Tenders

Invitation to Tender: Chester Place Brand

Chester is at a defining moment. Building on two decades of successful collaboration and investment, the city is now seeking to develop its first unified place brand. This ITQ invites confident, creative agencies to help articulate a bold, authentic narrative for Chester, one that honours its heritage, captures its contemporary energy, and positions the city for the future.

Project Overview

Chester is commissioning its first-ever place brand to create a clear, unified and future-facing identity for the city. Despite strong cultural, economic and heritage assets, Chester’s story is currently fragmented and underplayed. Funded collaboratively by Cheshire West and Chester Council, Chester Business Improvement District, the University of Chester, Grosvenor Group, Chester Zoo, Chester Racecourse, and Storyhouse, the project reflects a shared commitment to the city’s future.

Working across civic, cultural, business and education partners, the appointed agency will define what Chester stands for over the next 10–20 years and deliver a bold brand strategy, creative identity and activation framework that builds civic pride, attracts investment and visitors, and positions Chester confidently on the national and international stage.

Project Objectives

• Create a clear, unified and authentic place brand for Chester
• Define what Chester stands for and its long-term ambition (10–20 years)
• Strengthen Chester’s reputation as a place to live, visit, study and invest
• Support inward investment, business growth and job creation
• Build civic pride and shared ownership among residents, partners and young people
• Provide a strong narrative platform for Chester’s role within the wider Cheshire and Warrington economy

Project Timeline

The project is scheduled to conclude with the brand launch and activation plan in Autumn 2026, following agency appointment in February 2026 and brand development, testing and refinement through July 2026.

Submission Details

Agencies are invited to submit their tenders in response to the questions set out in this ITQ, supported by relevant case studies or materials as appendices (not scored separately). Submissions will be assessed against the published selection criteria and weighted scoring system.

Deadline for all submissions no later than 20th February 2026 23:59

All submissions, questions or requests for clarification should be directed to:

Cristian Marcucci, Managing Director, Marketing Cheshire
Cristian.marcucci@cheshireandwarrington.com

Invitation to Tender for C&W Outline Energy Plan

ECW, on behalf of and in coordination with Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, and Warrington Borough Councils, is seeking to appoint consultancy support to produce a Cheshire and Warrington Outline Energy Plan;  providing the evidence base to support  local growth ambitions and investment pipeline development, support future spatial development work in Cheshire and Warrington, and support engagement in the NESO Regional Energy Strategic Planning (RESP) process. This commission will provide a strong local evidence base for current and future demand, and building a case for investment in energy infrastructure to support both local growth ambitions and commitments in our Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Strategy to support the local energy transition and government ambitions for Clean Power by 2030.

Clean Energy is one vital component of Cheshire and Warrington growth ambitions, with unique existing (e.g. VisNet, Gas Storage Facilities) and upcoming infrastructure (e.g. HyNet, HALEU) providing substantial opportunities for us to pioneer approaches to clean power and industrial decarbonisation. This infrastructure will support wider growth opportunities, ensuring that Cheshire and Warrington is an attractive location for housing growth, business development, and reindustrialisation.  To better grasp this opportunity, it is vital that we:

1. Better understand our baseline energy demand.
2. Light-touch scenario planning to anticipate the likely changes to generation and demand over the next 5-10 years.
3. Can clearly and consistently produce early evidence for RESP, DSO, and NGET to secure strategic reinforcement to grid.
4. Supports integration of different energy transition vectors across the C&W landscape.
5. Can drive investment to strategically vital energy projects in Cheshire and Warrington that support wider economic development.

This evidence base will provide the foundation for attracting inward investment in Cheshire and Warrington. In the first instance it will ensure a clear understanding of the current and future energy infrastructure requirements, supporting  the business case for major developments currently stalled by grid constraints (e.g. Mersey Ring), and position the region competitively for national funding streams in 2027-28 which will be available via DSO ED3, potential T3 re-openers, and the NESO RESP process.

This procurement exercise is being conducted as a below threshold open tender. The tender documents comprise this ITT document and appendices and annexes. This ITT sets out the information which is required in order to assess the suitability of bidders in terms of their technical modelling approach and solutions, stakeholder engagement and relationship management, quality assurance processes, and value for money to meet the requirements of ECW for a Cheshire and Warrington Outline Energy Plan.

The successful bidder will be required to deliver services in accordance with all tender documents and the contract to be placed with the successful bidder. Tenderers are requested to study the specification in detail and ensure that the specified requirements can be met and thus your understanding of our requirements is reflected in your Pricing Schedule return.

The contract is expected to commence the week beginning  2^nd March 2026, with the exact dates to be agreed depending on the agreement between the successful provider and ECW.

ECW wish to secure efficiencies and economies of scale by means of a procurement exercise for meeting the requirements detailed within this documentation. The principle benefits anticipated by ECW in this procurement include;

• Ability to maximise opportunities for best value and efficient services
• To allow bidders to explore efficiencies, which may be possible by suggesting innovative and cost-effective solutions
• Presentation of cost savings to ECW in order to maximise economical operational efficiency and value for money
• A resultant contract that meets the tender requirements and supports ECW with their ambition

Delivery Timeframe

• March –August 2026

Budget

• Up to £75k (excluding VAT)

Outcomes

• Integrated understanding of energy system blockers and enablers to support development of Spatial Development Strategy (SDS), local investment pipeline development, and local Sector Plans.
• Increased pace of infrastructure improvements in support of local and national priorities including Clean Power 2030.
• RESP‑aligned evidence base that strengthens the case for strategic reinforcement and is suitable for early submission to NESO, DNOs and NGET ahead of formal RESP publication in 2028

Closing Date & Submission 

The closing date and time for the receipt of submissions and all requested documentation relating to this stage is 17:00 hours (12pm) on  11^th March 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Submissions will only be accepted if they are returned via email to tenders@cheshireandwarrington.com Bidders should not send their completed submissions to/copy in any other email address.

Tenderers are advised that it is compulsory to complete and return all of the following documents in the format provided as per the instructions of this ITT. All questions must be answered, where a question does not apply please state “Not applicable”.  Failure to complete the documents in full and/or provide all documentation will result in a non-compliant tender submission and will mean that your tender is not considered.

1. Form of Tender Declaration (Appendix 1)
2. Pricing Schedule (Appendix 2)
3. Supplier Technical Questions & Answer Sheet (Appendix 3)