BBC - Commissioning - e-Commissioning

Pitching Ideas

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• e-Commissioning
• Writing for the BBC
• Ideas from the Public

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e-Commissioning

Existing users: log on to e-Commissioning now

Overview

All proposals for TV and online content ideas must be submitted online through e-Commissioning for BBC network content.

Prior to submitting a proposal you must register for an account on the system. Before you complete an application to register, please read the section further down 'Am I eligible to register'. If you are eligible, please read the 'How to register' section followed by the terms and conditions and the guide to registering as a supplier (in the downloads section on this page) .

You only need to register once, though the account owner can amend the account information whenever you wish. Please do not register an application for an account again if you have successfully done so previously. Account registrations are subject to review and approval before they are confirmed or declined, this may take a few days when we are receiving a high volume of applications. Queries around new account applications should be directed to the e-commissioning Product Lead

Forgotten your password or locked out your account?

If you try to access your account and use an incorrect password more than three times collectively, it will lock. This is an intentional safety feature designed to protect users' accounts.

If you are the Account Administrator for your account, please contact the e-Commissioning password reset inbox to request a password reset. Please state your full name, company name and e-Commissioning username (the email address you registered with) in your correspondence, so we can verify your account.

 

Reported issues update

(01.10.12) - resolved - Google Chrome browser issues

Note to users: There were reported issues with the last version of Google Chome not refreshing forms and options correctly, or allowing users to save proposal forms. Ensuring your installation of Google Chrome is the latest version 23.0.1271.64m should resolve any issues experienced with prior versions. If you continue to experience issues with Chrome, please inform the e-commissioning Product Lead and use the latest versions of a different browser, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer.

(18.11.11) - resolved

Note to users: There were reported issues during November with certain versions of web browsers not offering the 'submit to BBC commissioning team', 'amend' or 'delete' buttons' on the proposal form after you first 'save' a new draft proposal. This issue should now be resolved.

If you experience this issue please contact the e-commissioning Product Lead. To regain these action buttons, please save your new draft proposal as usual, click 'close' then reopen the draft from your 'To-Do' list and proceed as usual, the absent buttons should return after these steps have been followed and you can use the 'Send to BBC Commissioning team' followed by 'save' buttons as usual to submit your offers.

Want to offer your feedback on the system?

If you have experience using the e-commissioning system and have any comments or feedback, do please contact the e-commissioning Product Lead

How e-Commissioning works

Each offer sent to the BBC Commissioning team is automatically and securely logged with a unique reference number for your records following your submission. e-Commissioning enables the BBC to handle the huge volume of proposals it receives faster and more effectively so producers submitting proposals to the BBC receive a quicker response.

Rather than replacing any of the creative conversations BBC Commissioning teams have with producers, the system is designed simply to make the process of tracking your offers more straightforward, so that filtering and comparing ideas is much easier. As a result, this creates more time for creative discussion around the best of those ideas.

Face to face conversations will always enhance an idea, but we receive up to 10,000 proposals a year and time with Commissioners is limited, so meetings will always be based on the merit of the idea submitted.

System Features

• E-commissioning enables TV and online content commissioning across BBC Vision
• Online progress tracking of Suppliers' proposals providing greater convenience to both Producers and Commissioners
• Secure system to protect the confidentiality of ideas - proposals can only be seen by the relevant people in commissioning and the person submitting the idea
• Better consistency: BBC in-house production studios and independent suppliers all use the same system
• Once your registration application as supplier has been accepted, you can submit proposals whenever you wish. Full information on how to submit a proposal is available in the e-Comm user guide for proposals in the downloads section on this page.

Which online commissioning system is which?

• e-Commissioning covers ideas for network content on TV and all other video platforms (e.g. websites, mobile, interactive TV)
• New Media OCS continues to serve independent suppliers submitting technology and software ideas
• Programme proposals for BBC Radio must be submitted via the separate Proteus radio commissioning system.

IT System Requirements

BBC e-Commissioning has been extensively tested on Windows and Mac OS. We recommend using the latest versions of any of the following browsers, if you find any issues unrelated to the security related checks below, do let us know and we will explore them with the BBC's IT support:

• MS Internet Explorer
• Safari
• Firefox
• Google Chrome

To allow the site to function correctly, it is essential that:

• Any security software installed on your computer be set to identify the URL https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/ecommissioning/ as a trusted site.
• Pop-Ups must be enabled at all levels, i.e. on your internet browser and on any additional extensions or toolbars that block popups, such as Google Toolbar and Yahoo Toolbar.
• You regularly save your work within the 3 hour session timeframe in order to not lose work after the system security settings time-out.
• Please note: This information is provided as general guidance only. We regret that we cannot offer one-to-one consultation on system requirements and your local computer setup.

