I write with regard to the article “Council ad deal queried” (WA Business News, July 22).
May I address some matters that were reported.
A councillor stated that: “Not once did Marketforce mention Northbridge”.
This statement is incorrect and perplexing. Marketforce presented to the management and councillors on the selection panel, a Northbridge-specific television commercial as well as Northbridge components of the main television commercial.
A member of the selection committee, a councillor, did not agree with the weighting of the selection criteria. Surely a tenderer such as Marketforce, faced with the criteria publicly disseminated, accepts that this is the basis for the assessment of submissions.
If we had ignored the criteria, we would have been rated as non-compliant with specifications.
We acted on good faith to meet the council’s requirements, not that of an individual’s particular wishes.
In respect of the criteria on which the agencies were assessed, Marketforce achieved a weighted scored of 4.92 (very good) compared with a rating of 3.14 (acceptable for Ad Impact). Marketforce rated above Ad Impact on 10 of the 11 items and equally on “compliance with specifications”.
We would have expected this score would weigh heavily in our favour.
In relation to value for money, Marketforce demonstrated and delivered extra value of media exposure of $589,729 over the past three years contract period. It would be disappointing if this substantial added “value for money” benefit was not factored into the councillor’s understanding of the Marketforce tender.
The assertion that when Marketforce won the City of Perth account four years ago the administration recommended against our agency, and the councillors overturned the decision, is not correct. In the previous tender the executive of the council submitted a document dated August 16 2000 which was tabled at a council meeting under Item 24 “Advertising Services Tender… Marketforce be accepted as the most advantageous to the city …” The councillors accepted the administration’s recommendation on that occasion.
Howard Read
Chairman, Marketforce
