Track the business activity and commercial plans of Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority — identify tender and future spending opportunities before they reach the market, follow cabinet and committee decisions, and understand the council’s priorities, with intelligence extracted from 4 analysed meetings.
Meetings analysed4
Procurement opportunities1
Pressures tracked4
Estimated pipeline value£72m
Active procurement topics
Over the last 12 months, the most frequently discussed commercial topics in this council's meetings have been Economic Development & Business Support (12 mentions, easing), Highways & Transport (9 mentions, easing), Construction & Building Works (8 mentions, steady) and IT & Digital (7 mentions, easing).
Commercial signals extracted from recent Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority meetings — approvals, budget decisions and early procurement discussions, before a tender is published.
The board approved tranche one of the Slapton minor road improvements programme for construction. The initial budget is £1.24m, made up of £1m from the transport capital programme and additional Devon County Council corporate funding, with the wider scheme expected to remain a rolling programme responding to coastal erosion and route resilience needs.
“Um so the scheme has been developed in response to the long recognized v vulnerability of the A379 between tall cross and street gate where repeated storm damage and coastal erosion continue to put connectivity for local communities, businesses and visitors at risk. So in that co…”
The board approved a new adult skills fund model from September, with £13.1 million due to be received. Of this, £10.5 million is allocated through a formula to colleges and key providers, while £2.6 million is commissioned competitively, including around £800,000 for administration and assurance. Members queried the overhead and were told it covers inherited monitoring and contractual assurance functions.
“Um so from September, we're due to receive uh 13.1 million pounds worth of skills fund. We've been working fairly intensively over the last few months, but because of the uh way we're constituted, we have to bring key decisions back to the board. The key decisions for today are a…”
The board approved arrangements to commission and invest the devolved Adult Skills Fund and related FE capital funding. The discussion highlighted a mixed delivery model: most of the £13m adult skills fund is being allocated as grants to core providers, with a smaller competitive element for targeted provision, while £9.3m of post-16 capital grant will be used to increase 16-19 capacity.
“Good morning members. Um I I think this uh paper follows on from a discussion that we've been having now for about uh 12 to 18 months around the devolution of the adult skills fund but also some new funds that we've received um from government around the FE capitalism fund. Um in…”
Members approved work to develop shared principles and a route map for expanding the combined authority and progressing to mayoral strategic authority status. The board amended the motion to express a preference for mayoral arrangements by May 2027 through a single legislative process, while recognising that Plymouth’s formal decision was still pending and that government approval would be required.
“Uh the report before you though members does go further uh in that because it also asks as well as then exploring the benefits and noting uh members uh the Plymouth City Council's exploring that uh from our perspective it's asking for approval to develop a shared set of principle…”
The £165,000 overspend in support services was attributed to setup costs, highways transfer work, programme management, IT leases and licences, and meeting streaming costs. Officers indicated these one-off and ongoing costs will be right-sized in the new year budget cycle, which may affect future procurement requirements for IT, digital services and programme support.
“I just the overspend in support services of >> the 165 >> 165,000. Yeah. >> Yeah. Sorry, that was the one I couldn't remember there. So, um essentially what we've had when we set the budget, we've made some assumptions around um sort of activities that we're expecting to incur co…”
Members insisted that the post-16 capital and skills funding should not simply reinforce large centralised colleges, but should support rural access, hybrid delivery, and provision closer to young people. The final recommendation was amended to remove the wording 'competitive delivery' and to recognise transport options for access to post-16 education.
“Um, I what I I've been going to a post 16 education meetings in Devon because we've got real problems and there seems to be a real disconnect with this paper and actually what's happening in Devon. Uh, and I can't speak for to Bay, but I mean David, you may have similar experienc…”
The board focused primarily on future devolution arrangements for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, including the potential expansion of the combined authority and the timing of mayoral arrangements. Members also approved significant skills funding allocations, including adult skills and post-16 capital programmes, both redesigned to use place-based and commissioned approaches with more focus on rural and coastal need. A further item considered whether to develop a local intervention on transport for participation in education, employment and training, but members agreed to wait for imminent government announcements before committing to a £7 million programme. The meeting also noted budget monitoring, audit fee concerns, and the appointment of a new chief finance officer.
The board focused heavily on skills and post-16 education commissioning, including approval of the Adult Skills Fund and post-16 capital investment arrangements, with significant debate about rural access, competition versus commissioning, and transport support for learners. Members also approved a transport resilience scheme for the Slapton minor road network, noted a healthy year-end budget position, endorsed a Greater Devon skills plan, and accepted the LGA governance peer challenge with a follow-up action plan. Governance housekeeping items for 2026/27, including committee membership, allowances review, and a constitution overhaul, were also agreed.
The board discussed a live Connect to Work employment programme, including commissioning of delivery contractors, quarterly reporting and governance with Plymouth. Members also reviewed the period 9 budget position, with an overspend driven mainly by an unexpectedly high audit fee, and considered UK Shared Prosperity Fund delivery extensions and contingency allocations. The final substantive item covered the Local Transport Authority implementation plan, including a transition year approach, future levy powers and the need for a local transport delivery plan.
The board approved a series of strategic plans covering housing, skills and future workforce, and local transport arrangements, alongside updates on UK SPF delivery, concessionary fares, and the authority’s financial position. Discussion repeatedly focused on duplication with existing county/district work, the need for better performance monitoring, and how the new authority will add value as powers transfer to the CCA. Several items also flagged likely future procurement and commission activity, including housing strategy work, transport implementation planning, IT leases/licences, and potential bus/transport service options.