Official UK procurement notice
Design Excellence Panel · UK public procurement notice
Authority: West Midlands Combined Authority (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionTransport for West Midlands (TfWM), is committed to delivering high-quality, inclusive, and sustainable transport infrastructure that aligns with the region’s strategic objectives. Recognising the critical role of design in shaping user experience, safety, and long-term value, TfWM is establishing a Design Excellence Panel as a key mechanism to embed design thinking from the outset of project development.
The Panel will act as a critical friend to project teams, offering independent, expert advice at key stages of the project lifecycle. It will support the delivery of TfWM’s Local Transport Plan and its six (6) Big Moves, ensuring that all schemes, whether rail, bus, tram, or active travel, are functional, inclusive, and contextually responsive. The Panel will champion a co-design approach, fostering collaboration across disciplines and with communities to create places that are accessible, safe, welcoming and inclusive for all.
The Design Excellence Panel will operate initially under a three-year programme, with periodic reviews to ensure its continued relevance and impact. Workshops will be held bi-monthly, with flexibility to increase frequency based on project demand. Site visits will be arranged as required to support a ‘no site boundary’ approach—encouraging consideration of wider spatial and social context.
The Panel will consist of approximately twenty (20) individuals (members) drawn from a diverse range of disciplines, including:
- Architecture
- Landscape Architecture
- Inclusive Design
- Heritage and Conservation
- Urban Planning
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Public Health
- Sustainability
- Access Consultancy
- Place Curation
- The Arts
Panel members must either live in or have demonstrable experience working within the West Midlands, ensuring a strong understanding of local context and community needs.
The Panel will:
- Provide design assurance aligned with TfWM’s strategic goals
- Champion inclusive, safe and sustainable design
- Support the development of Design Guides
- Promote cross-disciplinary collaboration and knowledge-sharing
- Contribute to post-occupancy evaluations and continuous improvement
The Panel will not:
- Override statutory or technical standards
- Make decisions on budgets or procurement
- Enforce recommendations—these remain advisory
CPV: Architectural design services · Architectural, engineering and planning services · Artistic services · Engineering design services · Environmental engineering consultancy services · Urban planning and landscape architectural services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£240,000
- Condition of participation
Panel members must have worked and/or lived within the West Midlands for the last 5 Years.
Panel members must understand the constraints, regulations, and professional standards that apply to the delivery of multi-modal transport projects across the West Midlands.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Lot awarding rule: All suppliers who submit a response before the submission deadline will have their submissions scored in line with the criteria outlined in the RfI document. A minimum score of 35 (50%) will be required in order to Pass the Technical Evaluation. Any bidders who score less than 35 on the Technical Evaluation will Fail and will not progress further in the process. All submissions that score 35 or more will be ranked by score within each discipline/specialism listed in Qualification Question 3 (‘Other’ is classed as 1 discipline). The top 2 ranked submissions for each discipline/specialism will be appointed to the Design Excellence Panel. If a discipline/specialism does not have 2 ranked submissions, then that place/s on the panel will be assigned to the highest scoring 3rd placed submission across all disciplines/specialisms. This process will continue for the next highest scoring 3rd placed submissions in-turn until all places on the panel have been assigned. If all 3rd placed submissions are appointed, the process will move to the highest scoring 4th placed submissions, and so on. Where there are 2 submissions with the same total technical score, the submission with the highest total score across Technical Questions 3, 5 & 6 will be appointed to the panel.
- Condition of participation
Panel members must have worked and/or lived within the West Midlands for the last 5 Years.
Panel members must understand the constraints, regulations, and professional standards that apply to the delivery of multi-modal transport projects across the West Midlands.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Below threshold - open competition
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 8 Jul 2025, 12:59 BST
- Last source update
- 17 Apr 2026, 09:17 BST
- Authority reference
PRT-TFWM-WPG-2025-0007- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-064878- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-055b19Find a Tender
- Reserved participation area
- E11000005
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 7 Nov 2025, 17:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 31 Oct 2025, 17:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
Timeline
8 Jul 2025 → 17 Apr 2026 · 8 dates- Planning notice published8 Jul 2025, 12:59 BST
- Market engagement24 Jul 2025, 23:59 BST
If there are any individuals within your organisation who would be suitable to become a Design Excellence Panel member, please ensure you are registered on Bravo Solution, WMCA's e-tendering portal, and monitor Bravo for the release of any bid documents.
The link to register on bravo is wmca.bravosolution.co.uk/esop/guest/login.do ↗.
- Next notice expected25 Jul 2025, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published377 days ago13 Oct 2025, 15:47 BST
- Clarification questions by359 days ago31 Oct 2025, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadline352 days ago7 Nov 2025, 17:00 GMT
- Contract starts259 days ago9 Feb 2026
- Latest notice published191 days ago17 Apr 2026, 09:17 BST
Notice history
9 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 8 Jul 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published8 Jul 2025, 12:59 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published13 Oct 2025, 15:47 BSTUK4
- Published value updated13 Oct 2025, 15:47 BST
- Status changed to active13 Oct 2025, 15:47 BST
- Procurement method changed13 Oct 2025, 15:47 BST
- Deadline published: 7 Nov 2025, 17:00 GMT13 Oct 2025, 15:47 BST
- Tender notice published16 Oct 2025, 09:55 BSTUK4
- Contract details notice published17 Apr 2026, 09:17 BSTUK7
- Status changed to complete17 Apr 2026, 09:17 BST
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-07: 1 release · 8 Jul 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amey OW Limited, Colas Rail Limited, HowellsSME, Intervention ArchitectureSME, Mima Group LtdSME, OOBE +9 morejoint award | £205,200 inc. VAT † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
TfWM Design Excellence Panel · Amey OW Limited, Colas Rail Limited, HowellsSME, Intervention ArchitectureSME, Mima Group LtdSME, OOBE +9 more
- Signed
- 7 Apr 2026
- Value
- £205,200 inc. VAT
- Period
- 7 Apr 2026 – 6 Apr 2027 · up to 6 Apr 2029 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- 2 x 12-month options to extend at the Authority's discretion
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
15 commercial parties on the notice- Amey OWAwarded supplier
- AtkinsRéalis UK LimitedAwarded supplier
- Colas Rail LimitedAwarded supplier
- Coventry UniversityAwarded supplier
- HowellsAwarded supplier
- Intervention ArchitectureAwarded supplier
- Mima Group LtdAwarded supplier
- OOBEAwarded supplier
- Phil Jones Associates LtdAwarded supplier
- Pinnegar Hayward DesignAwarded supplier
Show 5 more suppliers
- Prior + PartnersAwarded supplier
- Stantec UK LtdAwarded supplier
- Systra LtdAwarded supplier
- The Transportation ConsultancyAwarded supplier
- Weston Williamson + PartnersAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender