West  of  England  Combined  Authority  (WECA)

Richard  HowroydHead  of  Strategic  Procurement  &  

Commissioning  – B&NES

Background• The  West  of  England  Combined  Authority  (WECA)  is  made  up  of  three  of  the  local  authorities  in  the  region  – Bath  &  North  East  Somerset,  Bristol  and  South  Gloucestershire.  

• Working  with  partners  including  the  West  of  England  Local  Enterprise  Partnership,  North  Somerset  Council  and  other  local  service  providers  to  deliver  economic  growth  for  the  region

• Address  some  of  the  challenges,  such  as  productivity  and  skills,  housing  and  transport.

PopulationArea   Population %of  area  

Bristol   449,328 40.16%

South  Gloucestershire 274,661 24.55%

North  Somerset   209,  944 18.76%

B&NES   184,874 16.52%

TOTAL   1,118,807   100

Note:  North  Somerset  Council  part  of  West  of  England  LEP

The  Mayor  – Tim  Bowles

Business

• Integrated  and  locally  relevant  inward  investment  and  trade  services,  led  by  Invest  in  Bristol  &  Bath

• Support  for  developing  the  West  of  England  Growth  Hub

• More  local  control  over  alternative  funding  sources,  such  as  the  Apprenticeship  Grant  for  Employers

Skills• Responsibility  for  the  Adult  Education  Budget  (19+  years)  from  

2018/19,  helping  the  West  of  England  ensure  that  adult  skills  provision  meets  the  needs  of  local  businesses  and  learners.  

• Co-­‐design  with  DWP  of  the  new  Work  and  Health  Programme  (successor  to  the  Work  Programme)  focusing  on  supporting  those  with  a  health  condition  or  disability  and  the  very  long-­‐term  unemployed.  Bringing  forward  a  pilot  scheme  to  offer  intensive  support  for  those  furthest  from  the  labour  market.

• Closer  working  with  central  government  on  the  design  of  local  careers  and  enterprise  provision,  such  as  the  Careers  and  Enterprise  Company  and  the  National  Careers  Service.

• Developing  a  local  Employment  and  Skills  plan  for  the  West  of  England.

Infrastructure• £1  billion  of  investment  to  deliver  infrastructure  to  boost  economic  growth.  Government  will  provide  £30m  a  year  over  a  30-­‐year  period.  Decisions  on  which  projects  to  fund  will  be  based  on  both  economic  growth  and  sustainable  development  principles  and  will  be  determined  by  the  WECA  Board.

• Devolution  of  multi-­‐year  transport  budgets,  enabling  the  area  to  deliver  transport  projects.  

• Further  powers  over  transport,  including  responsibility  for  a  Key  Route  Network  of  selected  local  roads.

• The  fastest  place  to  find  solutions  to  your  business  challenges  and  discover  ways  to  make  the  most  of  new  opportunities.

• First  port  of  call  for  all  businesses  looking  to  engage  with  any  publicly  funded  business  support  project.  The  range  of  services  includes;  finance  assistance,  support  for  high  growth  businesses,  access  to  skills  packages,  manufacturing,  innovation  and  research  advice  and  export  support.

• Through  one  innovative,  intuitive  web  portal,  you  have  instant  access  to  an  extensive,  connected  network  of  business  knowledge  and  skills  partners.  

• Based  on  a  fundamental  ethos  of  community  and  relationships,  the  West  of  England  Growth  Hub  offers  benefits  to  both  support  providers  and  businesses  looking  to  grow,  establishing  a  stronger  local  economic  region.

wearegrowth@westofengland.org

Procurement  Arrangements

• Legally  a  successor  body• Covered  by  the  Public  Contract  Regulations  2015

• WECA  will  have  its  own  Contract  Standing  Orders

• In  process  of  setting  up  Pro  Contract  which  will  be  accessible  via  www.Supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk

Any  Questions?