Research on Perceptions of Greater Birmingham as an Inward Investment Location

The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) will help to create new jobs, expand existing businesses and attract new businesses and investment to the region, aligned to the ambitions set out in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Strategic Economic Plan.

Formerly Marketing Birmingham, the company was established in April 2017. It continues to operate leisure and business tourism programmes Visit and Meet Birmingham, inward investment programme Business Birmingham and its partnership programme.

The ERDF funded Investing in Greater Birmingham project aims to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and UK/EU expansions into the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) area. It will deliver a coordinated and integrated programme across the project area focused on attracting both high job creating growth industries and knowledge intensive investments, with a particular focus on SMEs and larger investors which tend to attract a supply chain of SMEs to an area.

It has been decided not to divide this contract into lots. This is because splitting into lots would necessarily involve a great deal of preparatory research and client liaison for each Lot which would generate unnecessary duplication of effort and introduce inefficiencies with regard time and cost.

This project is partially funded by the England 2014 to 2020 European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme through its ERDF Investing in Greater Birmingham Project.

This research needs to assess perceptions of Greater Birmingham as an investment location. As well as an assessment of current perceptions, we wish to:

Assess perceptions after a series of media and marketing campaigns planned for the coming months have taken place

(i) Compare perceptions of Greater Birmingham now with ten years ago to assess progress

The research should also provide intelligence to inform our thinking for future marketing and media campaigns - considering, for example:

• The level of awareness of what Greater Birmingham has to offer

• How highly the area is rated as a business location

• How it compares with a range of particular competitor destinations within the UK and globally

• The area's perceived strengths and weaknesses

• Awareness of Greater Birmingham generally and the reach and impact of our media and marketing campaigns and other activity

Please refer to the tender brief for full requirements, process and timescales. To access the full tender brief, all suppliers MUST visit the WMGC e-Procurement system to register interest and submit a tender bid.

e-Procurement https://in-tendhost.co.uk/marketingbirmingham/aspx/Home

Please note the deadline for full submission as outlined in the attached brief is no later than 12:00 noon on Monday 21st August 2017