STATE-owned CalMac has defended awarding a media and advertising contract to an English business while the lifeline service continues to battle against what some might say are peculiarly Scottish headwinds.
CalMac’s appointment this week of Yorkshire-based CP Media raised the question from one businessperson, as the issues around the ferry company are intrinsically linked to islands culture and economy: “Surely, they could have found a Scottish ad agency to handle it?”
The ferry firm, which has been operating in the shadow of relentless troubles around an ageing fleet, cancellations and delays in replacements, said the contract did go through the Scottish Government framework but it did not go to a Scottish company because “there were no Scottish companies in the particular framework for this procurement”.
CP Media is to carry out an upgrade of media sites across 33 CalMac ferries, involving traditional print and digital screens.
It says “these will showcase the region’s rich variety of businesses to tourists and members of the local communities that regularly use and depend on the service”.
It also said it “provides bespoke advertising and sponsorship services that enable local authorities and transport providers to capitalise on their assets”.
CP Media does have related experience in Scotland. Mike Brennan, CP Media chief executive, says the contract “further extends our media coverage across Scotland, which includes outdoor sites in Edinburgh, Dundee and all the Scottish Highlands and Islands airports”.
CalMac declined to disclose the value of the contract on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.
Robbie Drummond, of CalMac, said: “In the interests of fairness and transparency, this contract was advertised publicly. Interested companies were assessed using criteria such as cost and existing experience to determine their ability to deliver the best value service to CalMac and our partners.”
The stance on Europe now by Liz Truss, currently candidate for prime minister, has been examined by business editor Ian McConnell this week.
Deputy business editor Scott Wright takes a look at a Scottish commercial property market that looks to be picking up after a bumper 12 months but which could be hit by “sharp pricing corrections”, adding Colliers hinted in a new report that uncertainty lay ahead.
Also this week, business correspondent Kristy Dorsey covered the story about a small Scottish technology firm taking on the vast of Africa as the lead on an ambitious conservation project.
Glasgow-based start-up EOLAS Insight is providing artificial intelligence and high-resolution satellite imagery to help count elephants roaming a national park in Southern Mozambique. It is backed by European Space Agency.
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