It is understood that 13 marketing services companies have been shortlisted to tender for Glasgow City Council’s Marketing and Promotions Commodity Framework, with creative work being requested for applications across each of the 16 lots.
Almost a year after an initial Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) was released, Glasgow City Council is understood to have issued its invitations to tender to 13 companies across 16 lots for the framework, and has asked for mock creative submissions for each entry, a request that has been described as an ‘outrage’ by one senior industry member.
Said the industry insider, who was involved with the PQQ, “They clearly have no idea of the financial cost of the work that is required to do this kind of things and what it costs businesses in the city…It would be physically impossible to go for every lot. Each brief is arguably three-to-four days of creative time, and they don’t understand that. To go for all of the lots you’d be realistically talking 40 days of work that isn’t even real work.”
In response, Colin Edgar, head of communication and organisational development for Glasgow City Council, explained: “Our procurement rules dictate that when the council as a whole spends more than £20k on a commodity or service, any commodity or service, we must procure it in this way.
“We understand that supplying creatives can be time consuming however we have only requested work from people who have successfully passed the PQQ stage. We need to ensure that we compare like with like and can be certain that we appoint companies who are the best fit for what we need,” added Edgar.
Creative responses to the mock briefs are expected in September, it is understood.
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"We understand that supplying creative can be time consuming. However, we don't give a toss."
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Why don't the 13 agencies come together and say no?
Oh dear. Another instance of misguided public sector procurement departments trying to buy design services like they buy pens and paper!
They're not buying the services like pens and paper though are they - they're actually looking to see the quality of creative work that each company produces - so they're asking the companies to show how good they are.
While it's a costly business, agencies for the Scottish Government have moaned that they weren't asked to produce creative at times.
So what is the right way to go about things?
Hi Anon 10.16
You're absolutely right. Look at all the fantastic design work Glasgow City Council achieve through this process.
If only there was some way you could find out how good a company was without asking them for hours of creative.
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13 isn't a very short list though, really. That's a bit greedy.
Agree with most of the comments. Creative agencies only have time and ideas to sell and they're being asked to do this in a truly uninspiring, scatter gun approach. One of the main problems will be the reviewers cherry picking elements and combing with other elements to create a camel that started life as a horse.
If they want to act in this way then all 13 agencies should bill for their time.
Glasgow City Council are too busy dropping their trousers to Brad Pitt and dreaming up new ways of ruining George Square to bother trying to do anything properly.
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The 13 agencies should have been narrowed down to say 3 initially and then asked to pitch? Having said that, the other 10 would have complained about not being considered..... no win situation I think.
Mr Colin Edgar does not understand. Nowhere in the procurement rules does it say you must provide speculative creative work free of charge - he has added that in as an option - or made it up. Fact.
Does he, or his colleagues, not have the abilty to review previous work portfolios, along with the completed procurement document and draft ideas and come to a decision therefater?
If not, he should not be in his current job.
The most galling aspect of this disgusting plan is that Glasgow City Council have a long history of producing and commissioning the worst marketing materials in the country and no amount of procurement rules will encourage the halfwits who create them to up their game to the levels this city deserves.
When other professionals in a variety of industries charge for time regardless of outcome I think the creative agencies who continually moan about pitches & time need to make positive changes. If you value your time & service charge for it, if you dont like the rules of some games dont play and find other avenues but at what point with margins & profits dropping will they wake up and realise this is just an old way of doing business and be creative and take a different route, if you are good enough the work will come!!!
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This is shabby, but it's the perennial problem with going after Public Sector business. I wouldn't blame the council. They're just doing what everyone else does. The problem needs to be dealt with at a higher, more fundamental level. Someone needs to lobby Ed Vaizey and the likes of CIFAIG in Scotland to agree and issue directives (not guidelines) outlining why procurement in our sector should be handled differently. Different financial thresholds, different evaluation processes.
And if that doesn't happen, we should choose to disengage, and go after businesses who procure things in a sane manner.
What areas of marketing services are being covered on the 16 lots?
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