COMMUNICATINGBURNLEY

Burnley Council on behalf of the

Burnley Bondholders

Tender Documents for The Supply of PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICES

Contract Period: 1 January 2015 – 31 December 2015

In so many ways this is a time of opportunity for the town. Millions of

pounds are being spent on new housing; our schools have been rebuilt

with the most modern facilities; we can now boast the University of Central

Lancashire campus which opened in 2009 and the University College of

Football Business which is based at Wembley and Burnley’s Turf Moor

ground offering unique degrees in different aspects of the football

industry; the first University Technical College in Lancashire which opened

in 2013 supporting advanced manufacturing and engineering with

vocational courses for 14-19 year olds; new developments are transforming

the town and bringing new business opportunities on its edge and

perhaps most importantly a new rail line has connected us to Manchester.

Initiatives such as the fantastic canal marina, the Woodland Spa and

stunning sculpture ‘The Singing Ringing Tree’ show how much our

extensive countryside matters to and is part of us.

help us tell the story of the ‘new‘ natural, connected, animated, Burnley

Contents1. Foreword

2. Introduction

3. Tender Specification/Brief

1. FOREWORDTenders are invited from consultant agencies and

freelance professionals with relevant experience

who are able to demonstrate sufficient skills and

experience to undertake the development and

implementation of a media relations strategy for

Burnley. The Services are anticipated to commence

on 1 January 2015 for an initial 12 month period

with potential to extend for a further 12 months

depending on performance and subject to budget

availability.

The Tender Document comprises the tender

specifications/brief, Instructions for Tendering, Form

Of Tender, and Standard Contract Conditions and

sets out the nature and extent of the requirement

and the conditions upon which the Services are to be

provided.

Tenderers are invited to submit a Tender of

the Services to be provided and at what cost in

accordance with the Specification.

In the event of any conflict arising between any of

the provisions of the Tender Document issued by the

Council and those submitted by the Contractor, the

Council shall hold the definitive version of the Tender

Document.

2. INTRODUCTIONBurnley has a bondholder scheme of over 150

organisations who work together to bring ‘plc’

and ‘place’ together, to promote businesses and

Burnley. One of the country’s largest private sector

led Bondholder Schemes, it is a powerful network

which has strength in numbers to influence agendas

and has developed a united voice to promote

the town across the UK encouraging significant

investment. The bondholders represent businesses

from all sectors from aerospace and advanced

manufacturing to skills and education, digital and

print to the service sector.

Burnley Council, on behalf of Burnley Bondholders,

is seeking to appoint an advisor to design and

implement an innovative and creative public relations

(PR) and communications strategy. The PR and

communications strategy will complement and build

on existing strategies and plans, challenge traditional

preconceptions about Burnley, and make a clear and

measurable contribution to the repositioning of the

borough. This document is a brief to invite public

relations companies and agencies to submit their

proposals for a PR and communications plan for

12 months commencing January 2015.

3. SpecificationIntroductionBurnley Bondholders and Burnley Borough Council

are working hard to reposition the place as a

compelling destination for inward investment, an

attractive place for people to live, work and learn,

and a visitor destination on the borders of an ‘Area

of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ - where outstanding

Pennine countryside is complemented by high

quality hospitality.

Over a short period of time, Burnley has taken

bold steps to change out-dated perceptions of the

town, support new investment and business growth,

promote skills development and training for local

people, and introduce innovative ways of building

on these early successes. We have for example

introduced one of the UK’s first ‘bondholder’

schemes – over 150 businesses from the local area

have joined the scheme, each with an ambition to

drive the Burnley economy, communicate its quality

offer, and encourage skills development which will

meet the future needs of the local economy. In

recognition of the bondholder scheme, and other

innovative initiatives promoted by the public and

private sectors, Burnley has been recognised by the

Department for Business, Innovation and Science as

the Most Enterprising Place in Britain.

To assist in communicating the area’s strengths to

stakeholders and key target audiences, Burnley

Bondholders are seeking to appoint an advisor

to design and implement an innovative and

creative public relations (PR) and communications

strategy. The PR and communications strategy

will complement and build on existing strategies

and plans, challenge traditional preconceptions

about Burnley, and make a clear and measurable

contribution to the repositioning of the borough.

This document is a brief to invite public relations

companies, agencies and freelance professionals to

submit their proposals for a PR and communications

plan for an initial 12 months commencing January

2015 with the potential to extend to two years based

on performance.

BackgroundBurnley has a population of around 87,000 and is the

prime service centre for over 300,000 people from

the surrounding area. This corner of Lancashire has

strength in aerospace and advanced manufacturing,

and is experiencing strong performance in what is

still, for many, a challenging regional and national

economic climate. Benefiting from a proactive

council and a proactive business community, Burnley

has achieved MEA success and continues to strive

to be an important asset on the M65 corridor and

positioned as the ‘capital’ of Pennine Lancashire.

