Tender: Fund Managers for South East and East of England Investment Funds (SEIF & EEIF) – £350m Regional SME Equity and Debt Programme

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Nations and Regions Investments Limited (NRIL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Business Bank, is seeking fund managers for the South East Investment Fund (SEIF) and the East of England Investment Fund (EEIF). The combined programme provides £350m in finance (£210m for SEIF and £140m for EEIF) split within each region into two sub‑funds: an Equity sub‑fund (approximately 60%) offering early‑stage and later‑stage equity investments up to £5m, and a Debt sub‑fund (approximately 40%) offering business loans between £25,000 and £2m, with a proportion of each fund held back as an Investor Reserve that may be added as an Additional Allocation. Tenderers are expected to have regional experience and a track record of funding viable SMEs, and to align with programme objectives to increase supply and diversity of early‑stage finance, run funds in a commercially sustainable way, drive inclusive and sustainable growth across the regions, maintain a demonstrable regional presence linking the finance community, and support the Bank’s commitments to net zero by 2050 and to diversity, equity and inclusion. NRIL expects to begin making investment commitments in Summer 2026; the Contract Services include an Investment Period of five years (extendable by up to two years at NRIL’s discretion) and a subsequent Realisation period that ends five years after the end of the Investment Period (also extendable by up to two years).