Review of the Business Finance Landscape in Wales

What the buyer is asking for

The Development Bank of Wales is seeking to appoint an appropriately qualified economic consultancy or research provider to undertake an independent review of the business finance landscape in Wales. The Development Bank of Wales will act as the contracting authority and will enter into the contract with the successful supplier. Economic Intelligence Wales, the independent research arm of the Development Bank of Wales, is the project sponsor and commissioning body for the requirement. Economic Intelligence Wales will be responsible for shaping the research scope, providing subject matter input and supporting the delivery of the contract. The review will assess how effectively current public, private and alternative finance provision meets the present and anticipated future needs of businesses in Wales. It will identify key gaps, frictions, affordability constraints, market failures, risks and opportunities within the Welsh business finance market. The work is expected to provide the Development Bank of Wales, Welsh Government and wider stakeholders with an independent, robust and evidence-led assessment of the Welsh business finance landscape. The successful supplier will be required to produce practical, policy-relevant and decision-ready outputs suitable for senior policy, delivery and stakeholder audiences. Core requirement The initial commission will focus on Phase 1, which is expected to include: mapping the current business finance landscape in Wales; assessing the supply of, and demand for, business finance; reviewing the role and availability of public, private and alternative finance; identifying finance gaps, market frictions, affordability constraints and potential market failures; examining the public finance and policy context; assessing current and emerging trends affecting the future demand for and supply of finance; identifying evidence and data gaps; undertaking proportionate and targeted stakeholder engagement; setting out headline policy and delivery implications; and producing clear, credible and decision-ready findings and recommendations. The detailed requirements, deliverables, milestones and reporting arrangements are set out in the procurement documents. Optional services Subject to the outcomes of Phase 1, budget availability, internal approvals and future commissioning decisions, the Development Bank of Wales may require additional thematic research or related services. Potential additional work packages may include: venture, innovation and scale-up finance; ownership transition and succession finance; commercial property, premises and development finance; infrastructure, project finance and capital structuring; additional data collection or stakeholder engagement; focused updates or refreshes to the Phase 1 evidence base; and final synthesis, policy analysis and reporting. These additional work packages are not guaranteed. The Development Bank of Wales gives no commitment regarding the volume, value or timing of optional services that may be commissioned.

How this is scored

Published by the buyer. A winning response is written to these weightings, not to the question.

• 10%qualityUnderstanding of the briefUnderstanding of the requirement and Welsh business finance context
• 25%qualityProposed methodology and research approachProposed methodology and research framework
• 15%qualityProgramme management, deliverability and governancedelivery plan for Phase 1
• 20%qualityExperience of similar projects and team capabilitydemonstrate your experience in economic and policy-facing research, finance market analysis, SME finance, development finance or regional economic development.
• 10%qualityQuality assurance and output qualityquality assurance process for this commission, including peer review, data validation and review of assumptions.
• 5%qualitySocial value and sustainabilitydescribe how your organisation will deliver proportionate social value through this contract.
• 15%pricePricing schedule

What you must already have

Conditions of participation. These are pass or fail, so check them before writing anything.

• economic

  Suppliers must demonstrate that they have the legal and financial capacity and the technical ability necessary to perform the contract. The conditions of participation are set out in full in the procurement documents.

• technical

  Suppliers must demonstrate: relevant experience of economic, policy and market research; experience relating to business finance, SME finance, access to finance, regional economic development or comparable subject areas; the ability to map and assess public, private and alternative finance provision; experience of identifying market gaps, constraints, frictions and market failures; strong quantitative and qualitative analytical capability; experience of evidence assessment, data analysis and targeted stakeholder engagement; an understanding of the Welsh economy, policy environment and business base, or the ability to obtain and apply this understanding; the ability to produce independent, credible and decision-ready research outputs; appropriate research governance and quality assurance arrangements; and sufficient suitably qualified personnel and capacity to deliver the contract within the required timetable.

How contested is this?

Buyers publish how many bids they received. Across 44 comparable procurements we can tell you the typical field size, how often one of these goes uncontested, and whether the buyer awards on price or on quality.

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London

1. Tender notice published18 days ago

   3 Sept 2026, 16:10 BST
2. Clarification questions byyesterday

   21 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
3. Submission deadlinein 6 days

   28 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
4. Award decision expected byin 21 days

   12 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender

1. Pipeline or early engagement notice13 Aug 2026, 14:56 BST077312-2026
2. Tender notice3 Sept 2026, 16:10 BST083605-2026

Payment terms

DBW currently operates a standard payment term of 30 days following receipt of an accurate invoice. All invoices are required to include the unique identifier DBW00226.00. Failure to provide this number within the invoice may result in the invoice being rejected and payments being delayed.

Documents

• Invitation to tender
• Please review tender documentation
• Tender notice on Find a Tender