Finance Durham Fund - Investment Fund Management Service

DCC operates a £20m investment fund (the Finance Durham Fund) to invest in enterprises (via debt, mezzanine and equity finance) across County Durham. Though not exclusively for SMEs, investees to date have been SMEs and it is anticipated that investees will be largely be SMEs in the future. The Fund is 100% financed by DCC and is operated on a commercial basis to deliver both an economic development impact and financial return to the Authority over the longer term.

The Finance Durham fund is structured as 'Evergreen' - that is, to provide debt and equity finance on an ongoing / permanent basis through the recycling of investment and interest returns to the Fund.

The Purpose of this procurement is to procure the services of a single FCA regulated fund manager, following the completion of the contractual term, to undertake the following activity in relation to the Finance Durham Fund:

1. Investment Fund Management

2. Portfolio management

3. Provision of access to finance (A2F) business support activity .

The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at

www.nepo.org