UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

This project aims to develop a West Midlands International Strategy (WMIS), with the product being a draft for consultation by 31st July 2023. The Economic Growth Board (EGB) approved the development of the WMIS in December 2022. The EGB is a sub-board of the WMCA focused on supporting inclusive economic growth across the region. EGB has commissioned the WMGC to develop the strategy in partnership with regional and national stakeholders. Crucially, the DBT is committed to co-developing the strategy with WMGC. It has been agreed at EGB that the WMIS will internationalise the WMCA's 2030 Plan for Growth, and will be aligned with and support the delivery of other regional and local strategies and plans. Its purpose is to shape the region's collective international effort and resources to elevate the region's presence and impact on the global stage in line with Global West Midlands. The WMIS will be multilateral in that it will cover trade, investment, R&D, students, and tourism - as well a 'soft power' considerations such as culture and international diasporas. By combining all these elements we aim to be able increase our international effectiveness and profile. The Strategy will lead to a shared delivery plan which will align resources from across the public, private and academic sectors of the West Midlands with those of Government. The region has demonstrated the impact it can make internationally through the BATP. Given current economic challenges, the time is now right for the region to coalesce if the West Midlands is to out-compete global regions and nations in order to deliver its Plan for Growth. According to research by WMGC, whilst the region's brand is achieving some degree of cut-through, there is significant potential for improvement: o The West Midlands is currently rated as a third tier location o Whereas Manchester is seen as a key European centre alongside a range of other second tier locations such as Copenhagen This urgently needs addressing if the region is to ensure that it has at least one Global City by 2030, in line with government's ambitions in the Levelling Up White Paper. It is important that this Strategy is ambitious and innovative in equal measure to ensure we deliver stretching and meaningful outcomes for our region.

The Meetings Show is a two-day domestic event to be held on Wednesday 28th June -Thursday 29th June 2023. It is a B2B annual trade event for the meetings and events sector taking place at ExCel London under the Birmingham & West Midlands Convention Bureau brand. WMGC will organise a regional stand which has been made available for commercial MICE partners to participate. This year there will be three/four partners in total joining the stand. The Meetings Show operates as a Hosted Buyer model, identifying and qualifying a high-quality level of buyers who are invited and hosted to attend the show. The selected buyers are required to commit to a designated number of appointments per day across the range of exhibitors. This allows WMGC to have a clear vision of who is interested in the region and to prepare for appointments beforehand. The event offers a traditional visitor model with walk through traffic to supplement the fixed one to one appointment. We have secured a prime location for our attendance at The Meeting Show. BWMCB stand will be in an area that will allow us to generate a bigger brand presence and take a greater advantage of traffic footfall. Our competitors are other cities who will also be exhibiting at the show, so it is important for BWMCB to have a prominent presence at the show. The aim of this project is to appoint a supplier who will be able to design and build a stand for BWMCB at the Meeting Show 2023. It is essential to demonstrate we are a destination with more than just great connectivity, venues, and bed space. These are well known facts which our stand partners can demonstrate. The stand needs to highlight the intangible assets we have, promoting the regional brand. Our aim is to highlight the Regions Meetings Incentives Conference & Events (MICE) offering and how it is the perfect destination for world class events.

On 28th July 2023, West Midlands Growth Company will be hosting an event to mark the close of the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP). The date coincides with both the one year anniversary of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games starting and the launch of the Birmingham Festival 23, the official festival of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and a key activation of the Games legacy programme. This event will be celebrating the achievements of the BATP as well as recognising the collaboration and partnership approach that made it all possible. There will also be a focus on what happens next, considering the impact and legacy activity that will continue for a number of years to come. The event agenda is still being finalised, but it will include external speakers who were involved with the BATP, both as solo speakers and a number of panel sessions. Within this, we will require a 4-5 minute film that summarises the achievements of the BATP and also looks ahead to the future and legacy delivery. At the end of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games last year, we created a 'BATP: The Story So Far' film which provided an update on the programme's achievement to that point, along with footage of the Games in action. We see this new film as a continuation of the messaging of last year's film and would like to replicate the style to create continuity with our BATP videos

