The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is seeking to appoint a Challenge Fund Manager to administer competitive grant funding schemes under the Blue Planet Fund (BPF) between FY22/23 to FY2029/30.

The initial contract will be offered for a period of three years with options to extend.

The potential £65m grant funding will establish a new competitive fund that will focus solely on tackling marine issues across the world in all four BPF themes and will focus on activities under the four Defra-led BPF outcomes: marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective conservation measures (OECMs); illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU); (inter)national fisheries; and marine pollution.

Climate outcomes will be indirectly delivered through the Defra-led outcomes.

It will also provide benefits towards the other three outcomes (critical marine habitats, small-scale fisheries, and sustainable aquaculture) which are led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The appointed supplier will: - Manage the administration of the grant application and award processes for the fund for the lifetime of the contract, ensuring good use of public money. - Provide support to the expert committee, the Defra competitive fund team and directly to projects. - Provide effective management and monitoring and reporting of all projects. - Provide effective support to Delivery Partners. - Evaluate projects and deliver improvements to the fund's processes based on evidence, best practice and outreach. - Liaise with the independent MEL evaluator on the evaluation of the fund, which will involve sharing of documentation, reports, making recommendations for changes based on results and knowledge of the project portfolio: - Provide ad hoc technical advice or briefing on issues arising from new or proposed developments to the grant schemes or specific one-off tasks.

This notice invites potential suppliers to a market engagement virtual event (using Teams) between 2pm - 3pm on 7 July 2022.

The event will set out the Authority's intention and seek feedback to inform the tender exercise.

We are seeking comments and questions to the proposals outlined to help us to finalise the shape of the forthcoming tender specification.

We reserve the right to amend, add to or withdraw all or any part of the requirements presented.

All answers are tentative and qualified by the exploratory nature of this market engagement supplier event.

Feedback will be collated and will be made available to all attendees and organisations that have registered an interest in this forthcoming tender opportunity along with a copy of the presentation.

Interested parties should email simon.desborough@defra.gov.uk with your name, email address, job title and the organisation you represent.

Invites will be issued from 14 June 2022 onwards.