Tenders/West Midlands Catalyst Fund - Pre market engagement

West Midlands Catalyst Fund - Pre market engagement

West Midlands Combined Authority

Published: Oct 9, 2026

Updated: Oct 10, 2026

About This Opportunity

This is a services contract in the trade and industry and urban development and housing sectors, with a focus on SME development. Located in United Kingdom, Europe, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums.

Published through UK FTS - Find a Tender Service, a national government procurement portal. Public procurement tenders follow the country's national bidding regulations and may have specific eligibility and documentation requirements for services in the trade and industry sector. Service contracts are typically evaluated on both technical quality and price, and may require bidders to demonstrate relevant experience and qualified personnel. This is an advance notice — the formal tender is expected to be published shortly. Interested parties can use this time to prepare documentation and identify potential partners.

Description

West Midlands Combined Authority is undertaking a Pre-Market Engagement (PME) to gather insight and feedback from the creative industries sector on the proposed Catalyst Fund and how best to support the development of creative hubs, infrastructure and growth ecosystems across the region. The Creative Industries are a priority growth sector within both the UK’s Industrial Strategy and the West Midlands Growth Plan. The region has significant strengths in areas such as screen industries, gaming, CreaTech, design and fashion, with the potential to drive further economic growth, investment and job creation in these key growth sectors. The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is developing the Catalyst Fund as part of the Creative Places Growth Fund, with the goal of supporting and strengthening a limited number of specialist creative hubs and which support the diverse diaspora of creatives across the region. WMCA is undertaking this pre-market engagement exercise to better understand current challenges, test the proposed approach, identify effective delivery models, and gather feedback that will inform the design of any future programme and associated procurement activity. Responses will help shape the scope, outcomes and delivery approach of any intervention that may be commissioned. ** Suppliers are invited to attend an engagement event held via Microsoft Teams on 23rd October at 1:30pm. Suppliers who submit an interest in this PME by the 22nd, will be sent an invitation link. Suppliers are encouraged to complete the engagement questionnaire attached to this PME following the event. These must be submitted via the portal. PLEASE NOTE – This is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition and therefore publication or response does not commit WMCA or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest. Please also note that this is not a formal PQQ or expression of interest in a tender exercise. This Pre-Market Engagement is to be used purely by WMCA to gather information. Your responses to this questionnaire will NOT be scored or evaluated in any way and will be used purely for information purposes by WMCA. WMCA will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party participating in this exercise. ** Please Note that suppliers should not contact officers of the WMCA directly regarding this opportunity, all questions should be submitted through the Bravo Portal. Portal Website: https://wmca.bravosolution.co.uk Bravo Solution Project Reference: project_1253 - West Midlands Catalyst Fund Pipeline notice - Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-078346

Data provenance

This notice is sourced from UK FTS - Find a Tender Service and was originally published on October 9, 2026. Last refreshed today. Reference: 095633-2026. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.

About West Midlands Combined Authority

West Midlands Combined Authority has issued 348 procurement notices on BidsFactory, including 7 currently open and 310 awarded contracts. Activity concentrates in Architecture & Engineering Services, Transport & Logistics, and Information & Communication Technology. All notices are published for United Kingdom. Notices are distributed via UK Contracts Finder and UK FTS - Find a Tender Service. Most recent publication: October 9, 2026.

Frequently asked questions about this tender

Who is the contracting authority?

This notice was issued by West Midlands Combined Authority in United Kingdom. The authority is responsible for evaluating bids, awarding the contract, and managing performance.

What type of contract is this?

This is a Services contract in the Industry & Manufacturing sector. The classification helps bidders match the opportunity to their qualifications and registered scope of supply.

Where will the contract be performed?

The contract is for delivery in United Kingdom. Foreign bidders should review local registration, taxation, and any in-country presence requirements before submitting.

How can I submit a bid?

Visit UK FTS - Find a Tender Service to access the full notice, required documents, and submission instructions. Quote reference 095633-2026 when communicating with the contracting authority.