Wayfinding and signage strategy within Lincoln visitor economy (RFQ)

Background

Destination Lincolnshire is the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Greater Lincolnshire and it operates ‘Visit Lincoln’ as the visitor economy brand in the cathedral city of Lincoln. It aims to grow a resilient and connected visitor economy (tourism, leisure, hospitality, retail) with a ‘bottom-up’ and ‘visitor first’ approach.

Visit Lincoln was successful in receiving a project worth £ 1.45 million as part of the Town Deal fund. This project is called Lincoln Connected which is a city-wide scheme to digitalise the High Street and Visitor Economy in Lincoln. The overarching vision of this programme is to build a new digital infrastructure for the city to encourage more visitors and residents to visit.

New digital interventions will encourage people to visit and move around the city’s tourism, hospitality, leisure and retail businesses. One of these interventions will be a new, wayfinding strategy for the city centre unpinned by a fully researched and detailed report. This will be followed by two pilot interactive wayfinding installations which will then inform four further installations.

Description of what needs to be supplied

Through this RFQ, Destination Lincolnshire is looking to appoint a consultant who has extensive knowledge and understanding of creating wayfinding solutions in a city centre and how that relates to the visitor economy sector (tourism, leisure, hospitality, retail).

The successful consultant will undertake extensive research to establish and understand what the wayfinding needs in the city centre are; this will be done by identifying key user groups and understanding their needs in a way that addresses the physical and digital landscape of Lincoln as a destination.

The successful consultant will adopt a place-based approach and work with Destination Lincolnshire, the City of Lincoln Council and local businesses.

This first phase is essential - analyse what currently exists, consider and consult with major stakeholders within the city; and produce options for the future. This will ensure there is the ‘buy in’ of the city to be able to take the programme to full implementation. A key element is to identify and use all available research, mapping and documentation already completed.

This phase will not only set out the master signage strategy for the city but also plan a schedule for six new or updated interactive wayfinding signs or beacons. This is a key output for the Lincoln Connected project.

Destination Lincolnshire has extensive knowledge in in tourism, leisure and hospitality, and through this proposal it wants to work with an expert to make sure it has everything needed to deliver a successful report identifying a wayfinding solution for the city and how that will fit within the visitor economy.

Collaborative Working

The successful consultant / consultants will be fully briefed into the wider delivery plans of Destination Lincolnshire and how this feeds into the Town Deal project, Lincoln Connected. With this in mind, the consultant will be invited to work with the DMO team who have skills in destination marketing and collaborate with local planning departments.

Download the full RFQ document here.

Timetable for RFQ

This timetable is provisional and may be subject to change but will be adhered to by the client as far as reasonably possible.

Objectives

Research –

1. Identify and review existing city centre wayfinding research and reports in conjunction with Destination Lincolnshire and partners.
2. Audit of current signage in conjunction with point 1 above.
3. Understand how visitors and residents engage with the signage and how this could be improved.
4. What are the key visitor economy routes that will drive dispersal around key visitor destinations / experiences.
5. Understand the constraints re. location, accessibility and planning.
6. Understand the opportunity to link the physical wayfinding with digital wayfinding based on user habits and needs.

• Identify – produce a list of SMART recommendations (backed up with evidence) outlining the needs of the city centre. An understanding of the sense of place and how people move to determine where and what type of intervention is needed. The digital element to this project is integral and should be part of the solution in combination with all or some of the following: signs, architecture, lighting, and existing street furniture.
• Write a wayfinding strategy and design brief – using the information collected the consultant will create a report detailing all the above. As well as a clear signage strategy, creative wayfinding interventions that aid navigation (physical and digital) whilst improving people's experience of the place must be considered. This will be done in conjunction with Destination Lincolnshire and relevant suppliers.
  1. This will also include a schedule of activity and costings for 6 interactive wayfinding signs/beacons.
  2. The design brief will provide the creative direction for the design of the wayfinding elements acknowledging the place narrative as well as the positioning.
  3. Consultant to work with Destination Lincolnshire in identifying suitable signage manufacturers.
  4. Take into account the aftercare maintenance and management of the instillations.

Aims / Brief

• Help Destination Lincolnshire and the City of Lincoln Council understand the wayfinding needs of Lincoln City centre.
• Work with all parties to ensure all opportunities are identified and the interactive wayfinding outputs in the Lincoln Connected project are met.
• Help visitors and residents navigate the centre easily whilst also reflecting the personality of the city.
• Complement and respect the Historic element of the city working with the planning department.
• Integrate their consultancy and communication into the wider visitor programme of Destination Lincolnshire ensuring legacy after this funding has ended.

Methodology

• Work ‘hand in glove’ with the Destination Lincolnshire team and City of Lincoln Council.
• Have a presence in Lincoln throughout the contract (within reason).
• Contribute new ideas and be agile enough to react to opportunities.
• Share the core values of the DMO which are ‘collaborate – innovate – grow’.

Contract Agreement

You will be contracted by Destination Lincolnshire to deliver this work. (The Terrace, Grantham Street, Lincoln, LN2 1 BD). The contract outputs and outcomes will be managed by Ginny Askam, Project Manager for Lincoln Connected at Destination Lincolnshire (ginny@destinationlincolnshire.co.uk). Through the DMO you will also be invited to join conversations and meetings with the Visitor Economy / Place Teams within the City of Lincoln Council and Lincolnshire County Council.

Outputs and deliverables

The following outputs will be required and will form part of the RFQ procurement:

1. A clear outline for how you will approach this work.
2. How many days are needed across the project.
3. How you have considered value for money.
4. What outputs you expect to produce.
5. Costed options for installation and maintenance of proposed wayfinding system.
6. How you will report/monitor the work that you do (ongoing and end of project).
7. How you will manage the quality of your work.
8. How you will liaise and communicate with Destination Lincolnshire.
9. Your experience in this field – training, support, vlogging, content creation, peer support.
10. Your assurances that you can deliver on the timescale and anything that may be a risk.

Budget and payment schedule

The budget for Phase 1 is up to £20,000 including all expenses, but excludes VAT.

The payment schedule will be aligned with project milestones, for example 50% following contracts being signed and the inception meeting taking place, 25% mid-way through and 25% on project and evaluation completion.

Core aims of the procurement process and assessment are open, objective, and transparent.

Award criteria

A maximum 10-page proposal for undertaking the work should include:

Proposals submitted will be assessed by Destination Lincolnshire and representatives from the City of Lincoln Council and the County Council against the following questions:

Assessment

Scoring assessment out of 5 points. 1= very poor, 5= excellent.

Questions

1. To what extent does the proposal demonstrate an understanding of the requirements of the brief?
2. Is the timetable reasonable and includes contingency for any risks?
3. What degree of experience does the bidder and the team demonstrate in order to successfully complete the work?
4. Does it represent good value for money and are the costs clearly shown?

Procurement and delivery process

If needed, phone interviews will be conducted to further explore information submitted in the proposals. Please email your proposal to ginny@destinationlincolnshire.co.uk