Tender

PACE Interim Impact Report

MEDICINES DISCOVERY CATAPULT LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

09 Dec 2025 at 09:26

Tender

09 Dec 2025 at 09:20

Summary of the contracting process

The Medicines Discovery Catapult Limited, a sub-central government public authority located in Macclesfield, UK, is seeking an external provider to conduct an interim impact review for the PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy) programme. This procurement is aimed at producing an interim report evaluating the progress and impact of PACE activities, which underpin a £30 million initiative supporting early-stage innovation in the field of antimicrobial drugs and diagnostics. The tender, titled "PACE Interim Impact Report," is open for electronic submissions until 9 January 2026. It involves business and management consultancy services within the UK region, with a total contract value standing at £50,000. The tender process is open and below threshold, with quality being the predominant award criterion.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses within the consultancy sector, particularly those specialising in impact evaluation and antimicrobial research support. SMEs with expertise in producing analytical reports and evaluations for public health initiatives will find this contract highly fitting. Successful engagement could lead to further collaborations and increased visibility within public sector projects tackling vital healthcare challenges such as antimicrobial resistance. The opportunity to network with leading health innovation bodies like Innovate UK and LifeArc, as part of this project's potential future developments, also stands to boost the business growth for the winning bidder.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

PACE Interim Impact Report

Notice Description

PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy) is a PS30 million initiative supporting and funding early-stage innovation in medicines and diagnostics, aimed at tackling AMR. It was established in September 2023 and is a collaboration between Innovate UK (IUK), LifeArc, and Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) - three leaders in the UK's health innovation and research community. PACE brings together the funding, resources, and partnerships to help innovators progress their early-stage antimicrobial drug and diagnostics projects with greater speed, support and confidence - giving the best AMR innovations the greatest chance of success. PACE will create a path to value through 3 strategic goals which will be underpinned by effective programme management and delivery: Grow a pipeline of high-quality antimicrobial drugs and associated diagnostics aligned with unmet needs and route to patient impact. Provide innovative researchers in Academia and SMEs located globally the funding, advice and support they need to build de-risked and investment ready assets Convene collaboration network(s) to identify barriers to innovation, advance programmes and drive new collaborative R&D. It is a requirement of MDC's grant funding agreement with Innovate UK and LifeArc that the outcomes and long-term impacts of PACE activities are assessed at key time points throughout the programme's timeline. The PACE programme is funded for an initial term of five years and as of April 2026 will reach its midway point in this funding cycle and so there is a need to conduct an interim review of progress towards expected outcomes. Findings from this interim review will directly inform programme refinement. Key to this will be the opportunity to gather feedback and learning from Round 1 beneficiaries and partners on the PACE Academy, the project management process, and the use of Enabling projects so far. It will also allow the programme to capture the experiences of beneficiaries from Round 2 to date. This will provide learning in how best to support the Round 2 beneficiaries and for the future Round 3 of funding which will be targeted at a second group of therapeutic companies. It is expected that findings from the interim review will directly inform the need and shape for PACE beyond the first 5 - year funded term. The PACE programme is now looking for an external provider to develop and produce an interim impact review and report (that will build upon the existing baseline impact study completed in June 2025) to understand how key activities are progressing towards expected outcomes which can be compared to the findings from the baseline study and at the endline stage. The overall purpose of the impact evaluation and this interim review is to be able to assess the impact of PACE on the AMR drug development ecosystem and on the development of drugs and diagnostics.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f160
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080894-2025
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - open competition
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security


CPV Codes

79410000 - Business and management consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£50,000 Under £100K
Lots Value
£50,000 Under £100K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Dec 20252 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
9 Jan 20262 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
2 Feb 2026 - 31 Jul 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MEDICINES DISCOVERY CATAPULT LIMITED
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@md.catapult.org.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
MACCLESFIELD
Postcode
SK10 4ZF
Post Town
Stockport
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD6 Cheshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD62 Cheshire East
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Cheshire East
Electoral Ward
Chelford
Westminster Constituency
Tatton

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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