Transport for London (TfL) Roadside Tender
Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Transport for London (TfL) is launching an opportunity for a media owner or media owners to manage advertising opportunities on its roadside advertising network BUT I wonder how many people have ACTUALLY picked up on the significance of this new tender?
Roadside, as opposed to London street furniture contracts and the London Underground, was previously the rather unappreciated, unheralded runt of TfL’s assets – that is UNTIL UK consultancy Wildstone entered into a contract with them (the TfL) to generate revenue from outdoor advertising via the creation of new digital roadside opportunities
Wildstone got off to a flying start, generating GBP 1 million annual in rental for TfL from an auction process that involved some of the best new digital opportunities in London, first off, the Euston Road Underpass (won by Outdoor Plus) and then the double tower digital structure at Chiswick Roundabout adjacent to the M4 (sometimes called ‘Rusty Towers’ by various cads) that forms the centrepiece of Clear Channel’s Storm proposition.
However, judging by the (contact) address for interested parties in this most recent tender, it seems that TfL have now terminated the Wildstone association (?) – respondents are invited to contact TfL directly (that’s the same as the London Underground and street furniture tenders mind you).
You want our take? “Some folk are so ungrateful” – Wildstone have done a stirling job to date and it seems wrong to have excluded them at this (next) stage.
October 19th, 2014 at 13:58 @624
My firm of Chartered Surveyors established the principle of independent consultancy for landowners where they own large format OOH media assets in 1990.
The previous TFL tender was hardly an ‘open’ tender in my opinion having been written very much in favour of the winning consultancy. Wildstone who had no track record but were ‘poachers turned gamekeepers’. The managing in-house contract manager Jonathan Chandler later joining Wildstone which I can only assume was a happy coincidence for both parties.
Subsequent tenders for sites had specifications written ideally for Solutions in Steel, the appointed contractors for the builds and so competition for the builds may have been limited. It has been suggested there is even a family connection but I am sure that cannot be true and even if it were that would have been disclosed so it won’t have been a problem.
So did Wildstone really add a lot to the party and did TFL receive professional independent property advice? Well I am sure they did but transparency on the tender would have been appreciated for those businesses that have worked tirelessly to protect the interests of landowners and prioritised that over personal gain.
October 23rd, 2014 at 11:24 @516
Tim
Thank you very much for all your comments, as usual with you, all are totally incorrect and unfounded. If you have issues with the way a TfL tender has been handled, I suggest you submit a freedom of information request. As a public body TfL will have a duty to reply. So rather than pointing the finger at us it seems you are in fact calling TfL’s tender processing ‘compromised’, which is a big statement to make and one i wouldn’t want to be on the legal end of (having said that you are used to being taken to court, JCD Wandsworth roundabout, to name but one!).
Having worked as a media owner and watch you getting thrown out as consultant (SPH) and more recently on negotiation on a large tower on the North Circular, i have not yet come across a client that has worked with you that has a good word to say. I would suggest rather than crying wolf, you concentrate on understanding the market and working ways it which to truly offer a differential as opposed to slating those that actual provide a far superior service to your own. Although this may be hard for you, as in your own words ‘ i don’t do meetings’ and you seem to spend most days playing golf.
Good luck and Happy Christmas
PS if you had actually read the tender for TfL its for a media contractor, which we are not, so why would we be involved……………Oh and we still work for TfL who are a valued and exceptional client to work for