✓Tender information last checkedLast checked 9 Oct 2026, 13:56.
Opportunity overview
West Midlands Combined Authority is undertaking a Pre-Market Engagement (PME) to gather insight and feedback from the creative industries sector on the proposed Catalyst Fund and how best to support the development of creative hubs, infrastructure and growth ecosystems across the region.
The Creative Industries are a priority growth sector within both the UK’s Industrial Strategy and the West Midlands Growth Plan. The region has significant strengths in areas such as screen industries, gaming, CreaTech, design and fashion, with the potential to drive further economic growth, investment and job creation in these key growth sectors. The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is developing the Catalyst Fund as part of the Creative Places Growth Fund, with the goal of supporting and strengthening a limited number of specialist creative hubs and which support the diverse diaspora of creatives across the region.
WMCA is undertaking this pre-market engagement exercise to better understand current challenges, test the proposed approach, identify effective delivery models, and gather feedback that will inform the design of any future programme and associated procurement activity. Responses will help shape the scope, outcomes and delivery approach of any intervention that may be commissioned.
** Suppliers are invited to attend an engagement event held via Microsoft Teams on 23rd October at 1:30pm. Suppliers who submit an interest in this PME by the 22nd, will be sent an invitation link.
Suppliers are encouraged to complete the engagement questionnaire attached to this PME following the event. These must be submitted via the portal.
PLEASE NOTE – This is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition and therefore publication or response does not commit WMCA or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest.
Please also note that this is not a formal PQQ or expression of interest in a tender exercise. This Pre-Market Engagement is to be used purely by WMCA to gather information.
Your responses to this questionnaire will NOT be scored or evaluated in any way and will be used purely for information purposes by WMCA. WMCA will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party participating in this exercise.
** Please Note that suppliers should not contact officers of the WMCA directly regarding this opportunity, all questions should be submitted through the Bravo Portal.
Portal Website:
https://wmca.bravosolution.co.uk
Bravo Solution Project Reference: project_1253 - West Midlands Catalyst Fund
Pipeline notice - Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-078346
Classification
CPV66122000 — Corporate finance and venture capital services
CPV66171000 — Financial consultancy services
CPV79421000 — Project-management services other than for construction work
Lots
Lot 1Value not stated
Documents and notices
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗
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.
Project-management services other than for construction work
Delivery locations
Entry 1
Region
UK
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Planning and budget
Milestones
Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
West Midlands Combined Authority is undertaking a Pre-Market Engagement (PME) to gather insight and feedback from the creative industries sector on the proposed Catalyst Fund and how best to support the development of creative hubs, infrastructure and growth ecosystems across the region.
The Creative Industries are a priority growth sector within both the UK’s Industrial Strategy and the West Midlands Growth Plan. The region has significant strengths in areas such as screen industries, gaming, CreaTech, design and fashion, with the potential to drive further economic growth, investment and job creation in these key growth sectors. The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is developing the Catalyst Fund as part of the Creative Places Growth Fund, with the goal of supporting and strengthening a limited number of specialist creative hubs and which support the diverse diaspora of creatives across the region.
WMCA is undertaking this pre-market engagement exercise to better understand current challenges, test the proposed approach, identify effective delivery models, and gather feedback that will inform the design of any future programme and associated procurement activity. Responses will help shape the scope, outcomes and delivery approach of any intervention that may be commissioned.
** Suppliers are invited to attend an engagement event held via Microsoft Teams on 23rd October at 1:30pm. Suppliers who submit an interest in this PME by the 22nd, will be sent an invitation link.
Suppliers are encouraged to complete the engagement questionnaire attached to this PME following the event. These must be submitted via the portal.
PLEASE NOTE – This is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition and therefore publication or response does not commit WMCA or respondents to a future procurement, nor provide any process exemptions or preferential treatment to any parties expressing an interest.
Please also note that this is not a formal PQQ or expression of interest in a tender exercise. This Pre-Market Engagement is to be used purely by WMCA to gather information.
Your responses to this questionnaire will NOT be scored or evaluated in any way and will be used purely for information purposes by WMCA. WMCA will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party participating in this exercise.
** Please Note that suppliers should not contact officers of the WMCA directly regarding this opportunity, all questions should be submitted through the Bravo Portal.
Portal Website:
https://wmca.bravosolution.co.uk
Bravo Solution Project Reference: project_1253 - West Midlands Catalyst Fund
Due
30 Oct 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled
Documents
Entry 1
Id
095633-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.
1 VERSION
1
095633-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·
PROCURAAXIS ANALYSIS
ProcuraAxis Analysis
Our approved analysis of the opportunity appears below the official tender information.
ANALYSIS PREVIEW
Opportunity intelligence at a glance
West Midlands Combined Authority is running an early-stage pre-market engagement on a proposed Catalyst Fund for specialist creative hubs and creative-industry growth ecosystems in the West Midlands. This is not an open tender, PQQ or expression of interest for a future contract.
Who this may suit
Potentially relevant to organisations active in creative hubs, screen industries, gaming, CreaTech, design, fashion, creative-sector infrastructure or programme delivery that can provide market insight. Participation does not create a bidding advantage or commitment to a future procurement.
Key points identified
Engagement eventSuppliers are invited to attend a Microsoft Teams event at 1:30pm on 23 October; suppliers submitting interest by the 22nd will receive an invitation link. The year is not stated in the description.Evidence: “Suppliers are invited to attend an engagement event held via Microsoft Teams on 23rd October at 1:30pm. Suppliers who submit an interest in this PME by the 22nd, will be sent an invitation link.”
