Royal Mail rejig creates one of the UK's largest print tenders

Royal Mail Group has launched a tender for its entire print requirement, worth up to GBP400m after restructuring its print management division.
A new unit of about 25 staff, Royal Mail Document Management Services, went into operation on 1 January to handle the Post Office operator’s complete print output.
Royal Mail has also advertised a four-year print management contract worth up to GBP100m per year as part of a bid to streamline its current roster of 79 UK-based print suppliers.
The postal giant is planning that the contract, one of the biggest print tenders ever to reach the UK market, will be won by either a single company or a consortium of firms.
Print involved will include point-of-sale, posters, business documents, labels and internal publications, while other functions, such as finishing, storage, fulfilment, scanning and indexing, repro and digital archiving, are also involved.
Print management sources have suggested that only business process outsourcing giants Williams Lea or Astron would have the financial clout to take on such a large contract alone.
The tender was published in December and includes work for Royal Mail’s three UK operations: its letters business, the Post Office’s retail and financial services, and Parcelforce Worldwide.
Until the contract is set up in late spring or early summer, the new unit will handle all Royal Mail’s print production requirements itself.
Ray Huntzinger, Royal Mail’s strategic programme director who is heading up the new unit, said that it would ensure “a consistent, joined-up approach to support the delivery of all our print requirements”.
He added: “But there will also be benefits for the right suppliers as Royal Mail is very keen to work with top-class companies who share our desire to be customer focused and world class.”
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ROYAL MAIL PRINT TENDER Duration: four years Value: up to GBP400m Types of print: PoS, labels, documents, publications Other services: finishing, storage, fulfilment, repro scanning and indexing.