Burnley has 2,470 businesses employing 34,400

people. The manufacturing sector accounts for 16

% of the total employment compared with a national

average of 8.6 % and 13.3 % in Lancashire. According

to 2012 estimates, Burnley has generated the

9th largest growth in private sector employment

(2009-2012) at 6.1 % compared to average -0.9

% (Lancashire) and 0.3 % (national). The Trade

Apprenticeship rate in Burnley is 9.1 %, compared

with a national average of only 3.6 %, while pass

rates at Burnley College and among honours degree

students at the Burnley UCLan campus compare

very favourably with the national average.

There is significant positive change taking

place in Burnley, with renewed optimism in

the manufacturing, development and service

sectors being galvanised by investment in new

infrastructure, housing, commercial property and

educational facilities. For example, Eshton’s £50M

Burnley Bridge Business Park is the largest new

development on the M65 corridor for more than a

decade, and is expected to create more than 1,400

indirect jobs in the area. High quality public realm

improvements are underway in Burnley town centre,

aiming to create a welcoming gateway and new

public spaces which will enhance Barnfield’s vibrant

and unique Weavers’ Triangle development – “on the

banks” - for business, living, leisure and education.

Burnley’s first direct rail link to Manchester for almost

half a century is opening shortly, along with a new rail

station. Burnley is increasingly being recognised as

home to flourishing world-class businesses operating

in the advanced engineering and aerospace sectors

who are expanding or innovating by investing in

new products. Automotive and aerospace firms in

the town such as BCW Engineering, Safran Aircelle,

TRW Automotive, Kaman, MB Aerospace and Futaba

Tenneco are both securing new sales and winning

awards for quality.

Other high flyers in the town such as Fort Vale and

Hychrome are branching out to supply the nuclear

and energy sectors, while at the same time the

council has been working with developers and local

employers to start an advanced manufacturing and

aerospace ‘supplier village’ – Innovation Drive – on

the site of the former Michelin tyre factory. The

entrance to the site and its northern boundary has

already benefited from new developments; Aircelle,

part of the French Safran group, Burnley’s largest

employer and the Lancashire Digital Technology

Centre (LDTC) are located there. American owned

Kaman Aerospace took occupation of a new state of

the art tooling centre last month.

The current PR and Communications contract

will be expiring later in the year. The PR and

communications work undertaken to date has

helped to project a confident and aspirational

local authority and business community, and the

area’s positive offer, to a broad target audience. In

renewing the PR and communications contract, the

bondholers are seeking to capitalise on the work

already undertaken, while also encouraging key

messages to be dove-tailed with other strategies and

plans – for example the recently-published Brand

Plan and county-level business support programmes

– and projected to both conventional and more

bespoke target audiences.

Key Messages and Target Market

Key messages

Burnley’s Brand Plan emphasises that developing

and maintaining effective strategic and operational

partnerships is essential to the success of the on-

going development of the Burnley brand. Burnley

is not alone in its strive to improve the economic

impacts of the region and must draw on its willing

partners in business, neighbouring local authorities,

national organisations and Government. The brand

plan is derived from the borough’s Vision and

aspirations to 2020.

‘Burnley will be a place of choice. It will be a place where businesses want to invest because of its skilled workforce and its competitive, modern economy. It will be a place where people want to live because of its clean and safe neighbourhoods with a reputation as a centre of educational excellence and its beautiful parks and wild countryside.’

The vision for our PR and communications strategy is centred on the following key messages to our target markets:

• A place to which high technology companies

– advanced engineering, aerospace and

automotive – are attracted and feel confident

in investing for the future as part of an

advanced manufacturing cluster

• High levels of investment and achievement

in apprenticeships, further and higher

education, and skills development

• Burnley’s geographical reach as a place that

is easy to get to and worth the journey via:

• M65 corridor and relevant motorway

networks, proximity to Leeds, Manchester

and Preston; a gateway to the Lancashire

Pennine hills

• Rail links and particularly the new direct link

to Manchester

• Burnley’s ease of access to major

international airports (Manchester, Liverpool

and Leeds/Bradford)

• Burnley’s natural environment, the outdoors,

the parks and green spaces, cycling and

bridle paths to surprise and engage its target

audiences and become associated with

great experiences

• Quality of life and value for money housing

• Provide an exceptional experience of all

visitors

• Enhance the product including its cultural

and events offer, and capitalising on the rural

and outdoor environment that Burnley and

East Lancashire have to offer.

Target Markets

The targets markets can be broken down into

geographical reach, sectors and influencers/decision

makers.

Geographical Reach

Burnley is keen to tell its story, to reach beyond its

boundaries and Lancashire. The geographical reach

can be defined as those with a regional reach –

Manchester; Leeds and Yorkshire; Liverpool plus the

South East and targeted national media

Sectors

Burnley’s key sectors are those in the aerospace,

automotive and advanced manufacturing sectors,

but the town is also keen to promote a sense of place

with its lifestyle offer, so very much sees the lifestyle,

property and investment as a core target

Influencers and Decision Makers

Key influencers and decision makers across the

core of its sectors plus politicians and public sector

to assist in raising the profile of Burnley, offering an

authoritative ‘voice’ and lending support

GoalThe over-arching goal of the campaign therefore is

to project Burnley’s business and academic success

stories, and the town’s strategies for investment,

branding, learning and the lifestyle offer, to both

mainstream and specialist audiences. This goal is to

be achieved through deploying both conventional

and innovative approaches to the contract, with a

particular emphasis towards those specialist media

and publications promoting:

• The automotive, advanced engineering,

defence and aerospace industries

• Property and investment

• Lifestyle and outdoors pursuits, enabling

Burnley’s remarkable countryside to be

showcased as a special place to visit and to

live

• The further and higher education sectors

Strategy and Tactics

What do we want?

