ILDN Rural Development Committee Seeks Contractor for PR Promotion of LEADER Programme

The LEADER Publicity Programme

Tender Specification

The Irish Local Development Network (ILDN) represents the 49 Irish Local Development Companies (LDCs) that cover all of the country.  LDCs are multi-sectoral partnerships that deliver community and rural development, labour market activation, social inclusion, climate action and social enterprise services.

35 of the ILDN’s member LDCs are based in rural areas outside the main cities and operate the EU’s ‘LEADER’ Rural Development Programme.  LEADER is a broad-based multi-annual development programme which has operated across the EU since 1992.  ILDN’s rural members now wish to promote and add visibility to the work and the potential of the programme locally and nationally.

The Network invites submissions from suitably qualified parties to lead and design this publicity and promotion programme based on the following focus and objectives:

• The unique ‘bottom-up’ principles of the LEADER philosophy and methodology;
• The achievements and potential of LEADER as a driver of innovative rural development, particularly in the following areas: food, climate change, tourism, bio-diversity, renewable energy, social enterprise;
• The contribution of local LDC-managed projects to an overall rural development strategy based on an integrated bottom up approach;
• The promotion of the LEADER programme as a part of the Covid Crisis recovery response;
• The promotion of the enduring success of LEADER, its role as a primary driver of rural development and its increasing relevance in the current environment.

The LEADER Publicity Programme will commence in July 2020 and continue to the end of the year.  The programme will comprise a number of elements, including the use of a range of media to meet its objectives.  It will consist in its final delivery design of electronic, print and multi-media elements.  For practical reasons connected to the Covid 19 crisis, ILDN is prioritising electronic and multi-media elements.

ILDN welcomes submissions from interested parties to advise in the design and to deliver the Programme.  Those parties should possess the following skillset, capacity and experience:

• Design of equivalent or comparable promotional programmes in electronic and other media;
• Extensive knowledge of various media channels - social, electronic, print, and how to maximise impact;
• High level writing and editorial skills appropriate to the programme;
• Experience of working with a network or alliance of stakeholders;
• Availability to lead the development of the programme in July and the delivery of the programme over the course of August to December 2020.
• Knowledge of LEADER Programme, rural development issues and audiences

The individual, party or consortium which believes that it can deliver of the objectives and possess the qualities required, should respond to ILDN detailing:

1. Its experience, qualifications, skillset, subject knowledge and availability;
2. A draft brief of the design of the programme to be considered;
3. A budget draft for the creation and delivery of the programme being proposed;
4. References, relevant referees and examples of previous work.

Application by July 10th via email only to manager@ildn.ie.

Informal enquiries will be accepted – to Joe Saunders, MPRII, 087 9379572