---
title: "Canal Capacity Study and strategy"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-07799b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-07799b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07799b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07799b.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "West Midlands Combined Authority"
published: "2026-09-24"
---

# Canal Capacity Study and strategy

Buyer: West Midlands Combined Authority  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-07799b

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## Summary

West Midlands Combined Authority commissioned a canal-based housing capacity and policy study. The work assesses whether the canal network can support additional residential development, including moorings and floating homes. It covers a network-wide assessment of capacity, identification of constraints and delivery considerations, and development of an evidence base to inform policy within the Strategic Development Strategy. This is urban planning and research consultancy work. The study concerns the canal network in the West Midlands and its potential role in supporting housing. The buyer is West Midlands Combined Authority, the public authority responsible for the commission.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to DK-CM Limited. It was a single-lot service contract awarded through limited competition below the applicable threshold. The contract was signed on 23 September 2026 and runs from 23 September to 16 October 2026. Its value is £39,486 excluding VAT (£47,383 including VAT). The procurement record does not set out the award evaluation basis, so no conclusion about the criteria used to select the supplier can be drawn from these published details.

This award demonstrates demand from West Midlands Combined Authority for evidence-led planning consultancy focused on canal infrastructure and housing capacity. Suppliers with experience in urban planning, research consultancy and assessing development capacity across a network would be relevant to a similar requirement. A credible competitor would need to assess moorings and floating homes, identify practical constraints and delivery considerations, and turn the findings into a usable policy evidence base. The work was commissioned as a focused, single-lot study, indicating a defined consultancy assignment rather than a large construction contract.

## Notice

WMCA is seeking to commission a supplier to provide a Canal-Based Housing Capacity and Policy Study to assess the extent to which the canal network can support additional residential development. The study will provide a network-wide assessment of capacity for both moorings and floating homes, identify constraints and delivery considerations, and develop an evidence base to inform policy within the SDS.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090616-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - limited competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 23 Sep 2026 - 16 Oct 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £39,486 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | West Midlands Combined Authority |
| Locality | BIRMINGHAM |
| Postcode area | 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 | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | DK-CM |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 71410000 - Urban planning services
- 73210000 - Research consultancy services

## Release History

- 24 Sep 2026 at 14:25 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090616-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090616-2026
  24th September 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.dk-cm.com
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-h6vhtk-07799b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07799b.json.