Solar Partnership Market Engagement

We are issuing a UK2 Preliminary Market Engagement Notice to formally invite market responses.

Our prospectus outlines our objectives and current thinking — and sets out four high-level questions for which we are seeking written responses to.

Written responses should be submitted by May 20th 2026 rough our e-tendering portal. Following an initial review, we will invite selected organisations to structured follow-up conversations.

We will review all written responses and invite a number of organisations to structured follow up discussions. We are not scoring or ranking responses, but we will use the following criteria to guide our selection:

Relevance - We are primarily looking for organisations able to take a leading role in delivery and/or financing — not installers or supply chain providers acting alone. Organisations from the installation and supply chain sector are welcome to respond and their input will inform programme design, but follow-up conversations will focus on those with the appetite to lead, invest and take on commercial responsibility at scale.

Scale, track record and ambition - Has the organisation demonstrated, or does it have credible plans to develop, the capacity to deliver at meaningful scale — whether in homes, schools or both? We are interested in evidence of operational programmes as well as well-developed proposals. We recognise that some innovative models are at an earlier stage and will consider potential alongside track record.

Innovation and Financing - Does the response demonstrate creative thinking on financing structures, customer engagement or delivery models? We are particularly interested in approaches that could work that could unlock new sources of private or blended finance.

Local Interest and Presence - Does the organisation have existing supply chain relationships, operational activity or a stated interest in growing its footprint in the West Midlands? A key objective of this programme is to build local capacity and create lasting regional value, and we will give weight to organisations that share that ambition — whether they are already active in the region or have concrete plans to be.

In the situation that the number of qualifying responses exceeds our capacity for follow up conversations, we will prioritise the organisations that best represent and meet the perspectives above.

Follow up conversations:

Sessions will last approximately 60 minutes and will follow a consistent format across all respondents.

These sessions are intended to better understand and explore the feedback already submitted as part of the pre-market engagement to the 4 questions included. There is no requirement to prepare additional material beyond your original responses.

Discussions will be conducted in a structured and consistent manner across all suppliers, using the four questions as the agenda. We may ask follow-up questions to clarify or explore your responses in more detail.

We are in listening and understanding mode and will not be sharing additional information beyond that already published in the Prospectus.

Any insights that may influence the future procurement approach will be documented and, where appropriate, shared in a transparent manner with all potential bidders. To ensure transparency and an audit trail, notes will be taken.

Participation in a follow-up conversation does not confer any advantage in any subsequent procurement process. We are holding the discussions to help WMCA better understand the market, it doesn't mean a supplier has been shortlisted, it's not mandatory and it wont provide an advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement process.