Official UK procurement notice
Manufacturing Africa · UK public procurement notice
Authority: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) intends to increase the financial ceiling of an existing contract - Manufacturing Africa (MA) to continue to support increased foreign direct investment (FDI) into manufacturing and contribute towards the economic transformation across Africa to create more and better jobs in the industry.
CPV: Foreign affairs and other services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1This notice is to indicate that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office…
This notice is to indicate that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) proposes to scale up the contract with the named supplier for Manufacturing Africa (MA) currently operating in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tanzania.
The contract financial limit will be uplifted by an additional £32,000,000.
This notice constitutes a Voluntary ex ante notice under Regulation 99 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The Authority considers the award of this contract modification is permitted under Regulation 72 (1) (b) of those Regulations, and therefore subject to publication of a notice under that provision, however the Authority also intends to observe a 10 day standstill period under regulation 99 (3)(c).
FCDO's aim, through this programme is to contribute towards the economic transformation needed in Africa to create more and better jobs and to set countries on a trajectory out of poverty. The programme supports increased foreign direct investment (FDI) into manufacturing which in turn boosts productivity by introducing new technology and management capabilities, increase the capabilities of the workforce and diffuse these improvements into the wider economy. The aim of Manufacturing Africa is to generate formal employment, which in turn creates social stability.
The additional budget will allow for Manufacturing Africa to continue to fulfil its role as a key delivery mechanism for the Growth Community of Expertise and allow it to meet the current and anticipated demands across FCDO. It will also allow for activities which scale Manufacturing Africa's impact while lowering outcome risk by focussing on embedding lessons from the current programme with system actors in MA markets who will endure beyond the programme, and building pipeline and activities around the needs of the successor Growth CoE Technical Assistance Facility. Finally it will allow for an efficient handover to the successor programme, avoiding a gap in provision and ensuring a streamlined transfer of programming with no duplication of costs or vfm concerns.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 7 Sept 2026, 12:04 BST
- Last source update
- 7 Sept 2026, 12:04 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-084333- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f357Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
- Published justification
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) intends to increase the financial ceiling of the Manufacturing Africa (MA) contract by £32,000,000.
The modification is made under Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The additional funding will enable continued delivery of the existing Manufacturing Africa service model at the scale and pace required to meet current demand and support transition to the successor Growth Community of Expertise Technical Assistance Facility. The modification does not introduce new services or materially alter the nature or scope of the contract.
FCDO considers that a change of contractor cannot be made for economic and technical reasons. The incumbent supplier is responsible for a live pipeline of investments and activities and has established relationships with Posts, partner governments, investors and private sector stakeholders, together with programme-specific knowledge developed over the life of the contract. Appointing an alternative supplier for the remaining contract period would require mobilisation, transfer of knowledge and subsequent handover to the successor programme, creating significant inconvenience, duplication of costs and increased delivery risk.
The modification does not exceed 50% of the original contract value and the overall nature of the contract remains unchanged. The amendment is time-limited and supports delivery continuity, value for money and an orderly transition to successor Growth CoE arrangements.
Publisher note: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) intends to award a £32,000,000 scale up to the Manufacturing Africa (MA) programme. This amendment is made under Regulation 72(1)(b) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which permits modifications because additional services by the original contractor have become necessary where a change of contractor cannot be made for economic or technical reasons and would cause significant inconvenience or substantial duplication of costs for the contracting authority. FCDO considers that the scale up can be awarded without prior publication of a notice under Part 2 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 using the procedure in regulation 99(3) (VEAT notice). The modification does not exceed 50% of the original contract value. The additional funding allows for the programme to deliver at the same scale and scope until the successor programme can be in place. The nature and scope of the contract remain unchanged. This amendment will allow for delivery continuity, value for money, handover to the successor Growth CoE, and management of risks. It avoids a delivery gap, preserves the live pipeline and established relationships built up during this programme and avoids duplicated mobilisation and handover costs that any interim solution would incur.
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKinsey Development PartnersSubcontracting: declared | — | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Manufacturing Africa · McKinsey Development Partners
- Signed
- 7 Sept 2026
- Value
- —
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | £166,000,000 – £166,000,000 |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)Mediation body
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- McKinsey Development PartnersAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.