Context and description of required services

The UK government (HMG) and the Government of Montenegro (GoM) have a shared interest in promoting stability and prosperity in Montenegro and the wider Western Balkans.

HMG is offering support to GoM to implement two campaigns in Montenegro. One concerns supporting the growth of start-ups and small businesses (SMEs). The other looks to support regional development by promoting opportunities to citizens in the north of the country. HMG support will be delivered through the Government Communications Service International (GCSI), a unit dedicated to providing strategic communications support to partner governments.

Objectives

The objective of the start-up/SME campaign is to increase the number of potential entrepreneurs and small businesses accessing government provided grants and loans across Montenegro.The objective of the regional development campaign is to increase citizen engagement with emerging opportunities, for instance new job opportunities, in the north of the country.

What we require

This is a complicated and wide-ranging project, with some overlap. Therefore, HMG and GoM require the services of a single experienced creative agency to help bring both campaigns to life through first class creative collateral, if possible. The Embassy withholds the right to partially award contracts for specific segments of this tender, if seen fit.

Though the two campaigns are separate with separate objectives and target audiences, there is a clear overlap. Therefore, it may be appropriate to host them both on a single website or unify them under a single concept and brand.

Audience insight is already under way and this will help inform our strategy for both campaigns. It will be a job of the contracted creative partner to help us deliver on these strategies effectively with our target audiences. Greater detail will be provided in a creative brief at a later stage, but this will require an agency skilled in the production of both offline and online content.

The implementing organisation for this campaign is GCSI on behalf of the British Embassy Podgorica, which forms a part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Who we require

We require an agency that has experience producing the following, in a campaigning context:

• over-arching creative concepts
• branding and visual identity
• online platforms, such as websites or dedicated micro-sites and landing pages. This will be essential
• digital assets such as compelling social media videos and imagery
• offline assets such as billboards
• television and radio advertising
• brochures and other branded merchandise

Evidence of such experience is crucial in determining who is a successful bidder. Those who have conducted such work targeted at younger audiences will be at an advantage.

What we expect from the successful service provider

Expectations from the successful service provider are as follows:

• a unified creative concept and branding which can benefit both campaigns (e.g. logo, slogans)
• design of interactive and/or high quality online platforms, such as websites or dedicated micro-sites and landing pages. This will be essential
• design of digital assets such as compelling videos and social media imagery for both campaigns
• design of offline assets such as billboards for both campaigns
• design of television and radio advertising for both campaigns
• design of brochures and other branded merchandise

Please note that media-buying (placement of these designs) is not a part of this tender.

Other technical details

Target start and completion date

15 November 2019 – 31 January 2020.

Request for proposal (format)

Please submit an application outlining your credentials and showcasing some of your previous work. This should be done in a non-changeable format, such as PDF. Your proposal must be expressed in English, and valid for a minimum period of 90 days.

Single email should not exceed 5MB (five megabytes) in size and should not contain cloud-based computer file transfer service links.

Other details

Up to 3 suppliers will be invited to an informal pitch meeting with the supervisor and the reviewer where they will be asked to deliver a presentation and answer questions related to delivery.

Award

Service provider will b e considered as successful, if receives the Highest Combined Score (HCS). HCS is based on the 70% technical offer and 30% price weight distribution, where 70% is the minimum passing score for the Technical Proposal.

Contract

Any contract or purchase order that will be issued as a result of this call shall be subject to the FCO’s Contract and General Terms and Conditions (CaGTC), provided by the British Embassy Podgorica.

Criteria for Contract

Full acceptance of the FCO’s Contract General Terms and Conditions. This is a mandatory criteria. Non-acceptance of the CaGTC may be grounds for the rejection of the proposal. This should be specified in your proposal.

Standard Terms and Conditions for Service Providers (ODT, 146KB)

For any questions in regard to this invitation, please contact us by email.

Dr Owen Bowden-Jones, chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and Professor Roger Knaggs, the Chair of the ACMD’s Technical Committee, write to ministers to provide the ACMD’s advice on the prescribing and administration of a limited number of controlled drugs (CDs) by paramedics.

The government’s response to this letter is now available.

