Situation
O2 had been with their Public Affairs agency for a number of years, and in that time their business had moved on - they had been acquired by Telefonica and the regulatory landscape was becoming more complex and opportunities for growth more demanding.
Steven Bartholomew felt the time had come to review the public affairs marketplace. Having worked on the agency side himself, he knew how important it was to run a thorough and professional agency selection process. He felt it was important that everyone was given a fair and equal opportunity.
Action
The process ran over three months with an RFI to a wide selection of agencies. This was reduced to a long list for chemistry meetings over two days, from which a shortlist was drawn of those selected to pitch. All participants were given a detailed briefing, Q&A, and a mid-pitch meeting and a final day of pitches, which were held at the agencies involved.
Outcome
The winning agency was Quiller. Not an agency that any of the 02 team had expected to appoint at the outset – in fact, they were unaware that they existed. They have since become highly valued advisors.