investment in Derry and Strabane to local, national and international investors and developers. It will briefly set out the ambitious future that it is has ahead, outline the opportunities which will exist as a result of the planned central and local government investment programmes in the area, outlining the physical land assets available for consideration for development by way of development partnerships with DCSDC

Part 5 – production of digital and print marketing materials (budget up to £2,000.00)

The successful company/individual must design a suite of both digital and print materials that will reflect the sub brand and promote the Council’s assets and the investment opportunities that exist. This must include the design and creation of a digital prospectus which will be creative, distinctive and contemporary and complement the Council’s brand and marketing guidelines. The focus will be on digital marketing but there should also be provision made for print versions of the materials produced.

Please note that any proposal should be flexible and give scope to meet the requirements of the various marketing outputs.

In addition to working with Council Officers the successful company/individual will work alongside the commercial estate agent for the IP to offer commercial property related guidance and advice on the following:

• The most appropriate messaging, graphic design, info-graphics, copy writing and all associated services necessary to produce an Investment Prospectus for DCSDC which results in an international, best in class commercial property prospectus
• Assist on the design of the online presence, as well as an animated presentation that reflects the hard copy and all other associated collateral and communication tools
• All visual elements including video and photography for the IP document
• The production an early version of the IP along with a visual presentation and other appropriate marketing collateral for use by DCSDC officers at MIPIM or other similar events in 2017
• The production of a marketing roll out plan and associated budget for the IP document to maximise its reach across both national and international market places over a twelve month period post production of the IP

Budget Available

A total budget of £15,000 (exclusive of VAT) has been set for this project. DCSDC will review and quality assure the process and reserves the right to stop it at any stage if the quality of the work does not meet the required standard as per this tender.

Timeline for the programme

Tender issued 7th February 2017

Queries 13thFebruary 2017

Register intent to tender 13th February 2017

Tender return7th March 2017

Contract awarded March 2017

Contract Completed June 2017

Instructions to Tenderers

1. Invitation To Tender

1.1Derry City & Strabane District Council principally invites detailed and costed proposals for Tender brief defined in Introduction & Scope of Works. Please ensure your submission includes all details as per section 19 of Instructions to Tenderers.

2Explanation of Documents / queries during the tender period / registration of intent to tender

2.1It is the responsibility of prospective facility/service providers (hereafter referred to as ‘tenderers’) or parties submitting ‘expressions of interest’ to obtain for themselves at their own expense any additional information necessary for the preparation of their proposals (hereafter referred to as ‘tenders’) or ‘expressions of interest’.

2.2Tenderers are advised to ensure that they are fully familiar with the nature and extent of the obligations to be accepted by them if their tender is accepted.

2.3Should any tenderer be in doubt as to the interpretation of any part of the contract documents, Procurement shall endeavour to answer written enquiries. All queries must be submitted in writing to arrive with Procurement not later than 12Noon 14th February 2017 by email to:

Email –

2.4All copies of written queries received, together with written replies will be sent to all tenderers not later than 5days before the date of return of tenders.

2.5In order to ensure receipt of written replies, all prospective tenderers are therefore requested to register their intent to tender in writing to Procurementby email as noted in Clause 2.3 above, not later than 14h February 2017, including full contact details and indicating tender will be submitted.

2.6No representation, explanation, or statement made to a tenderer, or anyone else, by or on behalf of the Council, as to the meaning of any of the tender documents, or otherwise in clarification as aforesaid, shall bind the Council in exercise of its powers and duties under any subsequent Contract(s).

3Accuracy Of Tender

Tenders must be submitted for the supply of all the services specified in the Form of Tender. Tenders submitted for part of the services only will be rejected. Tenderers must price separately for all items listed in the Form of Tender. The Council may reject any tender that is not priced separately.

4Information to be provided

Tenderers should provide a brief description of the overall organisation of their company. Tenderers must also include subcontracting information in this section if subcontractors will be engaged. Subcontractors must be named and their roles in the project briefly described.

