GMCA 1134 North West Community Flood Resilience Engagement Support Services

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), supported by the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC), is seeking market insight to shape a future procurement for a regional service aimed at increasing community resilience to flooding and coastal change. The service provider will act as a neutral, independent intermediary, supporting both communities and flood risk management authorities (RMAs) across the North West. Flooding remains one of the most significant climate-related risks facing the region. Traditional engineering approaches are increasingly costly, complex, and insufficient on their own. Communities must therefore be better informed, prepared, and supported to understand their flood risk, plan for emergencies, build resilience, and recover effectively when flooding occurs. We can help communities to become more resilient to better protect themselves and enable quicker recovery, but only by successfully engaging with them on their terms, at the right time, and through the channels they use. Across the North West there are hundreds of communities which are at risk from flooding from rivers and the sea. Combined with surface water flooding, the number of residents and businesses at risk is significantly higher. Climate change will continue to increase rainfall and flooding. The procurement will establish a multi-strand community engagement and resilience-building service, spanning direct community engagement, digital communications, educational materials, and the development and maintenance of The Flood Hub website as a central public information platform. GMCA will lead the procurement and enter into contractual arrangements with the selected supplier. The service will be funded predominantly by the North West RFCC, with contributions from the Environment Agency and other partners as required. The supplier will support North West flood RMAs including 36 local authorities, the Environment Agency, and United Utilities, as the primary water company. The service provider will act as a neutral intermediary organisation operating in the space between communities who have flooded, or who are at risk of flooding, and RMAs, across the North West of England, supporting those authorities to increase the resilience of those communities to flooding and coastal change. The communities to be supported include residents (homeowners and tenants) and businesses, including agricultural. Key Objectives The service aims to achieve the following outcomes: • Increased community resilience to flooding and coastal change through adapted engagement approaches to improve their understanding of flood risk, including where and why flooding may occur. • Improved preparedness at individual and community levels, including awareness of emergency actions, insurance, and property resilience measures. • Greater community contribution to community-level flood risk management interventions (e.g. sustainable drainage, rain gardens, natural flood management). • Strengthened community capability to develop and maintain community flood groups, action plans, and mutual aid structures. • Enhanced recovery outcomes, enabling households and businesses to recover more quickly following flooding. • Greater awareness and uptake of national and local support mechanisms, including property flood resilience, flood warnings, and online resources such as The Flood Hub. The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) Regulations are expected to apply to this commission, requiring the team of five FTEs who have resourced the service through the previous contract, to transfer across to a new supplier organisation if selected