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Am I eligible to register?

Please note, if you are a member of the public or an individual without broadcast production or online experience as a director, writer or producer for a broadcaster, please do not register for e-commissioning. You can find out more about your options in the ideas from the public page.

e-Commissioning is designed to receive content ideas from TV and online content companies and producers. It is not a system for providing other goods or production services. More details about supply can be found on the BBC Supplying website. 

Individual production companies within a group of production companies should register separately. If you 'pitch' ideas under your individual production company name, then you should register the company for e-Commissioning.

If your company has more than one location base, you should register each substantive regional production company separately, with the location included in the company title.

If you are a freelance director, writer or producer with broadcast/online experience thinking of registering on behalf of a company, please speak with the production company concerned, so that they can log your offer via their company's e-Commissioning account.

Freelance directors, writers or producers with broadcast/online experience thinking of registering should first seek an invitation to pitch offers from a BBC Commissioning Editor.

If you are a BBC staff member, you should contact the relevant production Head Of Development and direct your ideas to them for consideration in the first instance.

How to register

Before you complete an application to register, please ensure you have read the 'Am I eligible' section above and the downloads (top-right of this page) for the terms and conditions and guide to registering as a supplier.

Prior to submitting a proposal you must submit a registration application for an account on the system, you can do this via the 'Register As A Supplier' link on the e-commissioning log-in page. If you have just submitted a new registration application to use the e-commissioning system you should receive an automated acknowledgment to the email address you registered with. If you have not received this email, your application has not been received. Please do not register an application for an account again if you have successfully done so previously.You only need to successfully register an account application once and account registrations are subject to review and approval before they are confirmed or declined. This may take up to 5 working days when we are receiving a high volume of applications. If you wish to follow up on a registration application response, please contact the e-commissioning Product Lead.

Information you provide:

You will need to provide the following information in order to register:

• Company information
• An account administrator

Your company information:

• Company name, address, website, email, phone and fax numbers
• Information for a 'Company Profile' - Specific broadcast examples regarding you or your company or it's employees having experience directing, producing or writing programmes or content for a broadcaster.
• A company logo sized to 112 pixels by 112 pixels in JPG format, maximum of 15kb
• Any previous names your company has been known by
• An identified person who will act as the Account Administrator for your company
• Supplier Type - please note that the term Non-Qualifying Independent is that defined in the 2002 Communications Act. You can find a summary of definitions around Qualifying and Non-Qualifying on the How We Commission page and in the paragraph below:

Q: What makes an Independent Company Non-Qualifying (or ineligible) for the Independent Quota?
A: Some Independent Companies are ruled out of consideration in the calculation of the BBC achievement of the 25% quota because they are not deemed to be truly independent of Broadcasters.

The Broadcasting Act states that to be a Qualifying Independent, a Company must not:
a) be an employee of a broadcaster
b) have a shareholding greater than 25% in a broadcaster (unless the producer is based in the EEA and the broadcaster in which it has a shareholding is outside the EEA)
c) be the subject of a shareholding by a single UK broadcaster of more than 25% or by several UK broadcasters of more than 50%
d) be required by the contract to use the production facilities of the broadcaster or not to use the production facilities of some other broadcaster

Account Administrator:

Each company should have one account and one Account Administrator, who can add and suspend any number of additional users for your account as required. Your Account Administrator is responsible for:

• Being the key contact for the company's e-Commissioning account
• keeping your Company Profile information up to date
• adding new users and suspending users if they leave the company, and resetting their users' passwords
• updating a change in Account Administrator, that can be carried out at any time, simply by nominating another user to take over the responsibility. Further details about changing users are in the download section.
• Important: If your Administrator is on holiday or leaves the company, it is important that this role is handed over to another user. The BBC's e-Commissioning team is unable to carry out the above duties on behalf of a Supplier account - this is the reponsibility of the supplier. If you have queries about supplier access to ex-colleague administrator accounts, please contact the e-commissioning Product Lead.

Your Username & Password:

New Registrations

If you have just submitted a registration application to use the e-commissioning system, your Account Administrator user will only be sent a username and password after we have reviewed and accepted your application. Account registrations are subject to review and approval before they are confirmed or declined, this may take a few days when we are receiving a high volume of applications.

Additional account users will only receive their username and password when the Account Administrator for their Company successfully creates their individual account.

Single-use passwords

When any new user is added, a single-use password will be sent to the registered email address and the system will ask you to choose a new password when you first login. Please note that the password security settings are case sensitive. You must use upper and lower case where necessary, entering the single-use password exactly how it was sent to you. Alternatively you can copy and paste just those characters only, into the password field. Once you have selected your new password, the single-use password is no longer valid.

Choosing your new password

When choosing a new password, you will be asked to enter the same password twice for confirmation. Both passwords should match and not be a previously used password. In future instances, the system will only recognise your login password if it is entered exactly as it was the first time you logged in (including upper and lower case letters). Please do keep it safe.

Password security

• New passwords are system-generated messages and can only be sent to the registered email account associated with that username.
• For security reasons, once you change your password no-one at the BBC has access to your new password; there is no centrally maintained list of passwords.
• Existing passwords you have chosen cannot be reinstated. A new single-use password will be generated if your account is locked out to ensure only you know the new password.
• You should not share your account password with anyone else.

Forgotten your password or locked out your account?

If you try to access your account and use an incorrect password more than three times collectively, it will lock. This is an intentional safety feature designed to protect users' accounts.

If you are the Account Administrator for your account, please contact the BBC e-Commissioning password reset inbox to request a password reset. Please state your full name, company name and e-Commissioning username (the email address you registered with) in your correspondence, so we can verify your account.

If you are not the Account Administrator for your company, please contact them: they can reset your password accordingly.

Please do not submit a new registration application if you forget your password. It will be rejected as a duplicate registration.

Forced password changes

e-Commissioning will also ask you to select a new password every 45 days or when you next login after this time. This is standard security protocol for a site of this nature and applies to all users.

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Submitting your proposals

Once your registration application has been successfully submitted and accepted, logging in and submitting a proposal is a simple matter of filling out a the "Log Your Proposal" web-form in the 'Blank Forms' area of your account.

You can a find out how to do this in the step-by-step e-Comm guide to submitting a Proposal (see the downloads section top right on this page) that takes you through the submission process, showing system screen-shots and providing answers to the most common queries and issues.

If, having ensured that your IT System Requirements are compliant as detailed on this page, and having read through the e-Comm guide to submitting a proposal, you are still having problems successfully submitting your proposal, please contact the BBC e-Commisisoning admin team.

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System updates and new features

We are presently working on improvments to the e-Commissioning system, and hope to introduce you to roll out a number of enhancements in 2011 We will keep you updated on developments on the e-commissioning system on this page and in the news section. If you have any feedback, do please email the e-commissioning Product Lead.

2011 improvements

18 April 2011: The following fixes and improvments to the e-commissioning system have now been implemented. We welcome any observations on these changes when using the system, please contact the e-commissioning Product Lead with any feedback.

Session time-out length

The session time-out length as now been extended from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Some supplier users have experienced their proposal forms timing out before their first save of the form and this should now remedy this issue.

Session start and end times

Session start and end times will now be displayed on your proposal submission form in the top right hand corner (see screen grab below). Each time that you save your proposal submission form, the session end time will be refreshed to reflect your new session end time.

We would recommend that you still save your proposal form regularly and build up the proposal to avoid any session time-outs caused by your internet connection dropping out.

Viewing your proposal submissions archive

The 'My Propsal Status and 'My Company Proposals Status' forms have been enhanced (see screen grabs below) to allow you to view either your active proposals, or all the proposals that you have submitted to the BBC, including any that have been archived following commission or rejection.

You can access these forms via the 'Admin' section of your account. Administrator users will see both forms and all company offers as owners of the supplier account, additional company users will see only the 'My Proposal Status' form and their proposals specifically.

 

 

 

2010 improvements

12 May 2010: Following feedback from the 2010 Indie Survey of Independent and BBC suppliers, we introduced some further amendments and improvements to the system.

Firefox browser compatibility with the 'Print Proposal' button

The "Print Proposal" button on the proposal submission form should now work fine with Mozilla internet browsers when using the e-Commissioning system. Previously, some users had found that this button incorrectly redirected them to the BBC homepage when selected.