Category: BBC
Date: 14.07.2005
Printable version
The BBC published a notice today in the Official Journal
of the European Union (OJEU), the first step in the process to find
a new supplier or suppliers for parts of its HR services.
The notice is available on www.ojec.com.
This procurement process follows the announcement last
December of the findings of an internal BBC review which proposed that
a number of services should be outsourced.
This was one of the measures identified to help provide
extra resources to reinvest into programmes, and part of the BBC's radical
plans to transform the organisation into a simpler, more agile and creative
digital broadcaster.
Stephen Dando, Director of BBC People, said: "This
is a progressive step for BBC People.
"I am confident that we will be able to find a
long-term partner that can not only help us continue to deliver outstanding
quality of service back to the BBC, but also help us to develop and
improve that service.
"I want to make it clear that staff issues and
achieving the right cultural fit will be an important part of this deal."
The BBC is now looking for a supplier or suppliers to
undertake:
Recruitment: Full recruitment process
including attracting and selecting candidates, offers, recruitment marketing
(including events and work experience) and contract administration.
Remuneration: Including pay administration
and transaction, benefits administration (excluding pensions), pay and
benefits enquiry management.
Development: Specifically, 360 degree
assessment and feedback, outplacement, training and development for
broadcast engineering skills, technical services support.
HR administration services: HR process
administration, provision of HR information, guidance on HR processes
and routing of other enquiries.
Relocation: Management of relocation
assignments.
Occupational health services: For example,
sickness and absence management, risk management, case management, ergonomics
advice, physiotherapy, employee assistance programmes, health education
and overseas travel.
Disability access services: Provision
of assessments and facilitation and other access support to disabled
staff.
The preference is to award one contract for all of the
services, however the BBC will award more than one contract where it
is deemed commercially advantageous to do so, or where this is necessary
to achieve the required service standards.
Potential bidders have 37 calendar days to reply to
the advert and the BBC will then conduct a rigorous evaluation process
in order to compile a shortlist of bidders by the autumn.
Bidders will be asked to complete a pre-qualification
questionnaire (PQQ). This will include information on their financial
status, an indication of their track record, i.e. what other similar
services they have entered into, and their capability to fulfil the
contract.
We expect a response to the advert by mid-August and
hope to publish an initial 'long list' of interested parties by the
beginning of September.
Final negotiations are expected to take place at the
end of the year and the contract with the successful supplier is due
to become operational from spring 2006.
Notes to Editors
BBC People was formed in 2001, bringing together for
the first time the vast majority of the BBC's functional HR specialists.
The Division supports the whole employment process. It supports around
27,000 BBC staff, some 6,000 casuals and 6,000 freelances based within
multiple UK locations and internationally, and deals with a significant
'churn' associated with new hires/leavers.
OJEU is the Official Journal of the European Union (formally known as
OJEC). All public sector contracts above a certain threshold must be
published in the OJEU.
