Exhibition displays - supply, storage, asset management and installation services

In respect of the above Leeds Trinity University seeks advice from independent experts/authorities/market participants with a view to developing any plan to conduct its procurement procedures, including:

a) developing the University's requirements and approach to the procurement.

b) designing the procurement, its procedure, conditions of participation or award criteria.

c) preparing the tender notice and associated tender documents.

d) identifying suppliers that may be able to supply the goods, services or works required.

e) identifying likely contractual terms.

f) building capacity among suppliers in relation to the contract being awarded.

Details of the University's envisaged requirements, and how this Preliminary Market Engagement can assist are provided at Appendix A.

Relevant information exchanged or resulting from this preliminary market engagement will be documented and if not of a confidential or commercially sensitive nature, may be communicated to other candidates and tenderers participating in any resultant procurement procedure. This is to ensure suppliers participating in the preliminary market engagement are not put at an unfair advantage, and competition in relation to the award of the public contract is not otherwise distorted.

For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a Tender Notice: No call for competition has been made, nor are quotations expected at this juncture.

Requests to participate in this preliminary market consultation will be received until 31st July 2025

In the first instance, please indicate your interest and address queries by e-mail to Mark Hayter, Head of Procurement at [email protected]

We hope to hear from you soon.

With kind regards

Mark Hayter

Head of Procurement

Appendix A - Requirements

Primarily, this Preliminary Market Engagement is entered into in order to identify suppliers that might be able to provide the goods and services.

At the same time evidence is required to demonstrate that

a) a future competitive tendering procedure will be advantageous to the University, and

b) there is appetite within the market to participate in a competitive tendering procedure.

In summary, the University's current arrangement includes all of the below:

• supply of configurable displays
• production of graphics panels
• storage of our assets, and inventory management
• carriage to and from site
• on-site set up and dismantling of displays

It is envisaged that in the first instance, any new supplier will be assigned the University's existing stock of displays, which are relatively new, with a view to extending the useful life of all current assets. Any consideration to renew or replace hardware must be both economically and environmentally beneficial.

We set out below a description of the events and support activities as currently serviced:

1. Open Days

• Approximately twelve (subject to variation) Open Day events are held annually, taking place simultaneously across two geographically separate venues within Leeds (Horsforth campus and Leeds city centre).
• Each event requires a unique and non-repeating configuration of up to 25 modular display units, distributed across multiple discrete locations within each venue, necessitating dual operational teams for concurrent installation and dismantling.
• Event setups are guided by bespoke floorplans, which may involve extensive intra-site equipment transport and on-the-day adjustments.
• Coordination of venue access times, internal routing, and multi-point setup under restricted timelines is required.

2. UCAS Shell Events

• Modular exhibition structures must be stored, maintained, and reconfigured for twelve individually unique events between February and June, with setup and dismantling required on consecutive days across nationwide venues.
• Each event space demands a customised technical layout, requiring precise drawings and pre-event mock assembly (pre-builds) to verify dimensional accuracy and compatibility of structural and graphic components.
• Graphic panels and modular frames differ by small margins, requiring meticulous sorting, labelling, and packing to ensure correct asset deployment, especially when multiple configurations must be preloaded for back-to-back events.
• Transport vehicle loading strategies must account for component fragility and retrieval sequencing.
• Electrical socket requirements and exact positioning must be calculated and communicated in advance to the University's estates team for every event.

3. UCAS and UKUni Campus Events

• Circa 30+ events annually across the UK using either a 2m or 4m display configuration. Requirements vary and are often subject to change at short notice.
• Cross-scheduling necessitates the ability to manage simultaneous deployment of duplicate but non-identical stands, with real-time logistical reallocation and contingency planning.
• Transportation and accurate quantity estimation for varying volumes of promotional materials and prospectuses is required for each event, often with less than 24 hours' notice.

4. Storage and Asset Management

• Supplier must provide secure, climate-appropriate storage for:

o Modular aluminium frameworks, graphic panels (Foamex), counters, lighting equipment

o Multiple palletised consignments of printed literature and promotional merchandise

• Inventory must be organised in a manner that enables rapid identification and retrieval of specific-sized components under tight scheduling conditions.
• Condition reports, maintenance scheduling, and annual inventory reconciliation must be provided.

5. Technical Drawings and Configuration Validation

• Each unique stand configuration must be modelled digitally (preferably in SketchUp or compatible format) to confirm spatial compatibility and correct frame-panel combinations.
• Supplier is expected to cross-reference layouts with supplied CAD floorplans and ensure all graphic overlaps and joins are accurately aligned in final assembly.

6. Graphic Panel Management

• Graphic panels must be precision-cut, labelled, and sorted for over 30 distinct configurations, with variations in trim and artwork alignment.
• Supplier is expected to manage annual production and pre-installation validation builds of all configurations, ensuring consistency in dimensions, structural compatibility, and graphic alignment.