Tender

Fund Management Services for North East Early Stage Equity Fund

THE NORTH EAST FUND LIMITED

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

22 Oct 2024 at 15:07

Summary of the contracting process

The North East Fund Limited (TNEFL) is seeking to appoint an FCA authorised fund management organisation to manage an early stage venture capital fund targeting early-stage and innovative SMEs in the North East of England. The tender, titled "Fund Management Services for North East Early Stage Equity Fund," falls under the Banking and Investment Services industry category. This competitive procurement process, currently at the tender stage, will use the Competitive Procedure with Negotiation method in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The submission deadline for proposals is 22 November 2024, with the invitation date for the second stage set for 4 December 2024. The initial contract period is 10 years, with the possibility of extension up to 25 years, covering the region of North East England including Northumberland and surrounding areas.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for FCA authorised fund managers to engage in a long-term project that addresses finance gaps for SMEs, aiding regional economic growth. Suitable candidates are required to have a robust track record in fund management and venture capital services tailored to start-ups and scale-ups. The initiative, with an initial investment capital commitment of £35 million, offers participants the chance to be pivotal in shaping a thriving business environment in the North East. Businesses specialising in corporate finance and venture capital services, particularly those focusing on early-stage investments, will find this tender particularly advantageous for expanding their portfolios and enhancing their regional presence.

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Notice Title

Fund Management Services for North East Early Stage Equity Fund

Notice Description

The North East Fund seeks to appoint a professional, FCA authorised fund management organisation to deliver an early stage venture capital fund in the North East of England. The fund will address the persistent market gap in the provision of relatively small amounts of finance to early-stage and innovative SMEs in the North East of England. In so doing, it will help to unlock regional growth, build confidence in the SME business base and ensure the region is a great place to start-up and scale a business. The Fund has the working title of "Early Stage Equity Fund" but its final name will be agreed with the appointed fund manager. TNEFL expects to make an initial commitment of investment capital to the Fund of PS35m, which will be invested over an Initial Investment Period of c.5 years - equating to an average annual investment by the Fund of PS7m during its first five years of operation. This quantum of investment, and the Fund's investment policy detailed below, is consistent with and will address the funding gaps identified by a market evaluation exercise which was undertaken during the first half of 2024. In a significant development compared to previous regional investment funds, the profile of this Fund has been developed with a view to facilitating a more 'patient capital' approach to investment - by making provision for the initial 5 year investment period to be followed by further periods of new (and follow-on) investments which can potentially extend to a further 10 years. This period of up to 15 years in which the Fund can make both new and portfolio investments will be followed by a Realisation Period of up to 10 years, giving a potential contract duration of 25 years in total. This will enable the manager to provide support over a longer period than previous funds, which should be beneficial for the Fund's investee companies and should also help to maximise the financial returns to the Fund. Those returns, and potentially other sources of capital which may be available to TNEFL (for example, from the regional legacy funds overseen by NEA2F) will be used to facilitate the extension of the Fund's investment activity after the initial investment capital commitment of PS35m is fully invested. The extension of investment activity in the Further Investment Periods will be effected by TNEFL providing annual commitments of additional investment capital to the Fund which are expected to be, on average, between PS3m and PS6m. The actual quantum of each annual additional capital commitment will be notified by TNEFL to the manager as far in advance of the start of each one-year Further Investment Period as is possible, to enable the manager to make plans for its utilisation. Please see the Information Memorandum for further details. It, and the accompanying documents, can be downloaded from the North East Fund website as indicated in this Contract Notice.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Please see the summary at Section II.1.4 for a summary of the contract and the Information Memorandum, which can be downloaded from The North East Fund's website, for details. The procurement process will be conducted in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended), using the Competitive Procedure with Negotiation as detailed in Regulation 29 of those Regulations. The Purpose of this procurement is to procure the services of a single FCA regulated fund manager. As outlined in Section II.1.4, above, the contract is expected to have an initial duration of 10 years and can be extended by up to a further 15 years, to 25 years in total. Please note that the contract value stated in this Contract Notice is an estimate based on assumptions regarding: the fund management fees tendered; the overall quantum of capital which will be committed to the fund; the duration of the contract and the profile of exits from and impairments to portfolio companies. As such, the ultimate fees paid under the contract could be lower or higher than the estimated contract value stated in this Contract Notice.

Renewal: The contract can potentially last for 25 years but that is based on it being extended during its term, which will be initially for 10 years but - subject to performance, market demand and availability of capital - is expected to be extended by at least 10 years, on the basis set out in the Information Memorandum, and draft contract documents.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04b044
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034206-2024
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive procedure with negotiation
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

66 - Financial and insurance services


CPV Codes

66100000 - Banking and investment services

66122000 - Corporate finance and venture capital services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£19,800,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£19,800,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Oct 20241 years ago
Submission Deadline
22 Nov 2024Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE NORTH EAST FUND LIMITED
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
tenders@northeastfund.org
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
Postcode
NE1 3PA
Post Town
Newcastle upon Tyne
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC43 Tyneside
Delivery Location
TLC North East (England)

Local Authority
Newcastle upon Tyne
Electoral Ward
Monument
Westminster Constituency
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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