WMGC as the contracting authority is seeking to contract with in-market representation and delivery partner(s) for a 20.5-month contract, to support in the delivery of a comprehensive programme of inward investment promotion, lead generation and business development activities, to build on the legacy of the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In accordance with the parameters of the programme, in-market partnerships are sought to cover a number of geographical regions. The aims of this project are: • To generate and facilitate a pipeline of well-qualified FDI (foreign direct investment) projects, that ultimately invest in the UK, ideally within the West Midlands Combined Authority region. • To support with the delivery of in-market events and business engagement activities across the Inward Investment workstream of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Business & Tourism Programme. • To help improve perceptions of the West Midlands region and the West Midlands Growth Company amongst key target audiences. Tenderers can bid for one or multiple lots to cover the principal geographies of Australia and Singapore & Malaysia. Activities should be geographically targeted to appropriate areas of Australia (principally states of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria) and Singapore & Malaysia (but consideration will also be given to a supplier's ability to deliver lead generation services in the wider Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN)) with specific lead generation activity focused on prioritising: • Creative and Tech • Modern Business Services • Data-driven Healthcare • Low Carbon • Future Mobility & Advanced Manufacturing The above are considered priority sectors with opportunities from this geographic market within the budget available. However, lead generation more reactively can also be considered from other priority and secondary sectors including for example, food technology, education technology, and other digital tech opportunities. The project will also create or build on any existing FDI pipeline in the designated territory of Australia or Singapore & Malaysia. Whilst the target geographies and sectoral opportunities outlined above are indicative of where we anticipate suppliers to undertake proactive lead generation efforts, leads (and successful investment projects sourced reactively outside of these parameters may also be considered against the contract's success criteria). In this programme, West Midlands Growth Company will strategically target potential investment of both small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger enterprises.

The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) is helping to create new jobs, expand existing businesses and attract new businesses and investment to the region, aligned to the ambitions set out in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Plan for Growth. The WMGC is owned by the WMCA and its seven Constituent Members, with governance that heavily involves the private sector in the majority. Its core WMCA and local authority funding will be used to attract significant additional funding from the private sector and other sources, such as future Devolution Deals. Further information on the West Midlands Growth Company can be found here: www.wmgrowth.com. WMGC has been developing proposals for "Global West Midlands" - a series of systems changes to improve the national landscape for attracting tourism, trade, and investment; fiscal instruments to ensure competitiveness; and deliverable initiatives. Linked in part to the trailblazing deeper devolution deal announced in March 2023, the development of a Strategic Relationship Management programme that is scalable for the region is a crucial part of these plans. The West Midlands covers the geography of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). This includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. The area is located strategically at the centre of the UK, with 90% of the UK's population within 4 hours drive or train time. Served by Birmingham Airport, the UK's fastest-growing airport, local connectivity is being enhanced by a £5.1 billion investment to expand local rail, tram and bus rapid transit systems. High Speed Two (HS2) is the largest infrastructure project in the UK currently and when completed will link the region with London in just 38 minutes. HS2 will increase capacity and bring people and goods to and from London and other major UK cities much faster. The region is home to one of the youngest populations in Europe, with 32% under the age of 25 and with 8 leading universities, the region educates 160,000 students and produces more than 55,000 graduates each year. The region is already home to the UK's most entrepreneurial city outside of London. The West Midlands' economy is deeply rooted in innovation, and today a golden thread of technology has positioned the region as a leader in industries of the future. The West Midlands offers a vibrant leisure scene and a high quality of life that makes it the most popular place in the UK for the country's relocating residents. Coventry became the UK's 2021 City of Culture, and Birmingham hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games, putting the region in the global spotlight, whilst two of its football clubs challenge the very best in the Premier League. The region is consistently the second highest performing region for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the UK after London and the South East. We require a consultant who can work with West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) in the development and rollout of a Strategic Relationshi...

Global West Midlands is a new international strategy set to open new overseas markets in the West Midlands, bringing with it multi-million pounds worth of FDI into the region. Working with the Government's Department for Business and Trade (DBT), WMGC will develop a new global trade and investment strategy, building on the close relationship forged in delivering the recent Commonwealth Games business and tourism programme (BATP) Global West Midlands will build on the success of BATP, which proved hugely successful in maximising the economic benefits of the Games whilst transforming the image of the West Midlands region across the globe. The aim of this project is to appoint a supplier who will be able to provide WMGC with a platform to deliver coverage clippings of our content over the allotted period (1st August 2023 until 31st March 2025). Moving on from our Business and Tourism Programme (BATP) and on to the next phase of funding, it's vital that we secure a supplier who can work with us in a fast-paced manner, delivering to a high standard. WMGC requires a media cuttings service to identify, collate and analyse press coverage generated by the company and its Global West Midlands activity. o Monitor and evaluate results of Marcomms activity. o Tracking the news agenda and potential crisis comms issues o Support research around perceptions and awareness of the West Midlands

The awards aim to celebrate the tourism businesses who boost the West Midlands' reputation as a world-class destination for national and international visitors. The West Midlands Tourism Awards will align with the annual awards cycle set out by VisitEngland through the national framework, the 'Awards for Excellence' which begins with a series of local /regional competitions and feeds up to the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence. England's tourism awards champion the very best of the country's tourism industry, celebrating quality, innovation and best practice, and this event will provide the region with: > PR hooks for regional, national and international press activity. > An independent audit of the region's best tourism and hospitality businesses. > A celebration of industry best practice, sustainability and innovation. > An opportunity to push the gold and silver award winners through to the National Awards for Excellence competition. > Business benchmarking opportunity for performance improvement This tender is for an event management company who will need to plan, manage and deliver a memorable, high-quality awards event in the best of the region's venues to cater for around 300+ guests and award winners.

A new ice rink development has been proposed for Dudley town centre. The project includes a 2,000-seat ice rink, for which there is the aspiration for it to be the home stadium for a new professional ice hockey team, and a publicly accessible ice rink. The development will also include a 139-bed hotel, to support visitors to the rink that require overnight stays, and also the wider Dudley business and leisure visitor market. This Market Viability Analysis and Economic Impact Assessment is being commissioned by the West Midlands Growth Company, developers Planet Ice and Dudley MBC. The requirement is for two separate, but interlinked, research and analysis reports, summarised below and detailed further in the following sections: a) The Financial Case - provide market evidence for the overall projects and various schemes, i.e., the number of visitors and their spend potential. This will need to identify the market for the ice rink and the hotel, demonstrating the overall viability of project through a 10-year financial case to assess if the investment is financially viable. The financial case should include the annual revenues and costs, and cash flows. The revenue side need to be built on an agreed addressable market for the ice rink and hotel, a realistic sales forecast, and value based/competitive pricing as appropriate. The cost side of the business case needs to include capital investment, operational costs, management costs, financing costs and other relevant costs. A clear methodology be set out to agree the assumptions underpinning the financial case. The model should be in excel, unlocked, open, documented and all parties involved (DMBC, Planet Ice and WMGC) have full rights to use after the project. b) Economic Impact Assessment - based on the details in the market assessment, to analyse the economic impact of the project at the Dudley Borough level. This will need to consider the direct, indirect and induced effects of the project, setting out the jobs created, the GVA impact and the wider benefits of the project. Further detail on this is given later in this brief.

West Midlands Growth Company are seeking to establish a contract with a suitable provider to deliver a visitor pass solution for Birmingham and the West Midlands. A 'city/region pass' offers visitors to a destination a bundled package of discounts to popular attractions, activities, experiences, and transportation options. City passes are available in destinations around the world, including London, Manchester, York, Shakespeare's England, Amsterdam, Paris, and New York City.

We require the appointment of a specialist consultant who can demonstrate their previous experience and knowledge of the Business Events / MICE sector for the continuation and development of lead generation. We also require the specialist consultant to support with activity within the Conference Ambassador Network to manage and continue to build our pipeline of recruited and prospective ambassadors. This activity aligns with the research work to identify bidding opportunities for association conferences as the Conference Ambassador Network targets academics and industry leaders that have an Association interest/connection.

The West Midlands Growth Company ("WMGC") is the strategic, economic development vehicle for the West Midlands region, and was established by its shareholders: the West Midlands Combined Authority ("WMCA") and its constituent members. WMGC is commissioning the first phase of a Hotel Feasibility Study, aiming to give an overview of the region's hotel provision and demand, identify underprovision in the region, and opportunities for development. In line with the priorities of WMGC shareholders and existing evidence, this Study will have a more detailed focus on specific geographies.

WMGC requires an external agency or consultancy to support with a 15-month programme of communications campaigns to support its overarching objective of Enhancing the Profile and Reputation of the Region, in order to drive inward investment and inbound tourism to the West Midlands. The communications programme will run from January 2024 - March 2025. Campaign delivery will broadly consist of narrative development, thought leadership/byline curation and press release creation, and is therefore content-generation-led. Although an understanding of the media landscape is welcome and advantageous, there is not an expectation that campaign activity will include 'aways on' direct media relations. The campaign series will predominantly focus on inward investment and capital investment focused activity across nine mini campaigns, with a further three mini campaigns focused on visitor economy themes. The communications programme will build on the unprecedented exposure generated surrounding the West Midlands during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, generating perception change to the benefit of the region's citizens. The campaign synopses are outlined in WMGC's Global West Midlands business plan and have been developed in response to the needs of local authorities across the West Midlands, thus promoting Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Solihull, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell. WMGC is seeking to appoint a sole agency to provide all of the requirements included in the scope of this tender process.

