Concession: The Production of Residents Magazine 'BCP News'

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council is seeking a single Service Provider to manage its concession to sell advertising in BCP News magazine to fund the overall production and distribution costs of a printed publication, up to three times a year . The aim of the magazine is to inform residents and increase awareness and understanding of council services, projects and initiatives.

The magazine is called BCP News and it has been produced and delivered at nil-cost since shortly after the formation of the Council in April 2019. There is no dedicated funding to produce a magazine and the Council therefore requires a cost-neutral arrangement using advertising income to cover the production and distribution costs.

The contract will be for one year with the option to extend annually for a further three years (1+1+1+1). Therefore, if all extensions were taken the full length of the contract would be for four years. The anticipated start date of the contract is 1 August 2021. Whilst the contract length has been set for a period of up to four years, the Council only expects to produce BCP News in printed format for the next two years while evolving and growing its online communities. The additional two years of extension are to allow flexibility should the intention be to continue with BCP News beyond two further years.

The Council is the publisher of BCP News and is responsible for all editorial content. The Service Provider is responsible for the advertising, production and distribution of BCP News.

The Service Provider responsibility includes:

• providing an advertising sales service • design of advert artwork and page layout of the advertising sections (editorial page layout is a desirable element detailed in section 6 below) • full colour printing • distribution to homes in the specified areas through a door-to-door delivery service and a small number of bulk drops.

The desirable publishing frequency of the magazine is three times a year (usually spring, summer and winter). However, this frequency may be influenced by the coronavirus pandemic impacting on the viability, timing and logistics of producing and distributing BCP News. The contract is expected to start in late summer 2021 with the first edition published in November 2021 (winter edition).

Additional information: Suppliers interested in this contract opportunity can access the full procurement documentation by visiting BCP Council's electronic Tendering system www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk

Suppliers should search for the contract opportunity through Supplying the South West. There are further details of the contract opportunity on the advert published on www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk and instructions on how suppliers can access the procurement documentation for completion.

Responses to the contract opportunity must be submitted electronically through www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk before the deadline shown on the system.

If you are unable to access the advert for the opportunity through www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk please contact the Council using the contact details provided.