---
title: "Digital Economy Strategic Partnership - open tender"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-7a095f08-3736-4b9d-bf85-c72fb80b854a"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7a095f08-3736-4b9d-bf85-c72fb80b854a"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7a095f08-3736-4b9d-bf85-c72fb80b854a.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7a095f08-3736-4b9d-bf85-c72fb80b854a.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "WEST MIDLANDS COMBINED AUTHORITY"
published: "2022-02-11"
---

# Digital Economy Strategic Partnership - open tender

Buyer: WEST MIDLANDS COMBINED AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-7a095f08-3736-4b9d-bf85-c72fb80b854a

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## Summary

The West Midlands Combined Authority is conducting an open tender for a consultancy contract titled "Digital Economy Strategic Partnership", aimed at enhancing the local tech and digital sector. This procurement, classified under business and management consultancy services, is currently in the Tender stage, with the submission deadline set for 14 March 2022. The contract is anticipated to commence on 1 April 2022 and extend until 30 March 2024, with a total value of £200,000, including a minimum fund of £100,000. The services sought will primarily be delivered in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom.

This tender presents excellent opportunities for consultancy firms, particularly those specializing in digital economy strategies, talent recruitment, and workspace development. Companies that excel in fostering connections and mentorship within tech communities or have experience in engaging local authorities and enterprise partnerships will be well-suited to compete for this contract. Additionally, the emphasis on raising matched funding highlights a potential growth avenue for businesses adept at securing sponsorship or community support through innovative collaborations.

## Notice

In brief, this piece of consultancy work will cover the following specific activities: - Establish a network of West Midlands tech and digital 'ambassadors' - individuals or firms that have their roots in the West Midlands but now operate in another country or part of the UK. This network should provide support and mentorship to existing West Midlands firms and provide greater connectivity to firms or investors abroad. - Support the recruitment process for a West Midlands Tech Commissioner, to provide a visible point of leadership for the digital and tech economy. This individual would advocate for our sector, engage with investors, encourage firms to relocate, and advise the WMCA Economy team and Mayor on how to achieve our aims. Also provide ongoing support for the West Midlands Tech Commissioner once recruited, linking them to opportunities for advocacy and engagement. - Support the establishment of workspaces for digital and tech entrepreneurs/start-ups, particularly in places that are underserved and for communities that don't access existing provision. This should be through engagement with firms that provide co-working and accelerator spaces, aligned with WMGC activity, and partnering with Housing and Regeneration teams in the LA/WMCA to identify potential sites. This should also align with work being undertaken to develop the regional business support system, ensuring that workspaces can benefit from any advisory or support services being commissioned through WMCA. - Work with the WMCA to ensure that we maximise the value of the Co-Invest Fund for the digital and tech sector. This could include the establishment of a specific portal or guidance for digital and tech firms. - Close working with the WMCA's partners (including, but not exclusively, Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, Chambers of Commerce, Make UK, UKie, Federation of Small Businesses, CBI etc...) - Reporting of progress: The winning tenderer will report progress to the WMCA Economic Growth Board. The WMCA Economy team will provide support in how this engagement functions, but it will be important to provide updates and assurance to the board and to use their insight (and that of the WMCA's partners - see above) in developing projects. - In delivery of the contract, the winning tenderer will be expected to raise significant matched commercial funding to match this public investment over the course of the two years (this may be from in-kind sponsorship/donations from the private sector, or other that would count as 'match'). There is no expectation that external 'match' funding would in place at the beginning of the contract. - In delivery of the contract, the winning tenderer will be expected to take into account (and have regard to) the range of other WMCA aims and policies, which include green and inclusive growth.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/dcaf8120-2d58-4ae1-a786-401dcbdfe336 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (above threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 11 Feb 2022 |
| Submission deadline | 14 Mar 2022 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2022 - 30 Mar 2024 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £200,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Active |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | WEST MIDLANDS COMBINED AUTHORITY |
| Locality | BIRMINGHAM |
| Post town | Birmingham |
| Postcode | B19 3SD |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG3 West Midlands |
| ITL 3 | TLG31 Birmingham |
| Local authority | Birmingham |
| Electoral ward | Newtown |
| Westminster constituency | Birmingham Ladywood |
| Delivery location | TLG West Midlands (England) |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79400000 - Business and management consultancy and related services

## Release History

- 11 Feb 2022 at 14:23 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/dcaf8120-2d58-4ae1-a786-401dcbdfe336

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/dcaf8120-2d58-4ae1-a786-401dcbdfe336
  11th February 2022 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-7a095f08-3736-4b9d-bf85-c72fb80b854a. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-7a095f08-3736-4b9d-bf85-c72fb80b854a.json.