Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2019-12-09
Buyer: Aust-Agder fylkeskommune
Country: NO
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Contract award without prior publication
CPV classification: 79340000
Estimated value: 7960000 NOK

Technical requirements: A voluntary ex-ante transparency notice is hereby published in accordance with §21-5 in the public procurement regulations, on the intention to enter into an announcement contract from 1.1.2020 with Polaris Media Sør for 2020, with an option for annual extensions for a further 3 years. The contract has a binding announcement scope of 1 290 000 NOK per annum, with a limit for announcements for a further 700 000 NOK within the contract's scope.
In 2020, the announcement contract will cover 20 full page announcements in Fædrelandsvennen and 20 full page announcements in Adgerposten on Saturdays, as well as some announcements in the other newspapers in Agder that are connected to Polaris Media Sør. In addition to this, the contract will cover digital announcements in Fædrelandsvennen and Agderposten on digital platforms for joint announcements and ad-hoc campaigns throughout the year.
Agder County needs regular announcements on a number of special fields and purposes in the light of the county's role as a regional developer. In order to achieve best possible visibility, all the announcements from all of the county's entities are put into joint announcements every other week throughout the year. This does not include holidays, as announcements are not normally published then. The announcements are on everything from cultural events, to hearings, services, application deadlines for subsidies, political meetings, vacant jobs, and a number of other objectives. It is not possible to split the organisation of the joint announcements between different suppliers, as the purpose is to show and achieve uniform visibility for all of the county's activities.
The goal of the announcements is to reach the target group, which, in principle, is as many of Adger's inhabitants as possible, with joint, uniform and visible announcements. It is, therefore, only regional newspapers, with a catchment area covering most of the county's population, that can in total fulfil the goal of the announcements.
When Polaris Media Agder is established on 1.1.2020, with the two regional media houses Fædrelandsvennen and Agderposten, the new media house group will have a total coverage in Agder of 64 % (figure from Forbruker and Media 19/2). Coverage is presented in percentage and it states what share of the population over 18 years is reached as daily readers on different platforms (Print/Desktop/Mobile/Tablet/eNewspaper). Polaris Media Sør will, in addition to Fædrelandsvennen and Agderposten, include Grimstad Adressetidende, Lillesandsposten, Vennesla Tidende, Lister and Lindesnes newspapers.
In 2020, the announcement contract will cover 20 full page announcements in Fædrelandsvennen and 20 full page announcements in Adgerposten on Saturdays, as well as some announcements in the other newspapers in Agder that are connected to Polaris Media Sør. In addition to this, the contract will cover digital announcements in Fædrelandsvennen and Agderposten on digital platforms for joint announcements and ad-hoc campaigns throughout the year.
The contract has a binding announcement scope of 1 290 000 NOK per annum, with a limit for announcements for a further 700 000 NOK within the contract's scope. The contract will have an option for annual extensions for a further 3 years.
Aust-Agder County and Vest-Agder County will merge on 1.1.2020 and become Ager County. Agder County will function as the contracting authority for the contract.
Agder County needs regular announcements on a number of special fields and purposes in the light of the county's role as a regional developer. In order to achieve best possible visibility, all the announcements from all of the county's entities are put into joint announcements every other week throughout the year. This does not include holidays, as announcements are not normally published then. The announcements are on everything from cultural events, to hearings, services, application deadlines for subsidies, political meetings, vacant jobs, and a number of other objectives. It is not possible to split the organisation of the joint announcements between different suppliers, as the purpose is to show and achieve uniform visibility for all of the county's activities.
The goal of the announcements is to reach the target group, which, in principle, is as many of Adger's inhabitants as possible, with joint, uniform and visible announcements. It is, therefore, only regional newspapers, with a catchment area covering most of the county's population, that can in total fulfil the goal of the announcements.
When Polaris Media Agder is established on 1.1.2020, with the two regional media houses Fædrelandsvennen and Agderposten, the new media house group will have a total coverage in Agder of 64 % (figure from Forbruker and Media 19/2). Coverage is presented in percentage and it states what share of the population over 18 years is reached as daily readers on different platforms (Print/Desktop/Mobile/Tablet/eNewspaper). Polaris Media Sør will, in addition to Fædrelandsvennen and Agderposten, include Grimstad Adressetidende, Lillesandsposten, Vennesla Tidende, Lister and Lindesnes newspapers.
Based on the market position of Polaris Media Sør from 1.1.2020, with the two regional newspapers Fædrelandsvennen and Agderposten, there is a situation where, in reality, there is only one relevant supplier in the relevant market, given Agder County's goal of the announcements. Other local newspapers in Agder that are not connected to Polaris each have a coverage up to 3 %. (The county otherwise reserves the right to announce in these local newspapers). National newspapers are not seen as relevant suppliers for the announcement contract, as they have a target target group and too low coverage in Agder. Internet based announcements on different digital platforms alone, based on fragmented announcements on the county's services would not achieve the goal of joint, uniform and visible announcements. A relevant aspect in the assessment is efficient use of society's resources, both on the contracting authority and supplier side, in a situation with only one relevant supplier in the relevant market.
In 2020, the announcement contract will cover 20 full page announcements in Fædrelandsvennen and 20 full page announcements in Adgerposten on Saturdays, as well as some announcements in the other newspapers in Agder that are connected to Polaris Media Sør. In addition to this, the contract will cover digital announcements in Fædrelandsvennen and Agderposten on digital platforms for joint announcements and ad-hoc campaigns throughout the year.
A voluntary ex-ante transparency notice is hereby published in accordance with §21-5 in the public procurement regulations, on the intention to enter into an announcement contract from 1.1.2020 with Polaris Media Sør for 2020. The contract has a binding announcement scope of 1 290 000 NOK per annum, with a limit for announcements for a further 700 000 NOK within the contract's scope. The contract will have an option for annual extensions for a further 3 years. The legal basis for entering into a contract without announcing a contest is 'technical reasons' in accordance with §14-4 letter c in the regulations. This is because there are no other suppliers that can offer regional coverage in regional newspapers with a catchment area of this size in Agder.


Winner: Polaris Media Sør
Award value: 7960000