Tenderers should provide this general background information:

• Company Address
• Contact person (s)
• Year established and company background
• Number of customers currently being serviced
• Comprehensive list of available services
• Provide any additional background information

Tenderers must complete and return all relevant tender/pricing, assurance and declaration forms etc.

5Submission of Tender Documents (and/or Additional Proposals and Expressions of Interest)

5.1The tender(s) shall be made on the Form of Tender(s) provided, and signed by the Tenderer. All Contract Documents, together with these Instructions and completed Form of Tender(s) should be forwarded, by registered post or delivered by hand and a receipt obtained to:

Tender for“Marketing Agency for the Investment Proposition”

”

Director of Business & Culture

Derry City & Strabane District Council

98 Strand Road, Derry

BT48 7NN,

so as to arrive not later than 12.00 noon 7th March 2017

Please provide 4 copies of your tender submission and one copy on USB Stick. These copies will enable your submission to be reviewed by tender panel

No UNAUTHORISED alteration or addition should be made to the Tender Form(s), or to any other of the Contract Documents. IF ANY SUCH ALTERATION OR ADDITION IS MADE OR IF THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT FULLY COMPLIED WITH THE TENDER MAY BE REJECTED.

5.2All documents requiring a signature shall be signed.

(a)Where the Tenderer is an individual, by that individual

(b)Where the Tenderer is a partnership by the two duly authorised partners.

(c)Where the Tenderer is a company by two directors or by a director and the secretary of the company, such persons being duly authorised for that purpose.

5.3Tenders shall be submitted strictly in accordance with the tender documents.

5.4 No alteration to the text of any of the Tender Documents will be permitted, and if any are made, the tender may be rejected. Failure to complete any part of the documents may also incur rejection of the tender.

5.5 Tenderers must ensure that all requested documentation is returned with the completed tender.

5.6No name or mark, including any franking machine slogan, is to be placed on the envelope to indicate in any way the identity of the sender.

5.7Tenderers or any representatives thereof will not be permitted to be present when the tenders are opened.

5.8All prices should be quoted in pounds sterling and shall be exclusive of VAT.

6The Basis of the Tender

The rates quoted in the form of tender section shall remain fixed for the duration of this contract.

7Period of Acceptance

The Tenderer is required to hold his tender open for acceptance for a period of 150 days from the closing date for the submission of tenders.

8Evaluation of Tender

8.1Evaluation/Award Criteria are outlined in next section.

8.2Derry City & Strabane District Council is not required to accept any tender and may wish to award the contract as a whole or individual aspects depending on the strength of the successful team. Any award will be made on the basis of the stated evaluation criteria.

9Contract Documents take Precedence

The information given in these Instructions for Tenderers is given in good faith for the guidance of Tenderers, but if there is any conflict, the Conditions of Contract, Specifications, and the Pricing Documents / Form of Tender shall take precedence over these Instructions.

10Pre-Selection Interviews / Presentations

Tenderers are put on notice that they may be required to attend the Council Offices, 98 Strand Road, Derry, for procedural and technical presentations and/or interviews during the process of tender evaluation at no charge to Council.

11Contract Commencement Date

The contract will commence in March 2017

12Questions

All questions, requests or other communications regarding this tender must be made in writing to

13Late Submissions

Tenders submitted after the closing date will not be accepted.

14Expenses and Losses

The Council shall not be responsible for, or pay for, any expenses or losses that may be incurred by any tenderer in preparing their tender proposals.

15Preparation of Tender

It is the responsibility of prospective tenderers to obtain for themselves, at their own expense, any additional information necessary for the preparation of their tenders.

16 Confidentiality

All information supplied by the Council in connection with this invitation to tender shall be treated as confidential by prospective tenderers, except that such information may be disclosed so far as is necessary for the purpose of obtaining sureties, guarantees and quotations necessary for the preparation and submission of the tender.