Gun Buy Back Scheme - The Australian National Audit Office

circumstances mean that this may be inappropriate, the
methodology to apply and the reasons for it should be well
documented.
3 164 The Guidelines for Australian Government Information Activities
state that the MCGC will indicate the assessment process it wishes
to follow when it first considers the communications strategy,
campaign brief and the panel of agencies proposed by the client
department. In this campaign, because of time constraints, these
documents were approved out of session by the Chair of the
MCGC. However, a preference for the assessment process was
not indicated. In the absence of such guidance, the departmental
evaluation committee chose to adopt one approach to shortlisting
public relations agencies and another for shortlisting advertising
agencies.
3 165 The ANAO considers that more detailed guidance on the
assessment process would help improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of the evaluation committee in preparing advice for
the MCGC on shortlisting of firms.
Selection
3 166 The shortlist of advertising firms was then submitted by OGIA to
the MCGC. In accordance with the requirement noted in paragraph
0, OGIA also submitted its written assessment against the
selection criteria and the results of research conducted by the
independently contracted research firm, Elliot and Shanahan. The
Attorney-General's Department submitted a separate brief of the
shortlisted firms to the Attorney-General.
3 167 Following presentations by the bidding firms and by the research
firm, the MCGC selected DDB Needham (Adelaide) as the
advertising agency and Burson Marsteller as the public relations
firm for the campaign.
3 168 The minutes of the MCGC meeting noted that:
‘The Committee approved DDB Needham on the basis that the agency
offered the strongest creative team, and the overall approach best
addressed the wide range of target audiences and provided the ‘best fit’
with the successful public relations agency’.
3 169 Discussion in Parliamentary Committee Estimates hearings also
focussed on the appropriateness of selecting an advertising
agency to fit in with the public relations campaign. The ANAO
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