How we commission

How we commission

To deliver distinctive world-class content for our audiences, we work with a broad and diverse range of producers from across the UK who we commission based on the quality of their ideas, our commissioning requirements and our strategic priorities.

Throughout the commissioning process, the BBC aims to commission producers openly and fairly, according to the following principles:

• A commitment to creative competition;

• Equal opportunity for all producers; and

• A transparent, clear and consistent process.

Commissioning timescales

Commissioning timescales differ depending on the nature of the commissioning opportunity. Timescales for commissioning rounds will be clearly expressed in the commissioning brief and will allow sufficient time between the round launch and the first submission date for producers to creatively plan.

For ‘ad hoc’ audio commissions (i.e. outside of a round), we commit to the following timescales:

• Acknowledgment of a proposal submitted to PiCoS within one week
• Rejection or expression of interest within six weeks
• If a title is in paid development and the producer is waiting for a commissioning decision, producers should be kept updated every two weeks
• A firm “yes” or “no” no more than 20 weeks after submission

• Completion of contract negotiation following a commissioning decision will be undertaken in an appropriate and timely manner

 These timescales may need to be varied from time to time on individual projects by agreement with the producer. In particular, where development is involved, a timetable for such development and the subsequent commissioning decision will be agreed with the producer.

Cancellation of commissions and / or significant changes to schedules will be communicated in a timely manner.

Editorial Standards, Control and Compliance

The BBC will have final editorial control over all BBC versions of programmes including all associated deliverables commissioned alongside the programme.

All programmes including deliverables commissioned by the BBC are subject to all relevant BBC guidelines and compliance procedures including without limitation the BBC's Editorial Guidelines and Fair Trading Guidelines.

The BBC is a signatory to the Alliance for the Protection of Copyright Code (APC) and respects the ownership of content ideas / formats and unique treatments it is offered. All independent producers commissioned to make programmes for the BBC need to abide by the principles set out in that code for as long as the BBC remains a signatory.

Tenders

Tendering means the formal tendering of an existing returning series in which IP is to be fully retained by BBC Public Service. The tender is therefore awarded on a “producer for hire” basis. The key principles of a tender process are:

• Transparency
• Fairness – including giving all the producers access to the same information
• Non-discrimination

The Invitation to tender (ITT) must be clear about what the BBC is looking for editorially, the business requirements of the production, the eligibility criteria bidders must meet to take part and the evaluation criteria, and must be explicit about the information available at each stage of the tender process.

Contracts awarded at the end of a tender will be time limited.

Tendering is required in the following circumstances:

• The BBC wishes to change the current producer of the title to achieve significant creative or operational benefits

• The incumbent producer gives notice that they wish to cease producing a title

Tendering is not required in the following circumstances:

• The commissioner works with the incumbent producer to adapt the programme e.g. for creative refresh or to move the title to be made in a different location. Discussions take place as part of BAU and/or when a contract is up for renewal
• Decommissioning the title and competing the available slot for a new title. The normal commissioning process is therefore followed 

When BBC Radio puts an existing returning series out to tender, this is the process that we will follow here

Terms of Trade

The BBC’s Audio Terms of Trade are published here and set out the standard terms of business offered to all independent producers from whom BBC network radio commissions original audio programming.

 The Terms of Trade have been agreed between network radio and Audio UK and will be reviewed from time to time but not less than once every three years. The Audio Terms of Trade do not apply to World Service-commissioned content or content commissioned by the BBC’s Nations and Local radio services

These provisions do not preclude the BBC and an individual producer from concluding an agreement covering a variation to these provisions should they both wish to do so.

When the BBC commissions an independent producer to make a BBC Owned Format (as defined in the Terms of Trade), the producer will be contracted using an appropriate form of agreement.

Visualised audio will typically be commissioned under the BBC’s Audio Terms of Trade, but we may also agree with producers to commission under alternative rights frameworks where appropriate.

Audio Commissioning Specification

The Commissioning Specification includes:

• Editorial Specification

• Production brief

• Key approvals

• Delivery and technical requirements

Download the template Audio Commissioning Specification 

It is important to set out in the document the production detail, any assumptions as well as the editorial vision for the programme as accurately as possible as the specification will be included in the Programme production agreement (PPA) and form part of the independent production company’s legal obligations to the BBC.

All boxes and sections of the document should be completed, however, it may be that some points cannot be agreed at the point of signature in which case "to be agreed" should be inserted and these details must be finalised with the BBC as soon as possible within the agreed licence fee. Other points may not be relevant to the particular production as the Commissioning specification is designed to accommodate a wide variety of genres and types of productions. "Not applicable" should be added to such sections.

Please note that once agreed and signed by the production and the BBC the Commissioning specification cannot be varied in any way without the independent producer or the BBC's written consent.

Key agreements will be indicated in the Key approvals section and prior approval of the terms of these agreements by the BBC will be required.

The production must deliver the programme in accordance with the Commissioning specification on or before the agreed delivery date set out in the Commissioning specification. Failure to deliver the programme by this date will mean that the company is in breach of the Programme production agreement.

If there is any doubt over the ability to deliver a programme on time the BBC should be alerted at the earliest opportunity. Any changes to the delivery date must be pre-agreed with the BBC in writing.

Dispute resolution

If a producer is unhappy with how they or their idea has been treated, they should raise this with the relevant commissioning and business team in the first instance

If the producer feels that their concern regarding the commissioning process set out in this framework has not been fully addressed, they can make a complaint to BBC Content’s commissioning supply team within four weeks following the conclusions reached by the commissioning genre

For a complaint to be accepted it must:

• Relate to a network (i.e. national) radio idea (including if it was commissioned by sport or children’s & education)

• Have been submitted through PiCoS

• Relate to an issue where the producer feels that network commissioning has not lived up to the commitments within the ACF

The commissioning supply team will take an impartial view of the complaint, discuss it with both the producer concerned and the relevant BBC commissioning or business affairs representative, and seek a resolution. This stage of the process should typically be completed within six weeks. Find further guidance on Complaints about commissioning (pdf).

World Service English and Nations/Local commissioning have their own commissioning complaints processes.

Programme tariffs, prices and payment

The BBC publishes tariff ranges for network radio audio programming. The tariffs set out the range within which the BBC would expect the individual prices for specific programmes within that genre to fall. This is to enable producers to be clear about the BBC's funding commitment for each genre of audio content.

The full cost of making a programme, including all required deliverables for promotional and marketing purposes, should be included in the price.

Tariffs for Speech-based programming can be viewed here:

Tariffs for Music-based programmes can be viewed here:

The price that BBC network radio is prepared to pay for a commission will be determined by reference to several key factors including:

(i) The editorial brief for the commission as set out in the published commissioning brief;

(ii) The expected budget of the programme;

(iii) The level of any additional up-front third-party investment for the project to enable the full editorial potential of the project to be realised, that is offered either to the producer or to the BBC ahead of any commissioning decision being finalised.

The price offered will recognise that the programme budget will include a reasonable and industry standard level of production fee.

The price will be inclusive of any applicable development funding that may have been paid by the BBC for the project.

The indicative tariff ranges will be reviewed annually and will take into account any relevant factors which might reasonably impact on the prices paid (including increases to upfront fees paid under the BBC’s collective arrangements).

The standard payment terms are as set out in the Terms of Trade, or as otherwise mutually agreed between the producer and the BBC as part of the commercial negotiations for the project.

We are considering tariffs for long-form visualised audio.

Development

Where the BBC receives a programme proposal (audio and visualised audio) which it is agreed requires further development and if the producer requires finance from the BBC for this development then the BBC will:

• Agree an appropriate budget for such development.
• Have an exclusive option to develop the programme during this period.
• Have an exclusive period within which to decide on whether or not to commission the programme.

If the BBC declines to commission a programme after providing development finance and that programme is commissioned by another broadcaster or service, development costs would need to be repaid in full to the BBC.

Business affairs

The BBC seeks to conduct all transactions with producers in a timely and professional manner and will expect the producer to do the same.

The BBC will:

• share relevant BBC rights information with producers in a timely manner (e.g. updates on BBC collective agreements referred to in production contracts);
• be available to discuss the BBC’s position in the event of any difficulties producers are having with contributors and rights holders;
• maintain confidentiality and not share sensitive information communicated to them by producers.

Current commissioning opportunities

The principal commissioning process for Radio is run by each network through one or more commissioning rounds per year, details of which can be found below.

Some programmes/strands are commissioned outside these rounds - for more information, please visit individual network pages.

For details of commissioning for non-Network Radio stations, please see the Local Radio and Nations Radio pages.