Something for everyone in new COI frameworks

In response to Jonathon Jeffrey’s recent letter (DW 3 December 2009), we admit that capacity and resources do form part of the strict selection criteria for the Central Office of Information’s brand and brand identity framework, and for every invitation to tender we’ve issued in the past five years.

This is because our Government and public-sector clients demand assurance that a consultancy can manage a project in the given timescale, which is often very tight, with plenty of complexities and stakeholders to please.

In light of these demands, and our experience of running the current framework, we decided to specify a mandatory ten employees for the first six lots only. This followed consultation with various industry bodies.

Our calculation took into account that, to deliver the types of branding projects we regularly manage, we need multidisciplinary branding teams including client service and project management, brand strategy and language, as well as visual identity expertise. This impacts on resource levels, as some of these tasks demand specialist and dedicated people – and a limited number of staff can affect a consultancy’s ability and availability to deliver.

This is not to say we don’t recognise the talent in these consultancies, nor do we wish to exclude them from all our frameworks. We will shortly be launching the content and publishing and design and related services frameworks, which will bring other opportunities to those vibrant and smaller design communities that Jeffrey alludes to.

Fanny Sigler, Creative director, Central Office of Information, by e-mail