QuestionnaireSuppliers are encouraged to complete the attached engagement questionnaire after the event and submit it through the portal.Evidence: “Suppliers are encouraged to complete the engagement questionnaire attached to this PME following the event. These must be submitted via the portal.”
Questions channelQuestions must be submitted through the Bravo Portal; suppliers should not contact WMCA officers directly.Evidence: “suppliers should not contact officers of the WMCA directly regarding this opportunity, all questions should be submitted through the Bravo Portal.”
92% approved-analysis confidence4 supplier criteria identified4 risks or unknowns
ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.
West Midlands Combined Authority is running an early-stage pre-market engagement on a proposed Catalyst Fund for specialist creative hubs and creative-industry growth ecosystems in the West Midlands. This is not an open tender, PQQ or expression of interest for a future contract.
Who this may suit
Potentially relevant to organisations active in creative hubs, screen industries, gaming, CreaTech, design, fashion, creative-sector infrastructure or programme delivery that can provide market insight. Participation does not create a bidding advantage or commitment to a future procurement.
Key deliverables
Attend the Microsoft Teams engagement event
Provide feedback on proposed Catalyst Fund challenges, approach and delivery models
Complete and submit the engagement questionnaire through the portal
SUPPLIER REQUIREMENTS
4 criteria identified
Engagement event
91% confidence
Suppliers are invited to attend a Microsoft Teams event at 1:30pm on 23 October; suppliers submitting interest by the 22nd will receive an invitation link. The year is not stated in the description.
View supporting evidence
“Suppliers are invited to attend an engagement event held via Microsoft Teams on 23rd October at 1:30pm. Suppliers who submit an interest in this PME by the 22nd, will be sent an invitation link.”
Questionnaire
95% confidence
Suppliers are encouraged to complete the attached engagement questionnaire after the event and submit it through the portal.
View supporting evidence
“Suppliers are encouraged to complete the engagement questionnaire attached to this PME following the event. These must be submitted via the portal.”
Questions channel
98% confidence
Questions must be submitted through the Bravo Portal; suppliers should not contact WMCA officers directly.
View supporting evidence
“suppliers should not contact officers of the WMCA directly regarding this opportunity, all questions should be submitted through the Bravo Portal.”
Supplier eligibility criteria
93% confidence
Unknown; no eligibility, insurance, financial standing, company-size or location criteria are stated for this pre-market engagement.
View supporting evidence
The notice describes an information-gathering PME and provides no eligibility criteria.
COMMERCIAL AND DELIVERY
Contract intelligence
Commercial
Published value
72% confidence
Maximum value recorded as £3,860,000; applicability to any future procurement is unclear.
View supporting evidence
Opportunity record: value_max GBP 3,860,000. The description says feedback may inform “any future programme and associated procurement activity.”
Participant costs
98% confidence
WMCA will not be liable for costs incurred by participating parties.
View supporting evidence
“WMCA will not be liable for costs incurred by any interested party participating in this exercise.”
Delivery
Geographic focus
90% confidence
West Midlands creative hubs and growth ecosystems; the structured delivery location is recorded only as United Kingdom.
View supporting evidence
The description refers to “creative hubs, infrastructure and growth ecosystems across the region” and “the West Midlands”; location record: delivery location UK.
Scope
97% confidence
Market insight on challenges, proposed approach, delivery models, outcomes and delivery approach for a potential Catalyst Fund.
View supporting evidence
“better understand current challenges, test the proposed approach, identify effective delivery models, and gather feedback that will inform the design of any future programme”.
PROCEDURE
How to respond
Status and route
99% confidence
Upcoming/planning preliminary market engagement notice. It is an information-gathering exercise, not a call for competition, formal PQQ or tender expression of interest.
View supporting evidence
Display status: upcoming; stage: planning; notice type: Preliminary market engagement notice. “This is an information gathering exercise rather than a call for competition” and “not a formal PQQ or expression of interest in a tender exercise.”
Portal and reference
98% confidence
WMCA Bravo Portal; project_1253 – West Midlands Catalyst Fund.
View supporting evidence
“Portal Website: https://wmca.bravosolution.co.uk” and “Bravo Solution Project Reference: project_1253 - West Midlands Catalyst Fund”.
Evaluation
99% confidence
Responses will not be scored or evaluated.
View supporting evidence
“Your responses to this questionnaire will NOT be scored or evaluated in any way”.
RISKS AND UNKNOWNS
Points requiring attention
No live competition
99% confidence
This is early-stage market engagement only. There is no stated tender submission deadline, contract term, final scope, procurement route or supplier selection requirements for a future procurement.
View supporting evidence
The notice states it is not a call for competition and may inform “any future programme and associated procurement activity”; structured tender and contract dates are null.
Date ambiguity
96% confidence
The description gives an event on 23 October and interest by the 22nd but does not state the year. The notice publication timestamp is 9 October 2026.
View supporting evidence
Description specifies “23rd October” and “by the 22nd”; published_at: 2026-10-09T12:30:31+01:00.
Pipeline identifier discrepancy
99% confidence
The description references pipeline OCID ocds-h6vhtk-078346, while the supplied opportunity OCID is ocds-h6vhtk-0784b5. Their relationship is not explained.
The supplied CPV classifications concern finance and project-management services, whereas the narrative concerns creative-industry hubs and ecosystem development. The intended classification basis is unclear.
View supporting evidence
Supplied CPVs: 66122000, 66171000 and 79421000; narrative focuses on creative industries and hubs.
ProcuraAxis analysis supplements, but does not replace, the original notice and tender documents. Always verify eligibility, deadlines and commercial terms with the issuing authority.
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