Official UK procurement notice
Christmas Light Trail for Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
Authority: Hampshire County Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSir Harold Hillier Gardens (SHHG) is a nationally significant arboretum located near Romsey, Hampshire, comprising approximately 180 acres and housing one of the most comprehensive collections of hardy trees and shrubs in the UK. The Gardens are operated as a registered charitable trust, with Hampshire County Council acting as trustee and retaining responsibility for strategic oversight and governance.
Since 2021, SHHG has hosted an annual outdoor illuminated light trail with the aim of reaching a wider audience to support its charitable aims and sustained growth. The event has been successful over the past four years, with year-on-year growth in both visitor numbers and light trail ticket sales. The existing contract for delivery of the light trail expires on 15 January 2027.
Given the success of the light trail, SHHG is seeking a provider to continue delivering an annual high-quality outdoor illuminated light trail for public sale that shall be ticketed for the duration of 6 weeks, between the end of November and the beginning of January. The appointed provider will be expected to design and deliver an exciting and immersive visitor experience that showcases the Gardens during evening hours, supports continued growth in visitor numbers towards a target of 90,000 visitors, and aligns with the Gardens’ charitable aims.
The Council intends to enter into a concession contract for provision of the services for a total duration of 10 years.
The service must be delivered in a manner that respects the sensitivities of a Grade II listed landscape and ensures a safe, accessible, and inclusive visitor experience. The provider will be responsible for all aspects of event delivery, including light trail design, lighting installation, e-ticketing, marketing, and event management. Management of the event will include provision of all required staffing and logistics necessary to deliver the trail, sourcing additional car parking if required, stewarding, security, and health and safety compliance. The provider will also be expected to provide catering facilities at the outset of the contract.
A collaborative partnership approach will be required, with the successful provider working closely with SHHG to ensure the event aligns with the Gardens’ identity, charitable objectives and its position as part of Hampshire County Council.
The Council will charge the provider a fee of £125,000.00 per annum (excluding VAT) for use of the Council’s premises for performance of the Services, payable in instalments. In addition, there will be an additional Concession Fee payable against all income generating ticket sales above 75,000 visitors, calculated on the basis of the per-ticket rate proposed by the provider in its tender submission.
- No preliminary market engagement: No market engagement is required.
CPV: Event services · Fair and amusement park services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1Published value£15,000,000
- Economic & financial standing
This tender has the following Conditions of Participation. Further supplementary information on each of the requirements is contained within the tender documents.
- Corporate Social Responsibility – Suppliers are asked to confirm they meet their legal obligations and expectations of the Council regarding their approach to equalities and sustainability.
- Data Protection & ICO Registration – Suppliers are required to meet stated Data Protection standards and be registered with the Information Commissioners Office.
- Insurance – As a minimum, suppliers are required to hold, or commit to obtain prior to contract award, Public and Employer's Liability insurance. Minimum cover levels for these and any other additional insurance requirements relevant to this requirement, are detailed in the tender documents.
- Financial Standing & Business Risk – The Council uses Creditsafe and requires all suppliers to achieve a minimum Business Risk score of 30/100. For scores between 30 and 50, a Parent Company Guarantee or Performance Bond may be deemed required as appropriate. Suppliers must also be able to evidence at least 12 months of trading.
- Technical & professional ability
The tender has the following Conditions of Participation related to technical ability. Further supplementary information on each of the requirements is contained within the tender documents.
- Health & Safety - Suppliers are required to confirm that arrangements are in place to manage health and safety effectively.
- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Compliance - Suppliers must confirm compliance with the PCI DSS.
- Relevant Experience - Suppliers are asked to provide details of at least 1 contract that demonstrates their technical and professional ability to deliver the services.
- Legislative Compliance - Suppliers must confirm compliance with all relevant legislation.
What 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).
Published sub-criteria (9)
- Quality criterion 1 (Lot 0): 20%
- Quality criterion 2 (Lot 0): 10%
- Quality criterion 3 (Lot 0): 10%
- Quality criterion 4 (Lot 0): 6%
- Quality criterion 5 (Lot 0): 6%
- Quality criterion 6 (Lot 0): 6%
- Quality criterion 7 (Lot 0): 6%
- Quality criterion 8 (Lot 0): 6%
- Price criterion 1 (Lot 0): 30%
Published award criteria (9)
- Quality criterion 1 (Lot 0): Question 2 - Illuminated Trail Concept
- Quality criterion 2 (Lot 0): Question 3 - Design & Brand Identity
- Quality criterion 3 (Lot 0): Question 4 - Trail Refresh & Creativity
- Quality criterion 4 (Lot 0): Question 5 - Managing Adverse Weather Conditions
- Quality criterion 5 (Lot 0): Question 6 - Customer Satisfaction
- Quality criterion 6 (Lot 0): Question 7 - Customer Experience & Booking System
- Quality criterion 7 (Lot 0): Question 8 - Stakeholder Management & Effective Communication
- Quality criterion 8 (Lot 0): Question 9 - Impact on Local Residents & Social Value
- Price criterion 1 (Lot 0): Total Marks for Submitted Concession Fee
- Economic & financial standing
This tender has the following Conditions of Participation. Further supplementary information on each of the requirements is contained within the tender documents.
- Corporate Social Responsibility – Suppliers are asked to confirm they meet their legal obligations and expectations of the Council regarding their approach to equalities and sustainability.
- Data Protection & ICO Registration – Suppliers are required to meet stated Data Protection standards and be registered with the Information Commissioners Office.
- Insurance – As a minimum, suppliers are required to hold, or commit to obtain prior to contract award, Public and Employer's Liability insurance. Minimum cover levels for these and any other additional insurance requirements relevant to this requirement, are detailed in the tender documents.
- Financial Standing & Business Risk – The Council uses Creditsafe and requires all suppliers to achieve a minimum Business Risk score of 30/100. For scores between 30 and 50, a Parent Company Guarantee or Performance Bond may be deemed required as appropriate. Suppliers must also be able to evidence at least 12 months of trading.
- Technical & professional ability
The tender has the following Conditions of Participation related to technical ability. Further supplementary information on each of the requirements is contained within the tender documents.
- Health & Safety - Suppliers are required to confirm that arrangements are in place to manage health and safety effectively.
- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Compliance - Suppliers must confirm compliance with the PCI DSS.
- Relevant Experience - Suppliers are asked to provide details of at least 1 contract that demonstrates their technical and professional ability to deliver the services.
- Legislative Compliance - Suppliers must confirm compliance with all relevant legislation.
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid
How Hampshire County Council buys Exhibition, fair and congress organisation services (CPV 7995), and who usually turns up
Hampshire County Council’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: Exhibition, fair and congress organisation services (CPV 7995) →
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 South East England.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in South East England.
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 17 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.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
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 bid13% / 40%
2–327% / 20%
4–623% / 20%
7+37% / 20%
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 estimate31% / 29%
Within ±2%69% / 57%
Above estimate0% / 14%
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 7995Published estimate£15m
i
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 bid16%
2–349%
4–629%
7+7%
i
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 5 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%£15m
Estimate£15m
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newsquest Media Group LtdWorked for this buyer | Framework for Provision of Public Notice Advertising Services 2023-2027notice published Nov 2022 | — | — | Similar wording and category |
| Jade Security Services LtdWorked for this buyer | Cash Collection Services 2026-2030notice published Jun 2026 | — | — | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £450k2 awards in 36m · last 15 months ago | 2 live · £450k 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. | no comparable pairs | |
Tetra TechLarge | £3.1m24 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | 8 live · £3.5m 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. | 23% above n=3 |
| £53k6 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago | 5 live · £1.9m 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=1 | |
Buzzacott LLPLarge | £2.6m4 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago | None on file | at estimate n=3 |
| £90k6 awards in 36m · last 11 months ago | 1 live 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. | 44% below n=3 |
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.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Open for tender
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Concession
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 5 Aug 2026, 11:28 BST
- Last source update
- 30 Sept 2026, 15:38 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 4 Jan 2027
- Authority reference
UN29310- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-092509- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06dc24Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
This concession contract requires the Supplier to pay the Authority an annual fee for use of the Council's premises and a Concession Fee in accordance with Schedule 2 of Annex 3 (Contract Terms and Conditions). The Supplier shall pay the Council any sums due no later than a period of 30 days from the date on which the Supplier has received a valid and undisputed invoice in accordance with Annex 3.
- Risks
Local Government Reorganisation
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is part of central Government plans to replace the current two-tier system of county councils and district/borough councils with unitary (all-purpose) councils across the country. The Government has confirmed that the current Hampshire and the Solent area Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) decision has been withdrawn – which would have seen four new unitary councils created on the Hampshire mainland in 2028.
As a result of this latest Government announcement, Hampshire County Council has paused activity relating to the current LGR programme while the Government reviews its plans and provides further clarity on next steps. However, it is possible that during the life of this contract, the LGR process may resume and may impact this contract, however the progression, scope and timing of this is currently subject to central Government review.
Should the LGR process progress during the life of this contract, impacts may include, but are not limited to, contract changes such as a change to the legal name/entity of the Authority you currently contract with, increases and/or decreases in the value/volume of goods/services/works required due to the change in size/scope of the Contracting Authority, changes to the scope of the nature of goods/services/works required, or the requirement may no longer be needed and will terminate. Although any contract scope changes should broadly relate to the nature of the existing scope, new goods/services/works of a related nature may be required that were not previously included.
The scale, scope and timing of any changes to your contract which may arise will be communicated to you when appropriate to support the smooth transition and continuity of services.
For more information, please go to www.hants.gov.uk/lgr ↗
How to participate & submission route
Official notice Submit via In-tend- Requests to participate (first stage)
- —
- Tender submission deadline
- 30 Oct 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 19 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
5 Aug 2026 → 16 Jan 2027 · 7 dates- Planning notice published78 days ago5 Aug 2026, 11:28 BST
- Next notice expected34 days ago17 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published22 days ago30 Sept 2026, 15:38 BST
- Clarification questions by3 days ago19 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Submission deadlinein 8 days30 Oct 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 75 days4 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 86 days16 Jan 2027
Notice history
5 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 5 Aug 2026- Pipeline notice published5 Aug 2026, 11:28 BSTUK1
- Tender notice published30 Sept 2026, 15:38 BSTUK4
- Status changed to active30 Sept 2026, 15:38 BST
- Procurement method changed30 Sept 2026, 15:38 BST
- Deadline published: 30 Oct 2026, 14:00 GMT30 Sept 2026, 15:38 BST
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 (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender