Track the business activity and commercial plans of West Midlands Combined 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 22 analysed meetings.
Meetings analysed22
Procurement opportunities20
Pressures tracked35
Estimated pipeline value£48.5bn–£51.3bn
West Midlands Combined Authority Procurement Intelligence | QuorumInsight
Active procurement topics
Over the last 12 months, the most frequently discussed commercial topics in this council's meetings have been Highways & Transport (39 mentions, steady), IT & Digital (22 mentions, easing), Construction & Building Works (20 mentions, steady) and Economic Development & Business Support (19 mentions, steady).
Commercial signals extracted from recent West Midlands Combined Authority meetings — approvals, budget decisions and early procurement discussions, before a tender is published.
The board paper sets out a strategic approach to bus fleet ownership for franchising: acquire the existing diesel fleet, novate lease contracts for electric buses, and buy new vehicles on an ongoing renewal basis. The rationale is to improve competition and reduce financing costs because operators' contract lengths are shorter than vehicle lifespans. The report also indicates an initial programme paper in summer and a phased buy-in by trench.
“So this is the strategic direction we're trying to set that will then help us get into the detail as we move forward into the months and into the delivery of bus franchising. So the paper sort of starts with a reminder of the benefits of fleet ownership and and to sort of repeat…”
Officers reported that £133.5 million was spent through the adult education budget in 2023/24, with 99.6% of the allocation used. Most money went through grants to colleges, localities and independent providers. This is a major recurring spend stream and a clear procurement/commissioning opportunity across training providers.
“So that said, um the the data here it relates to this um 133.5 million and we've tried to give you an overview of the the programs that we funded um where we've funded them, skills levels per participant and then look at um numbers enrolled in different programs um and the propor…”
A specific estate regeneration scheme at Spawn End received combined authority funding of around £6.6 million for phase one, supporting demolition, infrastructure works and delivery of 257 affordable units. The scheme is a multi-phase regeneration over 10 years and involves partnership working with Citizen Housing, Homes England and local authorities.
““In September citizen housing group were successful in securing combined quality funding of circ 6.6 million of those will spawn end which will deliver 257 units 100% of which will be affordable housing some commercial space in addition to um associated works to improve the infra…”
The West Midlands was awarded up to £5 million for the Youth Trailblazer initiative to support 18 to 21 year olds, with most delivery funding passed to local authorities as grants and some direct commissioning by the combined authority. The discussion highlighted that the funding is paid in arrears, creating cashflow pressure for voluntary and community delivery partners.
““So um in terms of the youth priorities there obviously it came through the get Britain working uh white paper that came out of November and in December last year we were awarded as one of the eight combining authorities um youth trailblazer status and what that meant is that um…”
WMCA’s integrated settlement is just under £400 million in the current year, with a multi-year figure still under negotiation. The settlement replaces many ring-fenced grants, giving the authority more flexibility across transport, skills, housing, and net zero outcomes.
“the agreement we've got with government uh I'm in the same position as Greater Manchester is very very significant and very very substantial within some key uh areas of funding skills, housing, transport, we have far greater flexibility about how we use it, far greater discretion…”
The board approved release of up to £16.4 million for A45 Coventry Road and Ason Parkway junction improvements, with a possible £100,000 contribution from the airport. Officers said the project is at final business case stage, delivers strong value for money, and uses the Scape framework and Team to deliver the works.
“Um this paper is for the approval of um the full business case for the A45 Common Road ASON Parkway uh junction improvements. Um and based on an independent assessment of the risks and opportunities presented within the report, the appraisal recommendation is to approve the relea…”
The committee focused on audit readiness, internal control, risk management, cyber security, governance arrangements, and health and safety. Key procurement-related points included the internal audit review of corporate credit cards and business case controls, the near-live rollout of a contract management and supply relationship management module in Unit 4, the planned review of cyber security arrangements and insurance, and the health and safety implications of transport and construction activities. Members also discussed the scheme of delegation for approving accounts and the need to strengthen risk ownership through service-based risk champions.
The meeting focused on transport delivery pressures across the West Midlands, including delays in capital grant agreements, capacity constraints in local authorities and legal teams, poor bus and metro performance, road safety interventions, and progress on sprint, ring and ride, and zero-emission bus lessons learned. Members also discussed procurement and delivery risks around active travel, camera enforcement, real-time information systems, and the future franchising and purchase of Sprint vehicles.
The board considered several major West Midlands transport and green infrastructure investments. The most significant debates were around the Kits Green depot for the Birmingham bus franchising programme, the electric vehicle infrastructure programme funded by government grant, the Sprint tram-like bus fleet procurement, and the Drive35 supply-chain transformation fund. Across these items, members focused on cost control, planning/timing risk, governance and delegated authority, technology choice, and how best to support local businesses and authorities in delivery.
The meeting focused on audit completion and governance issues, treasury management changes, internal audit findings, cyber/data protection controls, business continuity resilience, and a range of financial and assurance updates. Procurement-relevant points included contract management implementation, planned procurement of a new energy efficiency reporting platform, potential use of consultants, and treasury investment policy changes affecting lending to other local authorities. Significant assurance issues were raised around asset management, grant compliance, and cyber risk management.
The meeting focused on the 2026/27 draft budget, with repeated discussion of transport financial recovery, bus franchising, rail and metro investment, and the way projects will now be prioritised and funded. Members also probed reserves, grant funding, active travel, skills investment, climate retrofit contracts, and the transformation programme designed to improve delivery, transparency and procurement discipline.
The committee focused on major transport procurement and delivery issues: a new safer travel legal agreement, settlement funding and capital programme performance, transport operations, and a strategic fleet model for upcoming bus franchising. Members also raised concerns about grant agreement delays, station and metro delivery slippage, EV charging costs and infrastructure, road safety, and the need for clearer reporting on project progress and safety outcomes.