South Cambridgeshire District Council - Planning Policy Consultation & Publication Software Package

Greater Cambridge Shared Planning (GCSP) delivers planning services across Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council consistent with their obligations as the Local Planning Authority for the two areas. Within the GCSP, the Planning Policy, Strategy & Economy team (PPSE) team has a very large ongoing work programme, with the need to produce and consult upon many plans and policies over the next few years. There is a need to ensure that the team can produce accessible and visually appealing content; and manage a large number of consultations that are easy for the public to engage with and respond to.

To enable this to be done with maximum efficiency, there is a need to undertake a procurement exercise for a Planning Policy Consultation & Publication Software Package on behalf of CCC and SCDC. This will aim to achieve:
• Improved user journey to widen access and participation in consultations, by the widest possible range of users.
• Improved accessibility and online presentation of consultation content, including mapping.
• Improved efficiency of setting up, managing, and responding to consultations, saving officer time on every project.

The Councils are looking for a solution which is based on a commercial off the shelf solution (COTS) and not a bespoke computer system, but which may include some customisation to meet the specific requirements of the Councils. The base system should be in existence (rather than in development) and successfully installed and fully operational in at least three other Local Authorities of a similar size.