• A creative PR agency/consultant who can

recognise media opportunities and which

has a proven track record in delivering similar

projects

• A creative, realistic and deliverable plan of

activity for 12 months recognising the vision

for Burnley to 2020

• Recommendations on targeting key and

relevant media sectors

• A proactive approach which is responsive

to opportunities arising outside a

communications plan

• Incorporate digital media

• Focus on regional and national media,

specialist media and trade publications

Key MessagesIn short, the key messages for Burnley are to change

perception about the town as a place to live, work

and invest. Burnley and its bondholders would work

with the successful PR Agency to develop the key

messages, but briefly they comprise:

• An affordable, accessible place to live, work

and study

• Ahead of Government targets in export, skills

and manufacturing employment

• Quality offer

• Award winning

TimeframesThe timeframe for the contract is for an initial 12

months, with a possibility to extend the contract

dependent on funding and performance.

Account ManagementBurnley Council will nominate a single point of

contact (the ‘project manager’) during the course of

the contract, who will act as the day-to-day ‘go-to’

person with whom the agency will be expected to

liaise. We are very keen to encourage a two-way

relationship between the project manager, Burnley

bondholders and the agency, but importantly we

are seeking a proactive and innovative approach

from the agency based upon frequent contact

and briefings from the nominated manager, and

an understanding of how to convey effectively

our key messages into specialist media and target

audiences.

To assist with briefing and knowledge transfer,

the agency will be required to meet on a monthly

basis with the project manager and the chair of

the Burnley Bondholder Network, although when

appropriate this will be via teleconference to reduce

the costs and time associated with travelling. In

addition, the agency will be required to submit a

monthly written report to the bondholders meeting

in Burnley and potentially attend a quarterly Focus

Group Meeting in order to facilitate a detailed

understanding of the backdrop to the campaign, and

enable bondholders to feed local knowledge, leads

and market intelligence into the campaign.

A campaign inception report shall be prepared by

the agency and approved by the project manager

within three weeks of appointment. The inception

report will set out an outline campaign plan which

will confirm the key messages, target audiences

and the specialist media which will fall within the

remit of the campaign. The inception report will

also incorporate leads and local market knowledge

provided by the bondholders, and establish agreed

performance criteria against which the campaign’s

success may be monitored and measured.

The agency will be required to prepare and

submit short (no more than two sides of A4)

fortnightly progress reports to the project manager,

outlining the tasks and activities which have been

undertaken over the preceding two weeks, and

confirming tasks, activities and expected outcomes

over the following fortnight.

The contract shall be based upon the terms and

conditions available for download from burnley.co.uk

http://bit.ly/1ust7wZ. As part of your proposal we

request confirmation of your acceptance of these

terms and conditions.

BudgetThe total budget for the campaign, exclusive of

VAT but inclusive of all fees, disbursements, other

expenses, and local travel (i.e. within Lancashire)

will be no more than £30,000. It should be noted

that the direct, indirect and labour costs associated

with the preparation of proposals in connection with

this ITT are to be borne by those who are tendering

for the contract. Neither the council nor any of

its agents or partners shall be liable for any costs

incurred by agencies in responding to this ITT.

Measures of Success and OutcomesWe do not envisage this contract being a

conventional PR and communication campaign

which relies solely on traditional, mainstream

communication channels and media to convey

our key messages. While conventional metrics

will form a part of how the progress and success

of the campaign is measured, therefore, we will

attach importance to projecting key messages into

specialist media and thereby accessing new target

audiences. For this reason, we are asking you as part

of your quality submission to submit details of how

you would measure the success of the campaign

over the 12 month period.

TimelinesThe proposed timeline for the selection and

appointment of the agency to deliver the contract is

as follows:

• Agency to submit proposal by

12 noon Friday 17 October

• Agencies shortlisted and advised 24 October

• Invited for interview w/c 3 November

• Agency appointed w/c 10 November

• Commence Activity w/c 1 January 2015

The interview panel is to be made up of

representatives from the Burnley Bondholder

Network and Burnley Borough Council.

Quality and Commercial ProposalYour quality and commercial proposal should be

presented in two parts. Any deviation from the

specified structure and content of your quality

submission may lead to its disqualification from the

tender process. Tenderers should not submit any

supplementary information over and above the

information requested in the following instructions.

When responding to questions which limit responses

to a certain number of pages, font should be no

smaller than 10pt and line spacing no less than

single.

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burnley.co.uk

CONTACTKelly Smith

KSmith@burnley.gov.uk 01282 425011 ext 7205

DOWNLOAD instructions and forms for Tender Submissions

http://bit.ly/1ust7wZ