ProcuraAxisBeta
Sign inCreate Free Account
Home / Opportunities / Opportunity
PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Review of the Business Finance Landscape in Wales

Development Bank of Wales · Tender notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 24 Sept 2026, 12:11.

Opportunity overview

The Development Bank of Wales is seeking to appoint an appropriately qualified economic consultancy or research provider to undertake an independent review of the business finance landscape in Wales. The Development Bank of Wales will act as the contracting authority and will enter into the contract with the successful supplier. Economic Intelligence Wales, the independent research arm of the Development Bank of Wales, is the project sponsor and commissioning body for the requirement. Economic Intelligence Wales will be responsible for shaping the research scope, providing subject matter input and supporting the delivery of the contract. The review will assess how effectively current public, private and alternative finance provision meets the present and anticipated future needs of businesses in Wales. It will identify key gaps, frictions, affordability constraints, market failures, risks and opportunities within the Welsh business finance market. The work is expected to provide the Development Bank of Wales, Welsh Government and wider stakeholders with an independent, robust and evidence-led assessment of the Welsh business finance landscape. The successful supplier will be required to produce practical, policy-relevant and decision-ready outputs suitable for senior policy, delivery and stakeholder audiences. Core requirement The initial commission will focus on Phase 1, which is expected to include: mapping the current business finance landscape in Wales; assessing the supply of, and demand for, business finance; reviewing the role and availability of public, private and alternative finance; identifying finance gaps, market frictions, affordability constraints and potential market failures; examining the public finance and policy context; assessing current and emerging trends affecting the future demand for and supply of finance; identifying evidence and data gaps; undertaking proportionate and targeted stakeholder engagement; setting out headline policy and delivery implications; and producing clear, credible and decision-ready findings and recommendations. The detailed requirements, deliverables, milestones and reporting arrangements are set out in the procurement documents. Optional services Subject to the outcomes of Phase 1, budget availability, internal approvals and future commissioning decisions, the Development Bank of Wales may require additional thematic research or related services. Potential additional work packages may include: venture, innovation and scale-up finance; ownership transition and succession finance; commercial property, premises and development finance; infrastructure, project finance and capital structuring; additional data collection or stakeholder engagement; focused updates or refreshes to the Phase 1 evidence base; and final synthesis, policy analysis and reporting. These additional work packages are not guaranteed. The Development Bank of Wales gives no commitment regarding the volume, value or timing of optional services that may be commissioned.

Classification

  • CPV73000000 — Research and development services and related consultancy services
  • CPV75210000 — Foreign affairs and other services
  • CPV79400000 — Business and management consultancy and related services

Lots

  • Lot 1£125k

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
DBW00226.00
Status
active
Procurement Method
open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
Published risks
The following risks may jeopardise the satisfactory performance of the contract and should be considered by tenderers when preparing their tender responses. These risks may also be relevant to any future contract management decisions or lawful contract modifications, where permitted under the Procurement Act 2023 and the procurement documents. The risks include: incomplete, unavailable or inconsistent evidence or data; changes in Welsh Government policy priorities or related public finance work; stakeholder availability or engagement challenges, including Welsh-medium engagement requirements; delays to agreed milestones, draft outputs or final reporting; scope refinement following Phase 1 findings; the need to confirm, refine, defer, omit or commission further thematic deep-dive work after the Phase 1 review point; publication, confidentiality or commercially sensitive information issues; analytical independence or conflict of interest concerns; information security, data protection or AI-related risks; key personnel or specialist capability changes; affordability, budget or value-for-money constraints; and any other risk that could affect delivery quality, timetable, outputs, governance, stakeholder confidence or the usefulness of the review. Phase 1 only is confirmed at award. Further thematic work may be confirmed, refined, deferred or omitted after the Phase 1 review point. Potential future outputs may include: venture, innovation and scale-up finance; infrastructure, project finance and capital structuring; ownership transition and succession finance; commercial property, premises and development finance; and final synthesis work. Any later work will depend on evidence, priorities, budget, capacity, policy context and governance approval. Data quality, stakeholder access, Welsh-medium engagement, confidentiality/publication and AI assurance are all potential delivery risks.

