Film Office in the Solent Region

Portsmouth City Council (the Council) is inviting tenders from suitably qualified and experienced organisations to develop a regional film office covering The Solent and South Hampshire area. The proposal to establish a Film Agency is supported and has received funding from the partner local authorities via The Solent Growth Partnership and The Partnership for South Hampshire (PfSH). The contract to run the agency is being let by Portsmouth City Council, on behalf of the funding partners. It covers an initial 3-year period, during which we expect the agency to become successful and self-sustaining. At the end of the 3-year period the agency will be expected to negotiate renewal arrangements with partner authorities. Seed funding of £60,000 will be made available to support the setting up of the agency. Activities to be covered by this funding include:- • Time taken in securing the sign up of individual local authorities to the MOU • Scouting and mapping of locations in the area • The setting up of a Film Agency website • Initial marketing of the agency. (It is envisaged that, once established, the agency will generate sufficient income to cover on going routine marketing activity. A programme and milestone package will be agreed and the draw down from the budget will be on completion of each milestone activity. The procurement timetable for this project is set out below: Procurement Documents issued 22nd July 2025 Deadline for Clarification 11th August 2025 @23:59 Tender Return Deadline 19th August 2025 @ 12:00 Interview 27th August 2025 Award Decision Notification 5th September 2025 Mobilisation & Commencement 8th September 2025 Interview & Presentation After completing the evaluation of the written responses, the Council will invite Tenderers who have passed all the minimum requirements and conditions of participation, where they will be required to provide an overview of their proposals. Tenderers will also be required to answer questions posed by the project team in respect of their tender proposals. The interview attendees should be the key team put forward within the tender proposal who will be directly managing the services. At least 2 days prior to their confirmed interview slot tenderers must confirm the names, positions, telephone number and email address for their delegates to enable to council to add the delegates to the scheduled teams meeting. The interview will run remotely via TEAMS on Wednesday 27th August and is anticipated to last around 60 minutes. The council will work with tenderers to arrange a time that is mutually acceptable. The successful agency will be expected to negotiate an MOU with partner authorities setting out common fees and charges, operating procedures and filming codes of conduct. The agency will report to a steering group made up of the project partners, who will manage the initiative in collaboration with Portsmouth City Council. Background The opportunity is to develop a regional Film Office covering The Solent and South Hampshire Area. The Local Authority areas covered are as follows. • Southampton City Council • Portsmouth City Council • New Forest District Council • Test Valley District Council • Eastleigh Borough Council • Winchester City Council • Fareham Borough Council • Gosport Borough Council • Havant Borough Council These authorities have given in principle support to the establishment of the Film Agency as members of Solent Growth Partnership (SGP) and/or the Partnership for South Hampshire (PfSH). When appointed the Film office will be expected to agree MOUs with these authorities, so as to enable it to operate as an effective one stop shop. This will include agree a share of fees charged for the use of locations. Subject to negotiation, the opportunity may exist to increase coverage to include the rest of Hampshire; • East Hampshire District Council • Basingstoke Borough Council • Rushmoor Borough Council • Hart District Council • New Forest National Park • South Downs National Park It is envisaged that the Film Agency will work in close partnership with neighbouring film agencies including Film Wight (the Film Agency for the Isle of Wight). The newly established Film office will need to collaborate with Creative England, the national screen agency for the English regions, to align with the national offer and maximise access to support and resources available to film offices. It is noted that the Solent and South Hampshire area is likely to be subject to Local Government Reorganisation. The Film Agency will be expected to work with any new unitary authorities created. Portsmouth City Council will continue as accountable body during this period of reorganisation. Hampshire and The Solent are part of the Government's Devolution Priority Programme. This represents a significant opportunity. When a Mayor-Led Combined Authority is established to cover The Solent and Hampshire Area, they will be invited to be project partners. Similarly, when new Unitary Authorities are formed, they will be invited to be partners. It is envisaged that the formal contract between the Film Agency and Portsmouth City Council will remain legally valid post reorganisation. The primary objectives of the Film Office are: • To promote the Solent and Hampshire region as a filming destination. • To provide a one-stop shop to production companies wishing to use film locations in the Hampshire and South Hampshire Area. • To provide logistical support to film productions, enhancing their experience in the region. • To build and maintain relationships with local stakeholders. • To develop resources such as a crew and location database to facilitate filming. • To actively engage in industry events and expos to promote the region. • To liaise with the private screen sector and associated bodies including national film commissions and production companies to enhance production activity in the area. • To market the region, nationally and internationally in partnership with national stakeholders and others. • Track all areas of activity including but not restricted to: enquiries, production activity and regional spend for evaluation and monitoring. • Promote good practice with regard to Risk Assessment and Health and Safety as well as sustainable approaches to production across all areas. • To work with local authorities across all areas of film location licensing and agreements. Ensure that local communities and stakeholder are aware of any impact or opportunities that filming /production activity may give rise to and manage expectations between production and residents. • To develop a sustainable income stream to support the Film Agency's ongoing work, primarily by taking a share of the charges made for the use of locations in the area for filming, providing logistic support for filming activity, and other services typical of a Film Office or Location Agency. • Opportunity may also exist to support other aspects of film development activity including supporting skills development in the sector. This may be subject to negotiation and possibly the securing of contracts to deliver training programmes - which the partner authorities would support and encourage. The Film Agency will be expected to be fully self-sufficient within three years of the contract being awarded (if not sooner). At the conclusion of the three-year period, the Film Agency and partner Local Authorities will negotiate how the service will continue, agreeing on new ways of reporting and working with partner Authorities, based on learnings from the preceding three years. Full details can be found in the tender documents that are all uploaded and available on our In-tend system. https://in-tendhost.co.uk/portsmouthcc/aspx/home