Shops contest COI benefits overhaul.(government agency searches for advertising agency)(Brief Article)

The Government is looking for creative and media agencies to develop advertising to back changes to the ways it pays pensions and other benefits and has set aside 25 million [pounds sterling] for the three-year task.

COI Communications is drawing up a pitchlist for the task on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. It is in the process of pairing creative and media agencies to pitch jointly for the brief.

Creative agencies including Lowe and Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy are expected to pitch. The media agencies involved include Optimedia, PHD, Zenith and Naked.

The appointed agencies will back the department's payment modernisation scheme, which seeks to modernise welfare delivery across the board. A key part of the initiative is to increase numbers of people having benefits paid directly into their bank account to 85 per cent by 2005.

The department hopes that this will generate savings but needs to reassure claimants about the planned changes. It is also said to be considering ways to help claimants who have difficulty getting or setting up bank accounts.

The agency search coincides with large shake-ups across the welfare system. Alistair Darling, the secretary of state for work and pensions, this week launched a single ...