WMGC are seeking to appoint a Tourism Consultant/Specialist who has extensive experience of working within the travel trade sector and has significant experience of supporting businesses to get product ready for market and can advise attractions, experiences, and accommodation providers (and any other relevant tourism businesses) on the best route to market / B2B distribution networks for their business. The Travel Trade Consultant will work alongside WMGC's Travel Trade Manager to: o Work with visitor, cultural and sporting attractions, experiences and accommodation providers across the West Midlands to support them in becoming 'export ready' - which includes helping them to shape and develop new product with knowledge of the target market in mind. o Support businesses in distributing their product through appropriate B2C channels, such as Tourism Exchange Great Britain (TXGB). o Be available to support the Travel Trade manager in educating tour operators/travel buyers of West Midlands destinations & products within our key target markets. o Support the development of new travel trade ready themed itineraries, new sales collateral and the creation of sales and training decks, to showcase the region in visual and copy format. o Lead generation and operational support in arranging and delivering travel trade buyers/operators FAM visits to the West Midlands. o Propose and lead on travel trade press/ articles and trade press visits

The purpose of this procurement process is to appoint an organisation who can provide stand design and build services (including AV) prior to and during the West Midlands' attendance at UKREiiF 2024. The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) will be coordinating the West Midlands presence at UKREiiF 2024. UKREiiF is the UK's real estate investment and infrastructure forum. It is a four-day real estate event that was established in 2022, defying expectations, attracting thousands of domestic and international developers, investors, councils and built environment thought leaders. Its aim is to connect people, places and businesses to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive and transformational investment. Supported by a high number of regional combined authorities, local councils and Government departments - as well as the largest developers and investors from across the UK and internationally - this event will gather all the key players, influencers and decision makers within the investment and real estate markets to highlight investment and development opportunities, whilst connecting and facilitating new relationships to drive economic growth through development and regeneration. UKREiiF is a fast-growing show within its industry and the projections for 2024 are: 10,000 event attendees 2,500 fringe event attendees 150 exhibitors 250 local authorities attending 1,500 investors attending 1,500 developers attending In 2024 the event will run from 21 - 24 May and be held at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. For additional information regarding UKREiiF please visit www.ukreiif.com

WMGC will attend The UK's Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) which is set to take place between 21-23 May 2024, in Leeds. The West Midlands Growth Company is dedicated to promoting investment opportunities and positioning the West Midlands as a world-class destination for business, innovation, and development. Their participation at UKREiiF 2024 will further reinforce the region's reputation as a compelling investment hub within the UK. Requirements: - Fully enclosed shell 20m x 10m marquee with flooring and lighting - Delivery and construction w/c 6th May 2024 - Breakdown w/c 27th May 2024 - Location: Leeds City Centre - Royal Armouries LeedsRequirements: - Fully enclosed shell 20m x 10m marquee with flooring and lighting - Delivery and construction w/c 6th May 2024 - Breakdown w/c 27th May 2024 - Location: Leeds City Centre - Royal Armouries Leeds

We require the appointment of a sole supplier who can provide a recognisable green accreditation scheme that specialises in sustainable tourism. There are a number of reputable green accreditation certification schemes which assess tourism and hospitality businesses for their sustainable practice and award relevant marque which helps to improve business practice and guides visitors / trade to the quality of the business they choose. Any business that has a 'green' label will have implemented initiatives across its business that contribute a significant benefit to the environment and to responsible tourism. The businesses that the supplier will work with include accommodation providers, attractions, events venues and DMOs. Currently, across the West Midlands, there are fewer than 30 businesses in the Visitor Economy that have a recognised green accreditation.

The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) helps to create new jobs, expand existing businesses and attract new businesses and investment to the region, aligned to the ambitions set out in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Strategic Economic Plan. The WMGC has been established in partnership with Local Enterprise Partnerships, local authorities, Growth Hubs, universities and a wide range of businesses across the private sector. It focuses its seven local authorities: Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Solihull, Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley. The WMGC is owned by the WMCA and its Constituent Members, with governance that heavily involves the private sector in the majority. Its core WMCA and local authority funding will be used to attract significant additional funding from the private sector and other sources, such as future Devolution Deals. WMGC is part of the Local Organising Committee for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024, delivering alongside Birmingham City Council and other local stakeholders as part of a Host City contract. As part of the contract for being SportAccord 2024's Host City, we can take a presence within the exhibition area of the event. To deliver this, we require an exhibition stand supplier to provide stand design and build services on the space allocated for us.

To provide visitor economy measurement research / assessement of the econimic impact of toruism across several WM locations for 2024 based on the STEAM model.

Sport Accord is an opportunity for the region to deliver an outstanding visitor experience for delegates; use the platform to showcase the West Midlands unique sporting heritage; enhance the region's reputation across the global sprts industry and build new inernational networks and attract a pipeline of new major sporting event opportunties. WMGC requires a national meida partner to provide unique and relevant content and coverage in the build-up to, during and after the SportAccord event (March - April 2024) to highlight the West Midlands as the "heart of sport" in the UK. We require a regular drumbeat of stories acout the West Midlands' sporting and hosting credentials. This could be via features, interviews, case studies and other bespoke activation ideas. The features should apprear across a range of different pltforms within the UK media outlet, including newspaper, online, in newsletters and on docial media. The outputs would use a mixture of editorial and advertorial tactics to promote the region's offer.