---
title: "GMCA1996 Innovation Ecosystem Navigation Service"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0795a4"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0795a4"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0795a4.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0795a4.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Greater Manchester Combined Authority"
published: "2026-11-02"
---

# GMCA1996 Innovation Ecosystem Navigation Service

Buyer: Greater Manchester Combined Authority  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0795a4

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## Summary

Greater Manchester Combined Authority intends to commission an Innovation Ecosystem Navigation Service across Greater Manchester. The service will identify businesses innovating in key sectors and technologies where the area has strengths to develop innovation-focused clusters. It will help those businesses create plans to commercialise their innovations and bring ideas to market, then connect them with relevant support across Greater Manchester’s innovation ecosystem. This is a business support and innovation consultancy service, rather than a purchase of goods or construction works. Delivery is intended to cover Greater Manchester.

This procurement is at the planning stage: the authority has set out its intention to buy the service, but has not issued an invitation to tender. It expects to use an open procedure. The authority’s indicative timetable gives 4 December 2026 as the expected date for a further notice. The planned contract period runs from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028, with an option to extend up to 31 March 2030. The procurement is arranged as one lot. No budget or estimated contract value is stated in the available planning information, and no evaluation criteria or participation requirements are set out here.

The planned service is likely to suit firms with experience in innovation support, business commercialisation and ecosystem navigation. Relevant suppliers would be able to identify and engage businesses developing innovations in priority sectors or technologies, help them shape practical routes to market, and connect them with appropriate specialist support. Knowledge of Greater Manchester’s business and innovation networks would be useful for making those connections, alongside the ability to work across different technologies and sectors. The work calls for a provider able to support businesses from identifying their innovation through to planning commercialisation, rather than delivering a single technical product. The authority’s stated aim is to accelerate commercialisation and strengthen innovation-focused clusters in areas where Greater Manchester has technological and sector strengths.

## Notice

To seek a provider to deliver the Innovation Ecosystem Navigation Service across Greater Manchester. The aim of this programme is to provide access to highly specialist innovation support that accelerates the commercialisation of innovations where GM has the technological and sector strengths to create innovation-focussed clusters. The programme will identify GM businesses who are innovating in key sectors/technologies, supporting them to develop a commercialisation plan to get their ideas to market, and connecting. them with the correct support from GM's developed innovation ecosystem.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/103761-2026 |
| Notice type | UK1 - Pipeline Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Nov 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 4 Dec 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Apr 2027 - 1 Apr 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Greater Manchester Combined Authority |
| Locality | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode area | Manchester |
| Postcode | M1 6EU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester |
| ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester |
| Local authority | Manchester |
| Electoral ward | Deansgate |
| Westminster constituency | Manchester Central |
| Delivery location | TLD3 Greater Manchester |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 79000000 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

## Release History

- 2 Nov 2026 at 14:03 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/103761-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/103761-2026
  2nd November 2026 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-0795a4. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0795a4.json.