South Essex Active Travel Communications Support

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is inviting expressions of interest for the provision of ongoing communications support for the South Essex Active Travel (SEAT) project. Some key elements of this support will include, but not be limited to: • Managing the transition period between the old Ideas in Motion brand identity and the new Forward Motion brand identity. • Carry out research to identify the key challenges and opportunities to get target organisations involved in active travel. • Design and implement an upskilling programme to build knowledge and capability among the SEAT team, so they feel confident delivering the communications approach and using the new brand with different audiences. • Conduct a series of randomised controlled trials of potential interventions with different audiences to inform the development of an effective behaviour change campaign. This will involve testing interventions, identifying the most effective interventions and rolling them out across the campaign. • Create a network of advocacy. Identifying individuals who have made changes to travel more actively and are willing to share their story with others, who can act as 'champions' for the campaign. Using these champions in communications materials to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of changing travel habits. • Build a strong online presence for the new brand, develop a website(s) that will appeal to both potential partner organisations and individuals from the target audience groups, and make use of the latest digital tools and techniques to encourage people to change their behaviour. • Categorise audiences and assess the type of support, materials and messages most likely to be effective at changing each group's behaviour. It will be important that the service allows for flexibility for the scope of activity to change as the campaign evolves, and potentially to include elements of wider initiatives that link to the SEAT programme e.g. parking initiatives, smart cities work etc. The contract term will run for 20 months from 1st August 2018 - 31st March 2020. The maximum budget is capped at a maximum of no more than £165,000 for the 20 month contract. If you wish to tender for the above requirement, please register on https://procurement.southend.gov.uk/southend/portal.nsf/index.htm

Closing date for technical and commercial tender submission is Monday 23rd July 2018 at 12 NOON.