Tourism Services Assessment: Invitation to Tender

Project Brief

Tourism Services Assessment: Business & Community Engagement

Background

Shetland Tourism Association (STA) was established in 1998 and is the local membership body representing tourism sector businesses in Shetland. The Association currently has around 60 members from a broad spectrum of tourism businesses including hospitality, accommodation, visitor attractions, tour guides and food & drink.

Funding has been received from the VisitScotland Sector & Destination Operational & Market Readiness Fund to enable the STA to carry out a comprehensive assessment of tourism services available in Shetland following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project will facilitate direct engagement and support with all tourism businesses throughout Shetland and assist communication with communities and visitors to ensure safety, confidence and readiness to re-open.

The final report will inform the future development of strategy and action plans for the industry in Shetland. The timing of the final report & recommendations (in autumn 2021) will enable industry and stakeholders to work together over the winter, allowing industry to open strongly and with confidence for the 2022 season.

Project Scope

The project will focus on the following key tasks:

• Extensive individual engagement with tourism businesses throughout Shetland to gather intelligence on what level of service provision is available
• Evaluation through business contacts of barriers to re-opening and areas where additional support may be required, immediately and in future
• Support business through signposting to resources and services available to ensure tourism businesses are safe, Covid aware and ready to re-open when they choose to, and Government Guidance allows
• Communication of Shetland Tourism Associations member benefits to tourism providers and facilitate contact with STA Development Officer
• Community engagement work to reassure local residents that tourism businesses are providing safe and responsible levels of service for customers, with community safety also a priority
• Community feedback work to gauge response to re-opening and identify areas where information provision and reassurance may reduce negative perceptions
• Sharing intelligence gathered with partners in the Shetland Tourism Strategy Group

Timescale

On appointment of the successful contractor, it is expected that work will commence no later than 19^th April. The project timescale is 6 months, and the final report should be submitted no later than 31^st October 2021.

Outcomes and Reporting Requirements

The successful contractor will be required to submit progress reports on a monthly basis. Additional project reports will be required as outlined:

• Monthly Reports
  • Direct engagement numbers and sectors (minimum levels to be set)
  • Summary of services open, partially open, new, or lost
  • Referrals to Shetland Tourism Association
  • Staff time dedicated to project
  • Summary of key concerns from service providers and public
  • Summary of services and resources signposted
  • Summary of positive feedback and potential opportunities
  • Details of recognised gaps in support or information

• Final Report
  • Comprehensive written assessment of tourism services available in Shetland, accompanied by a full database of facilities, contact information and operating status
  • Produce a digital map of Shetland with service providers shown by sector type (i.e. google map)
  • Full details of service provider, public and other agency engagement numbers
  • Report on additional support requirements identified and not met – including training, funding, information provision or any other issues identified
  • Assessment of actual or perceived gaps in service provision
  • Summary of community engagement outcomes including any outstanding concerns or opportunities

Data Protection

A significant quantity of data, including contact information will be collected during this project.

The contractor will be required to ensure that all data gathering is done in line with the General Data Protection Regulations and that information collected is stored and recorded appropriately. The data will be owned by Shetland Tourism Association and used to inform the development of future Action Plan and Strategy development for Shetland tourism sectors. It may be shared with third party stakeholders for the purposes of strategic planning.

Resources

The contractor will be required to provide their own IT, administrative and telecommunications equipment, secure data storage, and work from their own premises.

A suitable content management system will be used for storing provider information and producing reports. Any system procured will remain the property of the Shetland Tourism Association and must be approved before purchase with any ongoing license fees fully disclosed.

Renumeration

This is a fixed price contract and is non-negotiable as funding provided is finite.

The contract price is £17,000 inclusive of VAT. Shetland Tourism Association is not VAT registered and will not pay VAT in addition to the contract value.

Application Process

This contract is offered to individuals or organisations who wish to submit a bid to deliver the project. All personal or business tax liabilities remain the responsibility of the bidder and will not be met by Shetland Tourism Association. A contract will be signed setting out the responsibilities of each party.

To apply, please submit a written tender proposal including your experience on similar project management, planned resources and a brief outline plan of how you intend to carry out the key tasks to: Emma Miller, Shetland Tourism Association, 14 Alexandra Building, Lerwick, Shetland, ZE1 0LL or email documents to info@shetlandtourismassociation.org

Applications must be received by 5.00pm on Wednesday 31^st March. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an online interview during week commencing 5^th April where they will be required to give a short presentation on their data collection and management procedures to the selection panel.

Download a copy of the project brief HERE