Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

Tender description

Please Note: This is a Market Sounding Exercise and not a Call for Tender. The purpose of this market engagement exercise is to seek feedback from the industry to assist with shaping the procurement strategy for the arrangements for Campaign Advertising and Related Services for Northern Ireland Central Government from 2016-2020. The current arrangements for campaign advertising are met through a Framework Agreement which will expire on 31.10.2016. Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) and Government Advertising Unit (GAU) plan to use the industry feedback received, to help inform the procurement strategy. Central Procurement Directorate are the lead Centre of Procurement Expertise (CoPE) and are mandated to deliver contracts that centralise the supply of a range of common supplies and services (including campaign advertising) and to maximise opportunities for aggregation with other NI Centres of Procurement Expertise (CoPEs) to achieve best value for money. The Government Advertising Unit is a shared service centre established as a result of a comprehensive review of government advertising. Following the introduction in 2012 of a Protocol for Managing Campaign Advertising, the Executive agreed in 2013 that an Executive Campaign Advertising Programme should be developed to align to the Programme for Government. The Executive scrutinised campaign advertising expenditure and all advertising campaigns adhere to Executive protocols and require Ministerial approval. The Executive agrees an annual advertising campaign budget. The current annual campaign advertising spend approved through the Executive Advertising Programme (EAP) is 11 800 000 GBP. Note that this figure includes spend outside of the current framework agreement and spend allocated to contracts already awarded off the current framework. The Government Advertising Unit (GAU) is a centre of specialised expertise who administer the EAP to coordinate, manage and evaluate advertising across Government. The aim is to ensure value for money, effectiveness and a more strategic use of advertising as part of government's overall communications activities. Advertising services falls under the NI collaborative procurement agenda. A list of the bodies who would fall under the scope of further arrangements can be found at: https://www.dfpni.gov.uk/articles/list-public-bodies-which-ni-public-procurement-policy-applies Early indications from a range of sources would suggest that a Framework is still an appropriate mechanism to deliver the required outcomes for the NI Departments and their sponsored bodies however CPD / GAU are open as to industry viewpoints as to whether this is the best approach. Frameworks are regulated by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. A link has been provided for your information: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/102/regulation/33/made CPD would like to invite participation in the market engagement exercise by completing the Questionnaire attached at Appendix A of the Market Engagement document in the Technical Envelope of eTendersNI.