FCDO pipeline has £948.4M in opportunities for bidders

Earlier this month, the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office published its commercial pipeline — a list which provides early intelligence on future procurements. It included 49 opportunities worth £948.4 million ($1.25 billion) to be procured in the next three years. This is the highest number of forecasted contracts ever since the agency started its publication in December 2020. Unlike the previous report, which largely consisted of procurement unrelated to development such as logistics and transportation services, most of the December pipeline focuses on development. Of the 49 opportunities in the program, 42 were tagged as “World Programmes,” a generic term the office uses for development and humanitarian work. These contracts are worth £838.8 million, which includes £66.3 million of funding provided through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund — the U.K.'s fund meant to address fragility and conflict worldwide. The amount is still likely to increase as FCDO releases more information. Just last Thursday, the estimated value of the CSSF Framework Agreement was updated to a range of £500 million to £1.2 billion. Of the 42 World Programmes contracts, 36 opportunities worth £775.3 million were described as aid. Another four were described as international relations, and two as diplomatic services. The seven non-World Programme contracts related to security, technology, and language services were worth a combined total of £109.5 million. Where will the money go? Of the development contracts, the countries with the most opportunities were: Nigeria Six contracts worth £244.45 million, of which the largest is £95 million for the improvement of resilience in rural areas, and the next largest is £50 million to strengthen democratic processes. Somalia Three contracts worth £142 million, of which the largest is £120 million to strengthen local government and reduce conflict. Nepal Three contracts worth £104.5 million, including two for business in Nepal worth £39.5 million and £30 million, respectively. Lebanon Three international relations contracts worth £45.5 million, including £22.5 million to manage the country’s internal security, £20 million to support external security through military training, and £3 million to address extremism. Non-development opportunities include £99.1 million for IT services and equipment for the Knowledge and Technology Department, and £6.5 million for security services to high commission offices in South Africa and India. Another £3.9 million is allocated for English language learning under the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate, although the opportunity is currently on hold. Janadale Leene Coralde contributed to this article. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free 5-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850+ sources in addition to our analysis and news content.