Travel

Public Tender Notices

DFAT08-SWE-017 RFT for Australia’s Communications and Public Affairs program at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 in China

Addendum 2: June 12 2008

Communications and Public Affairs – Industry Briefing

10 June 2008 – Gareth Evans Theatre (10:00 – 11:00)

Section 1: Welcome and overview

Peter Tesch, Executive Director of DFAT’s Shanghai World Expo Unit (SWE)

Briefing format

Addenda

Two addenda will be posted on www.dfat.gov.au/tenders by Thursday 12 June:

The SWE Team

The Probity Adviser

Commonwealth Procurement process

Theme statement

Context

Section 2: Powerpoint presentation

Peter Tesch, Executive Director of DFAT’s Shanghai World Expo Unit (SWE)

Section 3: Presentation on the scope of the Request for Tender

David Glass, Director, Business and Communications

The communications and public affairs contractor will play a vital role in this project in the lead up to and during the expo, both in Australia and in China.

The communications and public affairs strategy will be fully integrated into our pavilion planning and operations, and will support the pavilion’s cultural, business and sponsorship programs.

-The strategy will therefore need to be flexible as well as comprehensive, serving the broad interests of all of our stakeholders.

Moreover, the strategy needs to be developed quickly in order to meet our project timelines, including – for example – supporting the corporate sponsorship drive we will launch later this year.

We also know that with more than 170 countries taking part, the Shanghai Expo from a communications and public affairs perspective is likely to be the most competitive expo in history.

We anticipate that the theme pavilions and national pavilions – including those of the countries with which Australia competes for market share in China – will be pulling out all the stops in order to win media attention, garner awards, and attract visitors, customers and audience members.

We are confident that we will be prepared for that competition, and have set our objectives accordingly.

We are aiming to capture a large share (10%) of the 70-plus million visitors that are expected to visit the Shanghai World Expo, hence the Government’s investment in a high-capacity, high-impact pavilion.

We want to enhance China’s understanding of Australia through our key messages, which will be delivered through traditional and new media as well as our innovative exhibits and cultural performances. And we want to ensure that Australia is positioned among the top pavilions at the expo.

In order to achieve those and other objectives, our approach to communications and public affairs needs to be as unique, as innovative and as creative as our pavilion itself.

We need the pavilion to educate and impress Chinese, who will make up the overwhelming majority of the visitors to our pavilion.

But our communications strategy must also reinforce with potential visitors (and even those who will never get the opportunity to visit Shanghai) the notion that Australia is an innovative, friendly, sophisticated, technologically advanced nation, and that the Australian pavilion offers an exciting, rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Our contractor needs to be up to the challenge of operating in the Chinese media market. China is unquestionably a huge media market, but it presents a sometimes difficult operating environment.

The media sector, for example, is subject to censorship control by the Chinese authorities, and in some cases to self-censorship.

The media sector is also changing rapidly, becoming more sophisticated as China develops, and as Chinese become more savvy about technology and about consumer choice. We judge the rapid growth in internet-based media and in new media offers exciting opportunities for our communications strategy.

The Chinese media sector has also unique regional characteristics. While we want to use the media to reach Chinese audiences in the prosperous coastal cities we are also keen to communicate our key messages to the fast-developing cities of inland China.

The good news is that Australia already has a significant profile in the Chinese media. We understand Australia currently averages about 600 stories per month in the Chinese media, including print, radio, television and internet.

For the most part, this Chinese media coverage of Australia is positive.

We want to take advantage of that existing level of interest and attention to build an even more positive image of contemporary Australia through this expo.

I mentioned “educating and impressing” Chinese in my remarks a minute ago. We want visitors to the Australian pavilion, and those who read about our pavilion in the Chinese media, whether they be in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan or Chengdu, in fact all of the target audiences we have identified in the RFT at Part 3, 1.14 , page 34, to take away five key messages about Australia.

“Australia as a culturally diverse and harmonious nation.”

“Australia as a technologically sophisticated country with a dynamic forward-looking economy and strengths in key sectors, such as resources; mining technology and services; clean and renewable energy, design, construction and urban planning; agribusiness; food and beverages; marine and leisure; education; tourism; financial and legal services; and arts and culture.”

“Australia as an innovative nation with excellent education, training and scientific research capabilities”

“Australia as an exciting travel destination”

“Australia as a country with strong environmental and urban planning credentials.”

This latter point is important, of course, because it complements the theme of the Shanghai World Expo 2010, “Better City, Better Life”

It is also reflects the Australian theme statement, copies of which are available at this mornings’ briefing.

With that in mind, we are seeking a very broad range of communications and public affairs services in order to promote Australia’s participation in the Shanghai World Expo 2010. These services include:

The development and implementation of a high quality and innovative Communications and Public Affairs Strategy

The provision of skilled and experienced personnel to implement that strategy and perform the other services we have outlined in the tender documents.

The main elements of the communications strategy will include:

While the expo itself will take place over 184 days, the communications and public affairs strategy will be divided into three phases:

We have high expectations of the communications and public affairs strategy. We certainly want to exceed the outcomes that were achieved by Australia at the Aichi World Expo in 2005 in terms of media coverage, audience numbers and website visitation.

I would like to remind the participants in this industry briefing about our indicative timetable for this tender. The RFT closes at 2pm Australian Eastern Standard Time on 8 July. We hope to be able to appoint the preferred tenderer by 25 July. We will then enter into contract negotiations, with the aim of signing an agreement by mid-August. We envisage the contract would cover the period from the date of signing until 31 December 2010.

In terms of the RFT evaluation process, we have set out in Part 2 what is required in terms of tender content and the stages of the evaluation process (i.e. initial assessment, tender evaluation, shortlisting, recommendations by the Tender Board to the Decision Maker, and execution of an agreement).

We have also explained in Part 2 (2.11, p.21-22-23) how we are going to assess responses to this RFT. The evaluation criteria are weighted as follows:

I think those evaluation criteria are self-explanatory. But let me conclude by emphasising four points:

This will ensure the strategy effectively communicates our key messages in a coherent, whole-of-nation, whole-of-government manner, and that the Government is able to maximise its return on investment in this project.

Section 4: Question and Answer

Chaired by Peter Tesch, Responses by Peter Tesch, Peter Sams and David Glass

Q1: How long are visitors expected to stay in the pavilion, given that you are expecting seven million people over the six-month period?

A1: We expect visitors to spend around 25 minutes inside the pavilion. Act 2 is the determining factor, as the show duration is around nine minutes. We have allowed three minutes before and after each show to move audiences in and out, giving us four show screenings per hour.

Our seven million visitor calculation is based on historical experience at previous expos and assumes an average theatre capacity of 80% over four shows per hour, 13 hours per day, seven days per week.

We anticipate that, based on crowd flows at the Hannover and Aichi expos, visitors are likely to move through quickly in the mornings, and linger in the afternoons. Our desire is to bring queues of people into Act 1 of our pavilion as quickly as possible, so that we can start imparting some of our messages as they wait to go into the main show.

Q2: Seven million visitors, if they all receive a show bag or collateral, will be a significant cost. How much of these production costs are included in the RFT budget?

A2: All production costs are included in the RFT budget. We do not expect that each visitor will receive a show bag or even a piece of collateral. However, we may see value in specific audiences, such as all 10,000 -12,000 VIP guests receiving an item or publication.

Q3: Should tenderers consider commercial opportunities for collateral or merchandise, such as mascot toys, for sale in the pavilion retail area?

A3: Yes, but not at this stage. Tenderers’ proposals should respond to the RFT. When the retail contractor is appointed, DFAT will discuss producing merchandise under licence.

Q4: In the case of producing merchandise for sale, will the Communications and Public Affairs contractor be responsible for negotiations with the retail contractor?

A4: No, DFAT will own all Intellectual Property produced under the terms of the Communications and Public Affairs Contract, and will undertake all commercial negotiations.

Q5: How important is the value of the tenderers pre-existing networks in this tender, particularly in relation to the business program? How would these networks, if made available to the Commonwealth be recognised in the evaluation?

A5: Tenderers should outline any additional value that they are able to provide in Section 3.4 of the RFT Value Added Services.

Q6: How does DFAT intend to manage currency fluctuation risk over the term of the contract?

A6: The services are to be provided on the basis of the draft agreement. There isn’t a provision for additional monies to be paid to the contractor in the case of a currency fluctuation. If the Tenderer does not wish to comply with any of the terms of the draft agreement, the tender response should clearly articulate any non-compliance and the tender will be evaluated on that basis. The Department is prepared to negotiate the terms of the agreement but tenderers must make a commercial decision about the level of stated non-compliance at the time of tender submission.

Q7: How will VIPs gain access to the Australian pavilion?

A7: DFAT will arrange gate-to-gate access (including to the Australian pavilion and around the expo site). In the case of high level visits (e.g. Ministers), we will work with the Shanghai Consulate, and relevant state/territory government representatives for an increased level of off-site coordination. Tenderers should note that VIP access does not form part of the scope of services included in the RFT.

Q8: Could you please outline the dynamics of the next six months in terms of the timeline for remaining tenders, the relationship between the Communications and Public Affairs contractor and other contractors, and the nature of “working closely” with DFAT, as this is not clear in the RFT document.

A8: DFAT will appoint the remaining contractors (Construction, Exhibition and Technical Operations; Cultural Program; and Staffing, Retail and Operations) by November 2008. Our timing has been delayed by the Federal Budget process, and we have had to release some tenders in parallel. This means that we require a high level of flexibility with all contractors, particularly over the next six months. The phrase “working closely”, while ambiguous, describes the close contact DFAT will have with all contractors, as project details are resolved.

Q9: Will DFAT have specialists in-house who will be the contact point for contractors?

A9: No. The DFAT contract managers will be the point of contact for the successful tenderer. DFAT will provide a coordination role and provide project direction. For example, many of the pavilion stories will be generated through other contractors’ activities, and DFAT will channel this information to the Communications and Public Affairs contractor. DFAT will also have a role in managing stakeholder expectations, particularly those of the states/territories, and, as our sponsorship strategy is implemented, corporate sponsors.

Q10: You referenced the number of media stories generated by the Australian pavilion at Aichi. Are you looking at media monitoring in Australia and China only, or other international markets?

A10: Australia and China.

Q11: At the Aichi expo, Australia themed each month with an industry sector. Will this approach be used again?

Q12: No. This approach was too prescriptive. We may theme shorter periods, for example, a week for a state or territory. We expect the business program events will evolve organically and we have no fixed agenda at this stage.

Q13: The collaborative, collegiate approach you describe is encouraging. What avenues are there for tenderers to work cooperatively in forming a tender bid?

A13: DFAT is providing a list of companies seeking partners on the expo website. It is up to tenderers to self-nominate for this listing, and to seek partners from it if they wish. DFAT will accept bids from consortia on the conditions outlined in the RFT.

Q14: Will the tenderers be responsible for providing a spokesperson for the pavilion?

A14: No. DFAT will undertake that role. In most cases, the Commissioner General for Australia will undertake media speaking roles.

Q15: Will the Communications and Public Affairs contractor receive a list of participants in the business program?

A15: As DFAT develops the event calendar, this information will be passed on to the contractor. The list of confirmed sponsors will also be provided. We expect to work closely with the contractor on a daily basis on the business program, but have not yet defined the extent to which we will assist corporate and state/territory government stakeholders. It is likely that a large proportion of the business program will be developed at a fairly late stage.

Q16: Will the Communications and Public Affairs Contractor have any role in identifying and seeking sponsors?

A16: No, the Government will pursue sponsorship and the contractor will not have a role in identifying or seeking sponsors. However, we expect that the communications and public affairs strategy will support our efforts in enhancing knowledge of the pavilion and of our stakeholders.