Official UK procurement notice
3D, 2D and Lighting Exhibition Design Services for: The Ocean (working title) Temporary Exhibition at Science Museum 2028 & Science and Industry Museum 2029
Authority: Science Museum Group (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSMG wishes to award a contract for the provision of 3D, 2D and Lighting Exhibition Design Services. 3D, 2D and Lighting Exhibition Design Services for: The Ocean (working title) Temporary Exhibition at Science Museum 2028 & Science and Industry Museum 2029
CPV: Exhibition equipment · Museum-exhibition services · Specialty design services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedWhat it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Lot awarding rule: Please see the tender documents.
No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.
- Turnover usually expected at this size: about £88,988 (twice the annual value).
Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Science Museum Group buys Museum services and preservation services of historical sites and buildings (CPV 9252), and who usually turns up
Science Museum Group’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Museum services and preservation services of historical sites and buildings (CPV 9252) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means registered in Greater London (authority’s region).
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered outside Greater London.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 34 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Awards are recorded, but published direct routes and bid counts do not establish this buyer’s share.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid0% / 8%
2–367% / 25%
4–617% / 58%
7+17% / 8%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate45% / 92%
Within ±2%25% / 8%
Above estimate30% / 0%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 9252Published estimate£108k
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How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid5%
2–353%
4–622%
7+20%
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Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
Based on 9 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Middle 50%£95k–£108k
Estimate£108k
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coda to CodaEarlier contract | Sound Design Services for Horrible Science Exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchesterended Mar 2026 | — | £25k | Matched as the earlier contract |
| AIVAF LIMITEDWorked for this buyer | Future of Food Exhibition Physical Interactive Exhibitsnotice published May 2025 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| MeyvaertWorked for this buyer | Tomorrow Gallery Display Casesnotice published Oct 2026 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| D.H.A. DESIGN SERVICES LIMITEDWorked for this buyer | Exhibition Design Services for Technicians Gallery Science and Industry Museumruns to Jun 2029 | — | £190k | Similar wording and category |
| Clay Interactive LimitedWorked for this buyer | Tomorrow Gallery Digital Work Packages - Lot 3 - Instant Expert Animationsnotice published Oct 2025 | Lot 1 – JWST Motion Graphics and Animations | — | Similar wording and category |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
| Supplier | Won in this category | Live contracts | Award vs estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| £3.7m5 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago | 1 live · £262k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 3% below n=5 | |
| £1.2m3 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 1 live · £65k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | at estimate n=3 | |
| £241k6 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago | 4 live · £147k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 6% below n=3 | |
| £4.9m4 awards in 36m · last 8 months ago | 1 live · £160k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 13% above n=4 | |
| £16k1 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 1 live · £16k iPublic contracts this supplier still holds. Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book. Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity. | 13% below n=1 |
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
What this replaces i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
49% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
49% title match.
A past supplier may not bid again.
The prior contract this notice most likely re-tenders · matched by title and category (49% title match), the holder is not guaranteed to re-bid
Sound Design Services for Horrible Science Exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester — held by Coda to Coda; the published contract ends 31 Mar 2026.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Below threshold - open competition
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 19 Oct 2026, 12:16 BST
- Last source update
- 19 Oct 2026, 12:16 BST
- Authority reference
SCM4160- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-098437- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078aa8Find a Tender
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via In-tend- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 15 Nov 2026, 23:55 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 30 Oct 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
Timeline
19 Oct 2026 → 27 Nov 2026 · 4 dates- Tender notice published2 days ago19 Oct 2026, 12:16 BST
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Clarification questions byin 10 days30 Oct 2026, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadlinein 26 days15 Nov 2026, 23:55 GMT
- Contract startsin 37 days27 Nov 2026
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published19 Oct 2026, 12:16 BSTUK4
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Nothing awarded yet- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender