Local News Partnership - 'Supplier' Applications 2021

A key component of the BBC's public purpose mission is to ensure that audiences can engage fully with major local issues, essential to democracy, keeping audiences informed and holding local authority to account. The BBC works with the local news industry to improve the provision of local journalism and has now conducted a competitive procurement for the reselection of 'Suppliers' for the Local Democracy Reporting Service across the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, to deliver the recruitment of 165 journalists, employed by local news providers, across 118 Contract Areas. A 'Supplier' receives the free content generated through the Local Democracy Reporting Service, News Hub and Shared Data Unit, and employs one or more of the Local Democracy Reporters to report on local democratic institutions in the relevant Contract Area(s) including top-tier local authorities, county councils, unitary authorities and metropolitan boroughs in the UK. 65 Local Democracy Reporters to report on 118 'Contract Areas' (118 lots) across the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man. All contracts commence on 1st July 2021 for a period of 3 years. Full details of the lotting structure, and awarded contracts, can be downloaded as a pdf document at the following link: https://bbc.com/lnp/documents/ldrs_suppliers_2021_v1.pdf