BRCD Contracts for Innovation Challenge 1

Tender 65/2026, titled Predicting Demand. Managing Tomorrows Visitors, Today, is a competitive flexible procurement led by Newry Mourne and Down District Council. The project aims to transition local authority visitor management from a reactive, fragmented approach to an evidence-led, predictive model. Using Castlewellan Forest Park as a real-world test environment, the initiative seeks to anticipate visitor demand and movement to proactively mitigate impacts on infrastructure, parking, waste services, and biodiversity. The procurement is structured as a multi-stage Contracts for Innovation challenge with an estimated performance period from January 3, 2028, to January 2, 2032. The procurement follows a phased funding structure with a total R&D budget of 640,000 GBP for the initial stages. In Stage 2, up to five suppliers may receive up to 50,000 GBP each to develop a proof of concept. Stage 3 allows up to three suppliers to receive up to 130,000 GBP each for further solution refinement. Successful Stage 3 suppliers may then be appointed to a call-off framework for six partner councils, with an estimated total maximum contract value of 2,000,000 GBP including VAT. Awards are based on the Most Advantageous Tender criteria, with Stage 1 evaluations weighted on quality. All submissions must be completed via the Simply Do platform by the deadline of December 11, 2026, at 4:00pm.