Your newspaper or magazine will be your council’s flagship publication and will have an important influence on your image and reputation. Research from the Local Government Association shows that there continue to be strong links between how well informed residents say they are and their overall satisfaction levels, as well as how efficient, well-run and good at delivering value for money they think the council is. With ever-increasing financial pressures, you’ll also want to get the very best value from your publication and your contracts with the suppliers who help you produce it.

Here are some of the key issues to think about when putting your tender together:

Be very clear about the objectives for your publication and set these out in your tender. Producing a first-class publication with impact should help you achieve the council’s overall objectives, priorities and targets set out in your strategic plan – any supplier needs to be clear about these so they can help you deliver.

• With Comprehensive Area Assessment due to start in 2009, and partners expected to work together to deliver outcomes for communities you may want to consider producing a joint publication with your local PCT or police force, or for them to take a regular insert in your newspaper or magazine. It’s often an ideal communications tool for partner agencies. Think about this from the start so it can be incorporated into the costings and tender.
• Think about the editorial resources that you’ll need to produce a high-quality, well-written publication. Councils often think this can be done easily within their existing PR or communications team resources. It can, but equally they often underestimate their time and effort that will be needed. A recent review showed that producing a good 16 page publication is at least half a full-time job if you want well-crafted and researched articles and features, rather than re-hashed press releases or lengthy, complex articles by technical experts. An external PR or communications agency could give you the expertise and support you need – and you’re only paying for the time you use.
• Carrying advertising can be an excellent way of offsetting the costs of production and showing residents (and members) that you’re delivering value for money for the council tax payer. Many councils are nervous of taking advertising in case there is a detrimental effect on their reputation from rogue advertisers but a well-thought out and sensible advertising policy will ensure that this doesn’t happen. Some councils are moving towards carrying their own statutory and public notices in their newspaper or magazine. In the past this has been a bit of a legislative minefield, but there is now plenty of good practice emerging about how this can be done successfully.