Research framework agreement summary slides The

Research framework agreement – summary slides

The Electoral Commission and research • Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process • Our key objectives are to ensure: well-run elections, referendums and electoral registration transparency in party and election finance, with high levels of compliance • The Commission is committed to using research to help fulfil its objectives

Current framework • Due to expire on 31 December 2013 • Broadly covers: • Quantitative research e. g. winter tracker and post-election public opinion surveys • Qualitative research e. g. testing the intelligibility of draft referendum questions • Electoral data collection e. g. collecting totals on electorate, votes cast, number of ballots rejected and data relating to postal votes.

New framework • The framework will run from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016 • … and have the option for a 1 year extension • Wider remit than current framework– will also cover: • Campaigns related work; and • Assessments of the completeness and accuracy of the electoral registers

Campaigns related work • The Commission runs public awareness campaigns ahead of major electoral events. As part of this we carry out research to: - Test and suggest developments for creative advertising concepts, materials and messages - Track awareness of our public awareness campaigns - Any other ad hoc research e. g. testing user journey of websites or of any other Commission product

Accuracy and completeness of electoral registers • Uses house to house survey methodology to check details held on electoral registers against details gathered from residents • Has been carried out Great Britain-wide, in selected local authorities and across Northern Ireland • Expecting at least two GB-wide studies during the course of the new framework

What’s coming • Series of elections (general, up for the devolved, local, mayoral, PCC) Commission? • Referendums e. g. Scottish Independence • Preparing for and transition to individual electoral registration • Any changes that may be brought in by a new government in 2015?

Future research • Post-election surveys, winter and • • • campaign tracking likely to continue Registration research (including IER related and accuracy and completeness case studies) Referendums (question testing and postreferendum research) Usability and intelligibility of materials Party and election finance Electoral data collection

What the framework agreement covers • Divided into three lots – quant, qual and data collection – you can bid for as many or as few as you like • Likely to cover most or all of the research in these slides • Covers forthcoming research to be confirmed, rather than a set programme of work

What tenderers • Remember to include all information requested need to tell us • Tell us how you would fulfil our requirements, and demonstrate your ability to do it • Give us pricing options for any research that you would want to be considered for

How the process works(1) • There is no pre-qualification phase • Tenders will be assessed against the criteria set out in the ITT documents • We’ll seek any clarification needed • We’ll inform people of our decision by start of November 2013 • There will be a ten day stand still period during which unsuccessful tenderers can appeal

How the process works(2) • When we need research services we’ll run a mini-competition between all the organisations on the relevant lot of the framework (being on the framework is no guarantee of getting contracts)