Birmingham 2022 starts search for marketing and creative services suppliers

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has launched the next phase of procurement to secure marketing and creative services that will help drive awareness of event over the next three years.

To kick start the search for new suppliers, over 120 representatives from the marketing and creative services industry attended a briefing by Birmingham 2022 to learn more about the games and the procurement opportunities on offer.

The session introduced the structure of the marketing services framework, demonstrated how bidders could win work, what was expected of the tender submissions, as well as the detail behind the different types of lots on offer.

The marketing and creative services tender is divided across seven different specialist lots that will be awarded under a framework agreement. Prospective suppliers will provide their services across design, creative strategy and campaign development, PR, events, research & insight, mascot design, and customer relationship management.

The breakdown of these different lots will see Birmingham 2022 appoint agencies to handle the design, production, and delivery of key aspects of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, including the Queen’s Baton Relay, the cultural programme, volunteer programme, ticketing campaign and the education programme.

A key aspect of the briefing focussed on the role that social value will play in the decision making when awarding these contracts. Birmingham 2022 has written social value into the tender process, with 10% to be awarded to submissions that can demonstrate how this is going to be delivered. This requirement will focus specifically on how potential partners can promote local skills and employment, support the growth of responsible regional business, help make healthier, safer and more resilient communities​, protect and improve the environment​, and promote social innovation​
This marks the next stage of the existing commercial engagement programme that Birmingham 2022 has been delivering. To date, over 1,000 businesses have been met with, and 6,500 small to medium enterprises are currently registered for contract opportunity updates via the Birmingham 2022 business portal.

Josie Stevens, chief marketing and communications officer, said: “Birmingham 2022 is a once in a lifetime opportunity to put the city and region on a global stage and we are looking for agency partners that are agile, ambitious, and bring bold creativity.

“We want organisations who share the values that will shape and guide Birmingham 2022. By being fleet of foot, and by working collaboratively as a group of agency partners, there is some extraordinary work to be done as can deliver something spectacular for the city, the region, and the rest of the UK”.