East of England to raise profile with £4m of design work

Design projects to raise the profile of the East of England could earn the industry design and communications contracts worth up to £4m over the next three years.

The East of England Development Agency is to put out to tender a raft of projects that aim to raise the region’s profile among Government, businesses and educational establishments, locally and nationally. Tender advertisements will be phased over the next six months, offering opportunities for print and Web design, as well as other marketing disciplines.

According to EEDA director of communications Rachel Bosworth, the programme is the largest review of the organisation’s roster since it was founded as a Regional Development Agency in 1999. She is hoping to appoint one dedicated consultancy to each area of the EEDA’s communications needs.

An initial £200 000 print tender was launched this week to meet the design requirements for annual reports, corporate plans, performance reports and leaflets at the agency. An additional three print contracts, totalling £240 000 in value for fees and costs, will be advertised between now and August. These will cover the design of magazines, newsletters, posters, leaflets and flyers. A £225 000 Web design and build contract will also be advertised later this month.

Consultancies currently employed by the EEDA will be required to re-pitch for contracts that are being re-advertised under the new communications plan, according to a spokesman for the agency. The organisation has previously worked with Smith, Flag, Pixelwork and Invention. Although the tender is nationwide – and European-wide in the case of contracts worth more than £144 000 – the EEDA is hoping to rouse the interest of local consultancies. ‘We are fully aware that there are talented consultancies out there in the East of England, so we are encouraging them to get in touch. [Appointing] people who understand the region would be a bonus,’ says the spokesman.

According to Bosworth, the East of England needs to raise its profile across the country: ‘[We have] ideas and innovation, with diverse sectors and communities, but we are aware that our profile across the UK is not as strong as it should be.’

EAST OF ENGLAND DESIGN WORK

Corporate documents – £300 000, closing date 21 July

Website design and build – £225 000, closing date 31 July

Corporate newsletters and magazines – £150 000, closing date 11 August

Leaflets and flyers – £90 000, closing date 31 August

For more information, see www.eeda.org.uk