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
allowed

Languages

en

Tender Period

Ends
28 Sept 2026, 12:00

Enquiry period

Ends
21 Sept 2026, 12:00

Expected award period

Ends
12 Oct 2026, 23:59

Contract terms

Financial Terms
DBW currently operates a standard payment term of 30 days following receipt of an accurate invoice. All invoices are required to include the unique identifier DBW00226.00. Failure to provide this number within the invoice may result in the invoice being rejected and payments being delayed.

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
active
Has Renewal
Yes
Has Options
Yes

Value

Including VAT
150,000
Amount
125,000
Currency
GBP

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
quality
Name
Understanding of the brief
Description
Understanding of the requirement and Welsh business finance context

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
10
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Type
quality
Name
Proposed methodology and research approach
Description
Proposed methodology and research framework

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
25
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 3
Type
quality
Name
Programme management, deliverability and governance
Description
delivery plan for Phase 1

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
15
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 4
Type
quality
Name
Experience of similar projects and team capability
Description
demonstrate your experience in economic and policy-facing research, finance market analysis, SME finance, development finance or regional economic development.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
20
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 5
Type
quality
Name
Quality assurance and output quality
Description
quality assurance process for this commission, including peer review, data validation and review of assumptions.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
10
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 6
Type
quality
Name
Social value and sustainability
Description
describe how your organisation will deliver proportionate social value through this contract.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
5
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 7
Type
price
Name
Pricing schedule

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
15
Weight
percentageExact

Selection criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
economic
Description
Suppliers must demonstrate that they have the legal and financial capacity and the technical ability necessary to perform the contract. The conditions of participation are set out in full in the procurement documents.
Criterion 2
Type
technical
Description
Suppliers must demonstrate: relevant experience of economic, policy and market research; experience relating to business finance, SME finance, access to finance, regional economic development or comparable subject areas; the ability to map and assess public, private and alternative finance provision; experience of identifying market gaps, constraints, frictions and market failures; strong quantitative and qualitative analytical capability; experience of evidence assessment, data analysis and targeted stakeholder engagement; an understanding of the Welsh economy, policy environment and business base, or the ability to obtain and apply this understanding; the ability to produce independent, credible and decision-ready research outputs; appropriate research governance and quality assurance arrangements; and sufficient suitably qualified personnel and capacity to deliver the contract within the required timetable.

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Contract period

Starts
26 Oct 2026, 00:00
Ends
25 Oct 2027, 23:59
Max Extent Date
25 Oct 2030, 23:59

Renewal

Description
3 years in 12 month increments

Options

Description
Subject to the outcomes of Phase 1, budget availability, internal approvals and future commissioning decisions, the Development Bank of Wales may require additional thematic research or related services. Potential additional work packages may include: venture, innovation and scale-up finance; ownership transition and succession finance; commercial property, premises and development finance; infrastructure, project finance and capital structuring; additional data collection or stakeholder engagement; focused updates or refreshes to the Phase 1 evidence base; and final synthesis, policy analysis and reporting. These additional work packages are not guaranteed. The Development Bank of Wales gives no commitment regarding the volume, value or timing of optional services that may be commissioned.

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
73000000
Description
Research and development services and related consultancy services
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
79400000
Description
Business and management consultancy and related services
Entry 3
Scheme
CPV
Id
75210000
Description
Foreign affairs and other services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UK
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
L-1
Document Type
biddingDocuments
Description
Invitation to tender
Entry 2
Id
L-2
Document Type
technicalSpecifications
Description
Please review tender documentation
Entry 3
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Entry 4
Id
083605-2026
Document Type
tenderNotice
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Published
3 Sept 2026, 16:10
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Development Bank of Wales
Id
GB-PPON-PCWM-6438-QYVP

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PCWM-6438-QYVP

Address

Street Address
Development Bank of Wales plc
Locality
Cardiff
Postal Code
CF10 4BZ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKL22

Contact

Name
Leanne Millard
Telephone
+442920801715

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government
Entry 2
Scheme
UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS
Id
GB-WLS
Description
Welsh devolved regulations apply

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Cardiff · UKL22 · CF10 4BZ · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UK · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

2 VERSIONS
  1. 077312-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
  2. 083605-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·