Tender

GMCA 1134 North West Community Flood Resilience Engagement Support Services

GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

22 Apr 2026 at 12:54

Planning

16 Mar 2026 at 18:12

Summary of the contracting process

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is actively managing a tender titled "GMCA 1134 North West Community Flood Resilience Engagement Support Services" in the public services sector. This procurement process aims to enhance flood resilience among communities in the North West of England. The authority is seeking a neutral intermediary to support flood risk management across the region. This project, primarily funded by the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, is in the tender stage, with the submission deadline set for 26 May 2026, and an award period concluding on 13 July 2026. The contract, commencing on 1 August 2026, is valued at up to £2,640,000 and spans potentially six years, depending on funding. The procurement method is an open procedure, inviting electronic submissions in English. The initiative requires suppliers to manage community engagement and resilience activities alongside maintaining related digital communication platforms.

This tender represents a substantial opportunity for businesses specialising in administrative services, community action programmes, and web design services. Ideal candidates would be organisations capable of acting as a neutral intermediary between communities at risk of flooding and flood risk management authorities, including local authorities, the Environment Agency, and United Utilities. The neutral role is vital to reduce tensions and foster trust during flood situations. Eligible businesses include those with experience in community engagement, environmental management, and resilience-building activities. By securing this contract, organisations can contribute significant value to community safety and sustainable development in environmental threat areas while expanding their service portfolio in the public sector.

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Notice Title

GMCA 1134 North West Community Flood Resilience Engagement Support Services

Notice Description

This tender process is seeking to identify a neutral intermediary organisation operating in the space between communities who have flooded, or who are at risk of flooding, and flood risk management authorities (RMAs), across the North West of England, supporting those authorities to increase the resilience of those communities to flooding and coastal change. The desired outcome of the service is to increase the resilience of communities to flooding and coastal change through engagement to inform, educate, and drive behaviour change. The initiative is funded primarily by the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. Greater Manchester Combined Authority are leading the procurement process and will enter into the contractual arrangements with the selected supplier. The initiative is funded primarily by the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee and the RFCC are therefore a key customer. The supplier will be required to work with and support North West flood risk management authorities as required: local authorities (of which there are 24 Lead Local Flood Authorities and 12 district councils); the Environment Agency; and United Utilities, as the primary water company. The communities to be supported include: * Residents including homeowners and tenants * Businesses, including agricultural businesses and farmers. Communities vary considerably in terms of their characteristics (size, demographics, situation e.g. urban, rural) and needs. Many are in areas of deprivation which are generally harder to reach and require different approaches to engagement to meet their needs. The scope of the engagement needed is primarily in relation to flooding, flood risk and resilience and any measures or matters related to this. A smaller but important element of the scope includes broader coastal change and erosion which may require communities to adapt over time. Some support to coastal authorities is likely to be required, to support planning and implementation of community engagement, as well as developing online content relating to the coast. It is essential that the service provider maintains a neutral, constructive, and professional working relationship with all flood risk management authorities (RMAs). Following flooding incidents, residents and businesses may be highly emotional and urgently seeking explanations, often directing blame towards local councils, water companies, or the Environment Agency. Communities commonly expect authorities to "fix" the issue so that flooding does not recur. These circumstances can make engagement challenging, and careful handling is required. An independent and impartial third-party presence can play a critical role in reducing tensions and supporting the establishment of trust between communities and RMAs. Where this role is undertaken by a third-sector organisation (such as a charity or community interest company), trust can often be built more quickly due to the absence of perceived blame, commercial interest, or expectations of payment. It is therefore vital that the provider does not adopt an adversarial approach or position themselves as acting on behalf of communities against the authorities. Approaches that encourage confrontation, demand action, or assign blame risk inflaming emotions, damaging essential long-term relationships, and creating barriers to effective partnership working. Repairing such damage can require significant effort and time. For this service, we require a provider who will: * act in a neutral, balanced, and mutually supportive capacity; * help communities to understand the roles and responsibilities of the RMAs; * support and complement multi partner engagement activities; * assist communities in accessing information, without attributing blame or making demands for action on their behalf. The provider must also be able to navigate the political context of flood risk and resilience with sensitivity and professionalism, maintaining neutrality at all times. They will be expected to work constructively with a wide range of stakeholders, including RMA officers, local councillors, Members of Parliament, the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC), the five sub regional Flood and Coastal Risk Management Partnerships, and United Utilities. The provision of a public access website is an essential element of the service which provides a continuous source of up-to-date and consistent information for communities to refer to as they progress along their resilience journey, as well as extending the reach of the engagement activity much further than will ever be possible through direct engagement alone The Environment Agency holds the intellectual property rights over the content of the website. We expect the selected supplier to take over the management and ongoing development of the website and its content, building on the existing content which has been developed over many years

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Initial 3 year contract Optional 2 year extension Final 1 year option extension for a maximum contract terms of 3 + 2 + 1 = 6 years Depending on funding See tender documents for expected budget/spend per contract term

Planning Information

To inform responses, GMCA will be conducting a market engagement webinar event which interested suppliers can choose to attend. This will take the form of a presentation to explain high level detail of the commission, and an opportunity for individual conversations (time slotted). The Market Engagement webinar event will take place on Wednesday 1 April 2026, at 09:00. Webinar Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/eee25141-ec3f-4ead-a0e9-f8d681343fb7@e8d8036a-b5f9-4f3f-9d36-d7cd740299bb There will be a presentation for around 30 minutes, followed by 3 x 20-minute 1-2-1 slots. Booking prior to attendance is imperative. Bookings should be made via The Chest. Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 2 representatives per supplier. Booking Deadline: Thursday 26 March, 12:00. Timed slots will be allocated upon booking and on a first-come-first-served basis. Please provide: • Names of Participants • Organisation Name All slides and relevant findings in line with PA23 regulations will be shared publicly following the market engagement events. Attendance is not mandatory. Non-attendance will not exclude you from participating in this opportunity. Interested suppliers are asked to complete and return the questionnaire if they feel they have the ability to meet the client's requirements for this service by 8th April 2026 at 16:00 Chest address: https://www.the-chest.org.uk/ Current Opportunities: https://procontract.due-north.com/Opportunities/Index?p=e0cc5631-4690-e511-80fb-000c29c9ba21&v=1

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066b98
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036610-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

85 - Health and social work services

98 - Other community, social and personal services


CPV Codes

72413000 - World wide web (www) site design services

75120000 - Administrative services of agencies

85322000 - Community action programme

98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,200,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,200,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
22 Apr 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
26 May 20262 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
20 Apr 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Jul 2026 - 31 Jul 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
MANCHESTER
Postcode
M1 6EU
Post Town
Manchester
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD3 Greater Manchester
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD33 Manchester
Delivery Location
TLD North West (England)

Local Authority
Manchester
Electoral Ward
Deansgate
Westminster Constituency
Manchester Central

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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