The Channel Islands will benefit from the UK’s independent membership of the WTO after Brexit, the government confirmed today. Trade Policy Minister, Conor Burns, agreed the extension with Deputy Gavin St Pier, Guernsey’s Chief Minister, and Senator Ian Gorst, Jersey’s Minister for External Relations at a meeting in London.

This decision will take effect as soon as the UK leaves the EU and takes up its independent representation at the WTO. In the event of a no deal EU exit on 31 October, the UK would take up its independent representation on 1 November.

The UK is currently finalising preparations to take up its independent representation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), taking back control of its trade policy for the first time in 46 years, as we get ready for Brexit on 31 October.

Following the vote to leave the EU, Jersey and Guernsey requested that the UK’s WTO membership be extended to them. They are currently covered by the EU’s membership.

The Channel Islands are dependencies of the Crown, and under international law they are territories for which the UK is responsible. Remaining part of the international trading system will mean that the Channel Islands continue to benefit from Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff rates with their international trading partners.  

This will help thriving Channel Islands businesses in industries such as dairy to remain competitive. For example, nearly 14 million litres of milk are produced in Jersey every year. Jersey Dairy exports ice cream, butter and UHT milk products to countries including Japan, China and South Korea, and will benefit from the certainty of MFN tariffs for global trade as well as inclusion within the UK’s trade continuity agreements. This will also ensure businesses cannot be subject to any discriminatory practices when operating internationally.

Multinationals based in the Channel Islands, such as Specsavers (founded in Guernsey), which currently operates throughout the EU and Australasia, will also feel these benefits. Extending WTO membership to the Channel Islands also provides international businesses with security of access to Channel Island services and goods.

Welcoming the extension, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said:

Britain is on the verge of taking back control of our trade policy for the first time in 46 years. That means our own independent seat at the World Trade Organization and I am delighted we will soon extend our membership to include the Channel Islands. 

This is an important step that provides continuity for the businesses and consumers of the Channel Islands and reaffirms the UK’s commitment to preserving and advancing the global trading system in the face of rising protectionism.

Deputy Gavin St Pier, Chief Minister of Guernsey said:

I am delighted to have today received confirmation from the Department for International Trade that an Instrument has been deposited at the WTO, advising members that the UK is extending the territorial scope of its WTO membership to the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Extending the UK’s WTO membership will play an important role in the future of the Bailiwick’s trading relationships with other jurisdictions. This has been a strategic issue for us as part of our Brexit planning and risk mitigation. Securing the extension will provide Bailiwick companies with access to global rules on the trade in goods, services and IP with other WTO members, including EU Member States and the majority of countries worldwide. This is particularly important to provide certainty for business should the UK leave the EU in a disorderly manner.

Senator Ian Gorst, Jersey’s Minister for External Relations said:

Today the UK Foreign Secretary has formally written to the World Trade Organization (WTO), notifying them that the UK intends to extend the territorial scope of its WTO membership to Jersey and the other Crown Dependencies.

The formal notification confirms that if the UK leaves the EU without an agreement then the extension will take effect immediately after 31 October.

Securing WTO extension in time for Brexit ensures that Jersey companies will have access to global rules on the trade in goods, services and IP with other WTO members, including EU Member States and the majority of countries worldwide.

This represents the conclusion of a political and diplomatic process to achieve extension of the UK’s WTO membership that has been an objective of the Government of Jersey for over 20 years.

The UK’s membership of the WTO currently includes Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, and will be represented by the European Union until Brexit.

The twelfth UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group took place in London on 17 October, chaired by the Rt Hon. Dr Andrew Murrison MP, UK Minister of State for the Middle East, and His Excellency Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain.

Dr Murrison and His Excellency discussed a wide range of areas of bilateral co-operation, including recent political and security developments in the Middle East, economic growth, security, human rights, healthcare, education, and trade.

Speaking at the end of the Joint Working Group, Dr Murrison said:

It was a pleasure to welcome Shaikh Khalid to London for such productive discussions. The UK and Bahrain have always had a close and strong relationship – we reaffirmed our commitment and we work together on a vast range of issues, from defence to education, security to trade.

The UK will continue to support Bahrain as it continues on its journey towards reform, and we will work together to promote peace and security in the Gulf region.

Background

The UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group was established in March 2013. It is a forum for discussing issues of mutual interest across the bilateral relationship, including regional and trade issues, with a focus on reform and human rights.

Further information

Published 18 October 2019