Reported U-turn by Glasgow University good news for Scots PR agencies

IT looks like Scots PR agencies are going to be able to bid for a PR contract at Glasgow University, after all, following a reported U-turn on a prerequisite that applicants are big enough to boast a turnover of £10 million.

Reported The Herald this morning, the university is seeking a PR agency to help it conduct a global undraising campaign said to be worth “up to £70,000″.

But a stipulation that applicants required to demonstrate a turnover of at least £10 million drew an angry response, including from Jack Irvine, the former Scottish Sun editor and who now runs the Glasgow-based Media House PR agency, with offices in Edinburgh, London and New York. He was quoted saying the £10 million threshold would bar Scots agencies from bidding.

But reports The Drum media and marketing magazine this evening, a statement from the university now reads: “After listening to the concerns from a number of sources within the PR and marketing sector, we have chosen to halt the process and remove the threshold entirely.

“However, we will retain the exacting criteria to ensure that we find the best possible candidates for this project.

“The revised procurement documents will be reissued in due course.”