Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 14 Sept 2026, 11:47 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Gallery 33 - Principal Contractor

Authority: Natural History Museum (Central government)

WorksBelow threshold
Published estimate £1,400,000£1,680,000 inc. VAT
Tender notice expected Date not publishedfrom the planned procurement notice
Contract term 8 mostarts 4 Jan 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

In September 2027, we will open a new, permanent gallery at South Kensington dedicated to building a positive connection to nature in our very youngest audiences - aged 4-7 years old - and their adults. This brand-new gallery will be a place where visitors delight in the dazzling variety of life on Earth, from the very small to the very tall, and discover that all life – including us! – share the same needs. We all need to breathe, eat, move, communicate and grow to survive and often depend on each other to do this. Together, we are all part of this great, big, weird and wonderful natural world. It will deliver inspiring stories that celebrate diversity and welcome in the widest possible audience of children and their adults. It will combine our world-leading collections, with hands-on and multi-sensory interactives that evoke joy, empathy and care. This project supports our Strategy and Mission to 2031 and our vision of a future where both people and the planet thrive, with a mission to create advocates for the planet. By appealing to visitors’ sense of kindness, their curiosity, and their imagination, this gallery will lay the foundations of advocacy for nature at a young age, foster a lifelong appreciation of the natural world and build a positive connection to nature in early childhood.

Read the full description (761 more characters)

Gallery 33 (working title) will replace the current Creepy Crawlies gallery on the ground floor the Grade 1 listed Waterhouse East Building and refurbishing the space for the new exhibition. It will open in September 2027 as a free, permanent gallery, and is expected to welcome millions of visitors over a 25-year lifespan. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new gallery which positions children at the heart of our Museum and inspire the next generation of children to start their lifelong journey of advocacy for the planet.

The Natural History Museum wishes to secure the services of a Principal Contractor to undertake the exhibition fit-out, including sub-contracting the services of an AV Integrator and specialist showcase manufacturer.

CPV: Construction work for art and cultural buildings · Construction work for buildings relating to exhibitions · Library, archives, museums and other cultural services · Museum construction work · Museum services · Museum-exhibition services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Lot 1Planned 8 mo
Contract period: 4 Jan 2027 — 31 Aug 2027 (8 mo)Delivery: London
45212300 Construction work for art and cultural buildings45212310 Construction work for buildings relating to exhibitions45212313 Museum construction work92500000 Library, archives, museums and other cultural services92521000 Museum services92521100 Museum-exhibition services

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Works
Notice status
Planned procurement
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
No (one-off requirement)
First published
14 Sept 2026, 11:47 BST
Last source update
14 Sept 2026, 11:47 BST
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Construction work for art and cultural buildingsConstruction work for buildings relating to exhibitionsLibrary, archives, museums and other cultural servicesMuseum construction workMuseum servicesMuseum-exhibition services
Delivery area
London (UKI)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f815

How it was run

Submission deadline

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Planning notice published8 days ago
    11 Sept 2026, 13:30 BST
  2. Latest notice published5 days ago
    14 Sept 2026, 11:47 BST
  3. Market engagementin 11 days
    30 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
    We will be going out to tender at the end of October and are keen to gauge interest and availability to respond to the tender and carry out the scope of works to programme. We invite potential bidders to complete a short survey to provide some information about their experience and capacity, and more…to provide input into some elements of the tender requirements. https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/RgDNL4DvGQ The survey closes 5pm, Wednesday 30 September.
  4. Contract startsin 107 days
    4 Jan 2027, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 11 Sept 2026
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    14 Sept 2026, 11:47 BSTUK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    11 Sept 2026, 13:30 BSTUK2

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Natural History Museum

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PJBJ-4723-MZPX Cromwell Road, London, London, SW7 5BD
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Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure