Official UK procurement notice
Government Art Collection Framing Service and Materials
Authority: Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Central government)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is issuing this Tender Notice to invite competitive tenders for the provision of framing services and specialist materials on behalf of the Government Art Collection (GAC). This procurement directly supports the GAC’s ongoing preventative conservation programme and ensures a high-standard, complementary aesthetic across national art displays.
This requirement is divided into two distinct Lots:
Lot 1 – Outsourced Framing Services: The provision of end-to-end bespoke framing services, including specialist conservation framing, mounting, and structural support, as detailed in the procurement specification.
Lot 2 – Materials for In-House Framing Services: The supply and delivery of conservation-grade framing materials and supplies required for internal GAC framing operations, as detailed in the procurement specification.
This procurement is being conducted under the Open Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. Full details are set out within the Invitation to Tender (ITT) pack on Atamis.
CPV: Art supplies · Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security · Glass · Glazing work · Handicraft and art supplies · Joinery and carpentry installation work · Miscellaneous business-related services · Painting and glazing work · Photograph frames · Picture frames · Statuettes, ornaments; photograph or picture frames, and mirrors · Wood
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value (£2,850,000 together) · a supplier may bid for at most 1 and win at most 1 of them · same conditions of participation on every lot · evaluation weights differ by lotLot #1Outsourced Framing Services:RenewalPublished value£2,000,000
The provision of end-to-end bespoke framing services, including specialist conservation framing, mounting, and structural support, as detailed in the procurement specification.
- Economic & financial standing
Tenderers are requested to respond to the PSQ (Procurement Specific Questionnaire) as part of their bid, please see the document on Atamis for conditions of participation.
The requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:
Tenderers must be registered or register on the CDP.
Tenderers must be compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
Tenderers must have an annual turnover (£75,000 per FY).
Tenderers must either currently hold, or explicitly commit to obtaining prior to the formal award of contract, the following minimum levels of insurance cover:
Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance: Minimum £5,000,000.
Public Liability Insurance: Minimum £5,000,000.
Professional Indemnity Insurance: Minimum £5,000,000.
Note: Full evaluation details, scoring criteria, and access to the PSQ/ITT pack are available via the Atamis portal.
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers are requested to provide details of up to three contracts to meet conditions of participation relating to technical ability, the public or private sector (which may include samples of grant-funded work).
The examples must be from the past three years.
The named contact provided should be able to provide written evidence to confirm the accuracy of the information provided.
For consortium bids, or where tenderers have indicated that they are relying on an associated person to meet the technical ability, they should provide relevant examples of where the associated person has delivered similar requirements. If this is not possible (e.g. the consortium is newly formed or a special purpose vehicle is to be created for this contract) then three separate examples should be provided between the principal member(s) of the proposed consortium or members of the special purpose vehicle or sub-contractors (three examples are not required from each member).
If tenderers cannot provide at least one example of previous contracts, they must provide an explanation for this and how they meet the conditions of participation relating to technical ability.
Note: Full evaluation details, scoring criteria, and access to the PSQ/ITT pack are available via the Atamis portal.
Lot #2Materials for In-House Framing ServicesRenewalPublished value£850,000
The supply and delivery of conservation-grade framing materials and supplies required for internal GAC framing operations, as detailed in the procurement specification.
- Economic & financial standing
Tenderers are requested to respond to the PSQ (Procurement Specific Questionnaire) as part of their bid, please see the document on Atamis for conditions of participation.
The requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:
Tenderers must be registered or register on the CDP.
Tenderers must be compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
Tenderers must have an annual turnover (£75,000 per FY).
Tenderers must either currently hold, or explicitly commit to obtaining prior to the formal award of contract, the following minimum levels of insurance cover:
Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance: Minimum £5,000,000.
Public Liability Insurance: Minimum £5,000,000.
Professional Indemnity Insurance: Minimum £5,000,000.
Note: Full evaluation details, scoring criteria, and access to the PSQ/ITT pack are available via the Atamis portal.
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers are requested to provide details of up to three contracts to meet conditions of participation relating to technical ability, the public or private sector (which may include samples of grant-funded work).
The examples must be from the past three years.
The named contact provided should be able to provide written evidence to confirm the accuracy of the information provided.
For consortium bids, or where tenderers have indicated that they are relying on an associated person to meet the technical ability, they should provide relevant examples of where the associated person has delivered similar requirements. If this is not possible (e.g. the consortium is newly formed or a special purpose vehicle is to be created for this contract) then three separate examples should be provided between the principal member(s) of the proposed consortium or members of the special purpose vehicle or sub-contractors (three examples are not required from each member).
If tenderers cannot provide at least one example of previous contracts, they must provide an explanation for this and how they meet the conditions of participation relating to technical ability.
Note: Full evaluation details, scoring criteria, and access to the PSQ/ITT pack are available via the Atamis portal.
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).
Lots publish different evaluation splits; there is no single procedure weighting.
| Lot | Quality | Price | Social value | Environmental | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Outsourced Framing Services: | 60% | 20% | 10% | 10% | |
| 2 · Materials for In-House Framing Services | 65% | 20% | 5% | 10% |
- Economic & financial standing
Tenderers are requested to respond to the PSQ (Procurement Specific Questionnaire) as part of their bid, please see the document on Atamis for conditions of participation.
The requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:
Tenderers must be registered or register on the CDP.
Tenderers must be compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
Tenderers must have an annual turnover (£75,000 per FY).
Tenderers must either currently hold, or explicitly commit to obtaining prior to the formal award of contract, the following minimum levels of insurance cover:
Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance: Minimum £5,000,000.
Public Liability Insurance: Minimum £5,000,000.
Professional Indemnity Insurance: Minimum £5,000,000.
Note: Full evaluation details, scoring criteria, and access to the PSQ/ITT pack are available via the Atamis portal.
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers are requested to provide details of up to three contracts to meet conditions of participation relating to technical ability, the public or private sector (which may include samples of grant-funded work).
The examples must be from the past three years.
The named contact provided should be able to provide written evidence to confirm the accuracy of the information provided.
For consortium bids, or where tenderers have indicated that they are relying on an associated person to meet the technical ability, they should provide relevant examples of where the associated person has delivered similar requirements. If this is not possible (e.g. the consortium is newly formed or a special purpose vehicle is to be created for this contract) then three separate examples should be provided between the principal member(s) of the proposed consortium or members of the special purpose vehicle or sub-contractors (three examples are not required from each member).
If tenderers cannot provide at least one example of previous contracts, they must provide an explanation for this and how they meet the conditions of participation relating to technical ability.
Note: Full evaluation details, scoring criteria, and access to the PSQ/ITT pack are available via the Atamis portal.
- Price carries 20 points on every lot: a 10% discount moves about 2 points.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
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
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- 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
- 8 Jun 2026, 12:08 BST
- Last source update
- 20 Aug 2026, 14:05 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 23 Sept 2026
- Authority reference
104963- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-079481- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06afa1Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Any payments shall be made in arrears, and in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Contract.
- Risks
none
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 15 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 2 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Tenderers are required to submit bids via the Atamis e-Sourcing Portal (the Portal).
Suppliers wishing to participate will need to register on the Portal to access the tender documentation and submit a response. Suppliers who are already registered will not need to register again and can use their existing username and password. A password reminder function is available on the Portal homepage. Atamis Portal registration link: dcms.my.site.com/login ↗
Tenderers are responsible for reviewing all communications issued via the Portal and following any instructions provided during the procurement process. If technical difficulties are experienced, support will be available from the Atamis e-Sourcing Helpdesk at: [email protected].
Tenderers are encouraged to raise any questions throughout the Clarification period, rather than waiting until the deadline. The Department is committed to answering questions and providing clear instructions as quickly and early as possible, using its best endeavours.
Timeline
8 Jun 2026 → 19 Oct 2026 · 8 dates- Planning notice published136 days ago8 Jun 2026, 12:08 BST
- Market engagement119 days ago24 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
Feedback is sought on specifications and the supplier questionnaire linked below.
Interested suppliers should paste the link into their browser, and download a copy of the questionnaire. This includes the specification at annex 1. A completed questionnaire with feedback should be returned to: [email protected] by Wednesday 24th June 2026, at 12 noon referencing ‘104963 GAC Framing Services and Materials RFI’ in the subject line.
Link to supplier questionnaire:
- Next notice expected107 days ago6 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published63 days ago20 Aug 2026, 14:05 BST
- Clarification questions by50 days ago2 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline37 days ago15 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by28 days ago23 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts3 days ago19 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
6 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 8 Jun 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published8 Jun 2026, 12:08 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published20 Aug 2026, 14:05 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £2,850,00020 Aug 2026, 14:05 BSTwas £1,700,000
- Status changed to active20 Aug 2026, 14:05 BST
- Procurement method changed20 Aug 2026, 14:05 BST
- Deadline published: 15 Sept 2026, 12:00 BST20 Aug 2026, 14:05 BST
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
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender