DATED

-----10/04/2024-------

INVITATION TO TENDER

ERYRI SNOWDONIA MOUNTAINS AND COAST

DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN
CONTENTS PAGE

1. Introduction and background 1

2. Aims and Objectives 2
3. Work Specification and Tasks 3
4. Tender Timetable 7
5. Tender Evaluation Model 8
6. Tender completion information 11
7. Checklist for Tenderers 14

SCHEDULE

Schedule 1 Draft contract – separate attachment 15

Schedule 2 Commercially sensitive information - separate attachment 16

 NAME OF AUTHORITY: CYNGOR GWYNEDD
TENDER FOR: ERYRI SNOWDONIA MOUNTAINS AND COAST DIGITAL
MARKETING CAMPAIGN

TENDER RETURN DATE AND TIME (DEADLINE): 5pm, 30/4/2024

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1 Contents of the ITT

This invitation to tender (ITT) comprises:

• Tender completion requirements, including pre-qualification element, evaluation
model, specification.

• Draft contract

• Technical and commercial questions

The pre-qualification element must be completed by all tenderers. Any tenderer that fails
the pre-qualification will not have the remainder of their tender assessed.

1.2 Introduction to the Authority

The Authority is conducting the procurement using the open procedure in accordance
with the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102) (PCR
2015) for the purpose of procuring the services described in the Specification (Services).

This ITT contains further information about the procurement process, the Services, and
assessment questions for Tenderers to complete. Each Tenderer's response (Tender) should be
detailed enough to allow the Authority to make an informed selection of the most appropriate
solution.

1.3 Background and context of the project

The Authority has been successful in securing a budget of over £1.6m for the Diwyllesiant
Project from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The project aims to promote culture and heritage, physical well-being and healthy living, and
develop a sustainable visitor economy. The Diwyllesiant program is delivered as a cross-service
project within the Authority, which aims to operate across three priority areas - Culture and
Heritage, Healthy and Active Living, and the Sustainable Visitor Economy – for the benefit of,

1
and to support the well-being of Gwynedd residents, communities, businesses, and
environment.

One of the outputs of the project is to implement a digital marketing campaign to promote the
visitor economy and generate 5,000 additional visitors and £250,000 worth of income to the
local economy and communities.

The Authority is looking to appoint a suitably qualified company to develop and implement a
digital marketing campaign to promote the Eryri Snowdonia Mountains and Coast Tourism
Marketing Area which includes the Eryri National Park, Llŷn Peninsula and Cambrian
Coastline.

The working title of the digital marketing campaign will be known as ‘Lleol i Ni’ meaning
‘Local to Us’ with the main objectives of promoting the area’s cultural, heritage, language,
landscape, local produce, communities and outdoor opportunities.

The campaign will need to consider the principles outlined in the Gwynedd and Eryri
Sustainable Visitor Economy Plan 2035 when developing the campaign assets and the various
marketing and communication messages. This will support our strategic aims of creating a
visitor economy for the benefit and wellbeing of the people, environment, language and culture
of Gwynedd and Eryri.

The campaign will need to inspire visitors to experience our unique culture, discover new
adventures and explore our breathtaking landscapes and natural environment.

2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

As the tender is part of the Diwyllesiant Project supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund
there are aims and objectives (outputs) the digital marketing campaign must meet. These are
noted below:
- Generate a minimum of 120,000 unique website visitors to a page or pages on the
visitsnowdonia.info website. The page or pages will depend on the content created to
meet the other objectives of the tender. If more than one page is created, then the total
number of unique website visitors to each page will be counted towards the total
number of visitors.
- Generate at least 5,000 day or overnight visits to the Eryri Snowdonia Mountains and
Coast area. A day visit is a person travelling from outside the area and staying in the
area for more than three hours. An overnight visit is a person staying overnight in the
area. A couple staying overnight would count as two visits. A family of four from
outside the area visiting for more than three hours would count as four visits.
- Generate at least £250,000 additional spend in the local economy because of day visits
or overnight stays.

The mechanism for collecting the data to report on the outputs will be agreed with the successful
supplier however a brief project evaluation methodology of how the data will be collected and
analysed will need to be included as part of the tender submission.

2
2.1 Purpose and scope of this ITT

This ITT:
• Asks Tenderers to submit their Tenders in accordance with the instructions set out in
the remainder of this ITT.

• Sets out the overall timetable and process for the procurement to Tenderers.

• Provides Tenderers with sufficient information to enable them to submit a compliant

Tender (including providing templates where relevant).

• Sets out the Award Criteria and the Tender Evaluation Model that will be used to
evaluate the Tenders.

• Explains the administrative arrangements for the receipt of Tenders.

2.2 Value of the Contract

The value of the contract is £100,000 (exclusive of VAT) and must include all costs associated
with the tender. No additional funds will be available.

Subject to the agreement, payments will be made in instalments, at agreed times.

The tender may be extended by and at the discretion of the Authority if any additional
requirements and funding are recognised. In this instance, the Authority may request a
quotation from the successful supplier for any proposed addition to this tender. The additional
requirements to the tender shall not exceed 20% of the original contract’s value.

2.3 Contract Term

The Authority proposes to enter into one Contract(s) for a maximum period of 7-8 months with
the successful Tenderer (Service Provider).

The anticipated service commencement date is 20th May 2024.

3. WORK SPECIFICATION AND TASKS

The work and tasks required to be undertaken as part of the tender are listed below. The supplier
will be responsible for preparing the project plan, preparing the digital marketing campaign,
creating content, including website content and itineraries, for all the digital marketing material
that will be used for the digital marketing campaigns. The supplier will also implement and
manage the campaign including monitoring, reporting on the outputs, and evaluating the
success of the overall project.

3
This is not an exhaustive list as additional tasks may be required when monitoring the
performance of the digital marketing campaign.

The project plan, digital marketing plan, content plan and content created as part of the tender
must be approved by the Authority. The approval mechanism will be agreed with the supplier
at the initiation stage.

Digital Marketing Plan

The supplier will be responsible for preparing a ‘Lleol i Ni’ digital marketing campaign with
the main objectives of promoting the area’s cultural, heritage, language and Welsh terms used
in the local area, landscape, local produce, communities, and outdoor opportunities.

The plan could include, but not be limited to, Google Ads, Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC),
Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing and Video Marketing.

Creating Creative Content

The supplier will be responsible for creating all the content material needed for the ‘Lleol i Ni’
digital marketing campaign.

The content should be authentic, inspirational, relevant to the audience, unique and support the
main principles of the Gwynedd and Eryri Sustainable Visitor Economy Plan 2035. The content
should celebrate, respect, and promote our communities, language, culture, heritage, and
environment.

This is an opportunity to create a new tone and identity for Gwynedd and Eryri’s visitor
economy that will benefit communities and the wellbeing of residents and visitors.

The Eryri Snowdonia Mountains and Coast Brand Guidelines must be used when creating the
content. All content must be approved by the Authority before being used in the digital
marketing campaign.

The UK Government and Levelling Up Branding guidance must be used on all content created.
It sets out the minimum publicity and branding requirements for beneficiaries of UK
government funding.

All the consumer facing digital marketing content and material produced for the campaign must
be bilingual where there will be an English version and a Welsh version produced or one which
includes both Welsh and English content. Any communication with external stakeholders such
as communities, businesses and the final Evaluation Report will also need to be bilingual. The
exact requirements will be discussed with the successful supplier.

4
The Authority provides all its services bilingually in accordance with its Welsh Language
Policy. Any translation costs should be included in your tender and all translation work must
be undertaken by a translator who is a member of Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru (the
association of Welsh translators and interpreters). A copy of the policy can be viewed on the
Cyngor Gwynedd website.

Target Audience

The target demographic segments for the digital marketing campaign are the Independent
Explorers who:

• appreciate honesty and value authentic experiences and places

• shun the over-commercialised tourist honey pots
• are free minded, they do not follow the herd
• look for places that allow them to be themselves, that enrich them, that challenge them
• like to interact with a place, to meet its people and understand the local culture, to return
refreshed and enriched
• get a real sense of achievement and satisfaction from planning and organising
• like to visit places that are comparatively undiscovered by tourists

The campaign outlined in the tender will target the below audience segments:

• Outdoor Enthusiasts
• Families
• Dog Owners
• Hikers
• The Older Traveller
• Luxury Seekers

Additional information on the profiles is available from Visit Wales’ Audience Insights.

Implementing and Managing the Campaign

The supplier will be responsible for implementing and managing the project and digital
marketing plan. This will include using an effective project management tool, having effective
communication within your team and the Authority, being organised and hold regular meetings
to address issues, highlight risks and report on performance.

Monitoring and Reporting

Achieving the project outputs is essential for a successful project so constant monitoring and
using real-time data will assist to meet the overall objectives.

5
Analytic tools and insights should be used to look at statistics such as website visits, click
through rates, engagement, average engagement time, shares, comments and other data to
evaluate the success of the campaign. Data-driven decision-making will be key to achieving the
objectives.

The supplier will need to provide monthly written reports on the milestones that will be set up
and key statistics used in the project plan stage.

The report should be received by no later than the fifth working day of each month.

Evaluation Report

The supplier will need to undertake research work to collect data that will provide evidence that
the digital marketing campaign has achieved the below objectives/outputs.

• Generated a minimum of 120,000 unique website visitors to a page or pages on the

visitsnowdonia.info website.
• Generated at least 5,000 day or overnight visits to the Eryri Snowdonia Mountains
and Coast area.
• Generated at least £250,000 additional spend in the local economy because of the day
visit or overnight stay.

The Evaluation Report should also include examples of the digital marketing assets produced,
digital marketing plan, insights data and statistics used to monitor the plan.

The bilingual report will need to be received by Cyngor Gwynedd no later than 9th December
2024.

Tender Assets and Materials

Cyngor Gwynedd will retain the copyright for all materials associated with the tender and will
retain the right to reproduce the main scheme and designs, fully or in part, after publication.
The supplier will need to provide Cyngor Gwynedd with all materials associated with the tender
by WeTransfer or external hard disk before the tender completion date.

3.1 Clarifications about the Services or ITT

Any clarifications relating to this ITT must be submitted, via the Postbox mechanism on
Sell2Wales.

The Authority will respond to all reasonable clarifications as soon as possible through
publishing the Tenderers' questions and the Authority's response to them via the Sell2Wales
Postbox (Clarifications Log). If a Tenderer wishes the Authority to treat a clarification as
confidential and not issue the response to all Tenderers, it must state this when submitting the
clarification. If, in the opinion of the Authority, the clarification is not confidential, the

6
Authority will inform the Tenderer and it will have an opportunity to withdraw it. If the
clarification is not withdrawn, the response will be issued to all Tenderers.

The deadline for receipt of clarifications relating to the Services or this ITT is set out in the
timetable included below.

Tenderers are advised not to rely on communications from the Authority in respect of the
Services or ITT unless they are made in accordance with these instructions.

3.2 Clarifications about the contents of the Tenders

The Authority reserves the right (but is not obliged) to seek clarification of any aspect of a
Tenderer's Tender during the evaluation phase where necessary for the purposes of carrying out
a fair evaluation. Tenderers are asked to respond to such requests promptly. Vague or
ambiguous answers are likely to score poorly or render the Tender non-compliant.

4. TENDER TIMETABLE

4.1 Key Dates

This procurement will follow a clear, structured and transparent process to ensure a fair and
level playing field is maintained at all times, and that all Tenderers are treated equally.

The key dates for this procurement (Timetable) are currently anticipated to be as follows:

Event Date

Tender published 10/4/2024

Deadline for receipt of clarifications 24/4/2024

Target date for responses to clarifications 26/4/2024

Deadline for receipt of Tenders 30/4/2024 (5pm)

Evaluation of Tenders 7/5/2024

Notification of contract award decision 9/5/2024

Confirm contract award 10/5/2024

Contract start and start of mobilisation 20/5/2024

period

7
 Target service commencement date 20/5/2024

Any changes to the procurement Timetable shall be notified to all Tenderers as soon as
practicable.

4.2 Tender Submission

Please provide the below in your response to the ITT (Invitation to Tender) as the Authority
will be evaluating each submission against the criteria noted in the tender.

5. TENDER EVALUATION MODEL

5.1 Award Criteria and Evaluation Criteria

Any Contract(s) awarded as a result of this procurement will be awarded on the basis of the
offer that is the most economically advantageous to the Authority. The Award Criteria are:
• 80% technical or quality.
• 20% cost.

Scores are arrived at following the application of the Evaluation Criteria (Evaluation Criteria)
set out below to the Tenderer's Tender.

Tenderers are required to submit a Tender strictly in accordance with the requirements set out
in this ITT, to ensure the Authority has the correct information to make the evaluation. Evasive,
unclear or hedged Tenders may be discounted in evaluation and may, at the Authority's
discretion, be taken as a rejection by the Tenderer of the terms set out in this ITT.

The Tender Evaluation Model showing the Evaluation Criteria and the maximum scores
attributable to them is set out below.

5.2 Quality Criteria

The quality criteria will be scored based on the responses to the following submission
documents.

Assessment questions for completion by Tenderers

Please provide the below in your response to the ITT (Invitation to Tender) as the Authority
will be evaluating each submission against the following criteria noted in the tender.

A brief project plan outlining your approach on 50%

how you would achieve the aims and objectives
of the tender including your project evaluation
methodology.

8
 Creative social media concepts to highlight the 30%
area’s culture and heritage offering to the family
segment.

Your service continuation strategy should, over 10%

the course of the contract, any of the proposed
team become unavailable, so that this will not
hinder you completing the tasks required.
Details of the relevant experience, expertise and 10%
responsibilities of your proposed delivery team
that will be assigned to this contract including
subcontractors.

The price criteria requires that you:

Provide a budget breakdown highlighting how you intend to spend the funds available to
achieve the aims and objectives.

The tender will be assessed on the following basis and then the relevant weightings applied.

Quality Scoring
Assessment Score Interpretation
High level of Confidence 8-10 Full response excels to achieve the requirement and
well evidenced with relevant examples.
Exceptional demonstration by the potential
provider of the relevant ability, understanding,
experience, skills, resources & quality measures
required to provide the specified service. Response
identifies innovative solutions of value, with good
evidence to support the response.
Good level of Confidence 5-7 Good response with satisfactory detail and
evidence. Above average demonstration by the
potential provider of the relevant ability,
understanding, experience, skills, resources &
quality measures required to provide the specified
service. Response identifies innovative solutions of
value, with evidence to support the response.
Some Concerns 1-4 Part response with some shortcomings in evidence /
information provided. Satisfies the requirement
with some reservations about the potential
provider’s relevant ability, understanding,
experience, skills, resource & quality measures
required to provide the service, with limited or no
evidence to support the response.

9
 Major Concerns 0 Does not meet the requirement. Does not comply
and/or insufficient information provided to
demonstrate that the potential provider has the
ability, understanding, experience, skills, resource
& quality measures required to provide the service,
with little or no evidence to support the response.

Please note that you are required to score a minimum of 4 in the quality questions in order
to meet the required standard.

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO MEET THE REQUIRED STANDARD IN ANY

QUESTION, YOUR SUBMISSION WILL BE EXCLUDED FROM THE
EVALUATION PROCESS.

5.3 Pricing Evaluation

Bid prices will be scored:

On a comparative basis with the lowest bid receiving 100% of the available marks (20%
following weighting). All other bids will be compared against that lowest bid.

5.4 Deadline for receipt of Tenders

Responses to this ITT must arrive via Sell2Wales by 5pm on 30th April 2024.

Any Tender received after the Deadline shall not be opened or considered. The Authority may,
however, in its own absolute discretion extend the Deadline and in such circumstances the
Authority will notify all Tenderers of any change.

5.5 Bid costs

The Authority will not be liable for any bid costs, expenditure, work or effort incurred by a
Tenderer in proceeding with or participating in this procurement, including if the procurement
process is terminated or amended by the Authority.

5.6 Contract Award

The Authority may award Contract(s) on the basis of a [Tender] OR [Reference Bid or a Variant
Bid] submitted in accordance with the instructions below.

Contract award is subject to the formal approval process of the Authority. Until all necessary
approvals are obtained, no Contract(s) will be entered into.

10
Once the Authority has reached a decision in respect of a contract award, it will notify all
bidders of that decision before entering into any Contract(s).

5.7 Debrief

The contract award notification will be sent to each Tenderer. Should the unsuccessful tenderers
require feedback on their submissions, please send a message via the Postbox on Sell2Wales.

6. TENDER COMPLETION INFORMATION

6.1 Formalities

All documents comprising the Tender must be completed and uploaded to the Sell2Wales
Postbox by the Deadline.

The Tender must be clear, concise and complete. The Authority reserves the right to mark a
Tenderer down or exclude them from the procurement if its Tender contains any ambiguities,
caveats or lacks clarity. Tenderers should submit only such information as is necessary to
respond effectively to this ITT. Tenders will be evaluated on the basis of information submitted
by the Deadline.

The draft Contract that the Authority proposes to use is attached at Schedule 1. By submitting
a Tender, Tenderers are agreeing to be bound by the terms of this ITT and the Contract without
further negotiation or amendment.

6.2 Documents forming the Contract

The following documents shall form part of the Contract between the Authority and the Service
Provider(s):
• Contract Terms and Conditions

• Specification

• A pricing model (as completed by the Service Provider)

• Responses to requirements OR method statement questions (as completed by the

Service Provider)

• A list of commercially sensitive information (if applicable) (as completed by the

successful Tenderer)

6.3 Consortia and Subcontractors

11
The Authority requires all Tenderers to identify whether and which subcontracting, or
consortium arrangements apply in the case of their Tender, and in particular specify the share
of the Contract it intends to sub-contract, any proposed sub-contractors, and precisely which
entity they propose to be the Service Provider.

For the purposes of this ITT, the following terms apply:

• Consortium arrangement. Groups of companies come together specifically for the
purpose of bidding for appointment as the Service Provider and envisage that they will
establish a special purpose vehicle as the prime contracting party with the Authority.

• Subcontracting arrangement. Groups of companies come together specifically for

the purpose of bidding for appointment as the Service Provider but envisage that one
of their number will be the Service Provider, the remaining members of that group will
be subcontractors to the Service Provider.

6.4 Warnings and disclaimers

While the information contained in this ITT is believed to be correct at the time of issue, the
Authority will not accept any liability for its accuracy, adequacy or completeness, nor will any
express or implied warranty be given. This exclusion extends to liability in relation to any
statement, opinion or conclusion contained in or any omission from, this ITT (including its
appendices) and in respect of any other written or oral communication transmitted (or otherwise
made available) to any Tenderer. This exclusion does not extend to any fraudulent
misrepresentation made by or on behalf of the Authority.

If a Tenderer proposes to enter into a Contract with the Authority, it must rely on its own
enquiries and on the terms and conditions set out in the Contract(s) (as and when finally
executed), subject to the limitations and restrictions specified in it.

Neither the issue of this ITT, nor any of the information presented in it, should be regarded as
a commitment or representation on the part of the Authority (or any other person) to enter into
a contractual arrangement.

6.5 Confidentiality and Freedom of Information

This ITT is made available on condition that its contents (including the fact that the Tenderer
has received this ITT) is kept confidential by the Tenderer and is not copied, reproduced,
distributed or passed to any other person at any time, except for the purpose of enabling the
Tenderer to submit a Tender.

As a public body, the Authority is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (FOIA) in respect of information it holds (including third-party information). Any
member of the public or other interested party may make a request for information.

12
Tenderers should be aware that, in compliance with its transparency obligations, the Authority
routinely publishes details of its contract(s), including the contract values and the identities of
its suppliers on its website without consulting the provider of that information.

The Authority shall treat all Tenderers' responses as confidential during the procurement
process. Requests for information received following the procurement process shall be
considered on a case-by-case basis, applying the principles of FOIA, which permits certain
information to be withheld, for example where disclosure would be prejudicial to a party’s
commercial interests, and in accordance with the Authority’s transparency obligations.

Therefore, Tenderers are responsible for ensuring that any confidential or commercially
sensitive information, the disclosure of which would be likely to diminish the Tenderer’s
competitive edge, has been clearly identified to the Authority.

6.6 Publicity

No publicity regarding the Services or the award of any Contract will be permitted unless and
until the Authority has given express written consent to the relevant communication. For
example, no statements may be made to the media regarding the nature of any Tender, its
contents or any proposals relating to it without the prior written consent of the Authority.

6.7 Tenderer conduct and conflicts of interest

Any attempt by Tenderers or their advisors to influence the contract award process in any way
may result in the Tenderer being disqualified. Specifically, Tenderers shall not directly or
indirectly at any time:
• Devise or amend the content of their Tender in accordance with any agreement or
arrangement with any other person, other than in good faith with a person who is a proposed
partner, supplier, consortium member or provider of finance.

• Enter into any agreement or arrangement with any other person as to the form or content of
any other Tender or offer to pay any sum of money or valuable consideration to any person
to effect changes to the form or content of any other Tender.

• Enter into any agreement or arrangement with any other person that has the effect of
prohibiting or excluding that person from submitting a Tender.

• Canvass the Authority or any employees or agents of the Authority in relation to this
procurement.

• Attempt to obtain information from any of the employees or agents of the Authority or their
advisors concerning another Tenderer or Tender.

13
Tenderers are responsible for ensuring that no conflicts of interest exist between the Tenderer
and its advisers, and the Authority and its advisors. Any Tenderer who fails to comply with this
requirement may be disqualified from the procurement at the discretion of the Authority.

6.8 Authority's rights

The Authority reserves the right to:

• Waive or change the requirements of this ITT from time to time without prior (or any)
notice being given by the Authority.

• Seek clarification or documents in respect of a Tenderer's submission.

• Disqualify any Tenderer that does not submit a compliant Tender in accordance with
the instructions in this ITT.

• Disqualify any Tenderer that is guilty of serious misrepresentation in relation to its

Tender, expression of interest, the PQQ or the tender process.

• Withdraw this ITT at any time, or to re-invite Tenders on the same or any alternative
basis.

• Choose not to award any Contract as a result of the current procurement process.

• Make whatever changes it sees fit to the Timetable, structure or content of the
procurement process, depending on approvals processes or for any other reason.

7. CHECKLIST FOR TENDERERS

Please ensure that you return the following:

• A completed pre-qualification questionnaire

• Responses to the assessment questions
• Your budget breakdown
• Your completed ‘Commercially sensitive information’ sheet if applicable

14
 Schedule 1 Draft contract – separate attachment

Please see document entitled Standard Terms and Conditions.

Specification
as per response to the Work specification and Tasks Section

Quality and price questions and responses

(to be added in prior to award)

15
Schedule 2 Commercially sensitive information - separate attachment

16