How to win: West Midlands Catalyst Fund - Pre market engagement

About this contract

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. Respon

How to win contracts like this

• ✓Answer against the marking scheme, not the question text — West Midlands Combined Authority scores each response, so map your evidence to the published criteria and weightings.
• ✓At £3,860,000, expect quality and social value to carry a large share of the score — price alone rarely wins services work.
• ✓Show recent, comparable delivery: name similar services contracts you've delivered for public bodies, with measurable outcomes.
• ✓Start early: it closes 30 October 2026 and a strong bid takes iteration.

BidWriter drafts your responses from your company profile, scores them against the marking scheme, and tracks your whole pipeline. Free to start — no card needed.

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