Commissioning Guide 11
How to commission inclusive communications support
Inclusive communications support helps organisations make information easier to understand, access and use across different audiences.
1. What is this service?
It may include: accessible content, plain language, inclusive language, document accessibility, digital content, communications strategy, campaign development, imagery, internal communications and tone of voice.
2. When might you commission it?
- launching a new campaign
- reviewing communications
- creating accessibility guidance
- communicating organisational change
- developing public-facing information
- reviewing internal communications
- addressing audience feedback.
3. Before you commission
Ask:
- Who is the audience?
- What do they need to understand or do?
- What barriers might exist?
- Which formats/channels are needed?
- What accessibility requirements apply?
- What organisational tone needs to be retained?
- What existing content should be reviewed?
4. Define your brief
Specify:
- audience
- objectives
- channels
- content types
- languages/formats
- accessibility requirements
- tone
- brand requirements
- deliverables
- review process
- timescale.
5. What to ask providers
- How do you research audiences?
- How do you assess accessibility?
- How do you approach inclusive language?
- How do you test communications?
- How do you balance accessibility with organisational tone?
- Can you demonstrate comparable work?
- How will you involve users?
- What will we receive in editable formats?
6. How to compare proposals
Assess:
- audience understanding
- accessibility capability
- communications expertise
- evidence
- creative/strategic approach
- testing
- deliverables
- value.
7. What good looks like
- understandable
- accessible
- appropriate to their audience
- usable across relevant formats
- respectful
- purposeful
- tested where appropriate.
8. Things to watch out for
- ‘inclusive language’ reduced to word substitution
- inaccessible PDFs
- no audience testing
- stock imagery used without thought
- accessibility treated as a final check
- generic language guidance without context.
9. What should you receive?
- communications audit
- content recommendations
- rewritten content
- accessible documents
- inclusive language guidance
- content templates
- audience testing
- editorial guidance
- implementation plan.
10. After commissioning
Agree:
- ownership
- editorial standards
- accessibility checks
- approval process
- user testing
- review cycle.