Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 2 Oct 2026, 10:07 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Interpretation Producer for Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens Redevelopment

Authority: Sunderland City Council (Local council)

ServicesBelow threshold - open competitionBelow thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Published estimate£40,000≈ £37k / year · £48,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 23 Oct 202612:00 BST · 21d 1h left
Clarification cut-off 19 Oct 202623:59 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 1 yr 1 mostarts 1 Dec 2026
Bids per lot · this authority 4all categories · n=27 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Provision of Interpretation Producer for Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens Redevelopment

CPV: Museum services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1 1 yr 1 moSMEVCSEPublished value£40,000
Contract period: 1 Dec 2026 — 31 Dec 2027 (1 yr 1 mo)Eligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligibleDelivery: North EastTurnover guideline: ~£73,737/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£40,000 exc. VAT · £48,000 inc. VAT
92521000 Museum services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids are scored

Price 20% Weighting Quality 80% Weighting Full details in ITT documents

No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Sunderland City Council buys Museum services and preservation services of historical sites and buildings (CPV 9252) — and who usually turns up

Sunderland City Council’s own published record, next to the North East England 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) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

Sunderland City Council

contract notices in 36 months: 1 in CPV 9252 · 1 in division 92 · 94 in all categories (28 without competition · 16 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 27 lots. 9 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 5) and 18 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4all categories · 36m · n=27 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 27 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

7%all categories · 36m · n=27 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 13 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

1% belowall categories · 36m · n=13 pairs
Deadline → award date
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.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 8 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

42dall categories · 36m · n=8 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 212 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=212 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 78 notices.

Last 36 months.

36%all categories · 36m · n=78 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=27
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 27 lots on 26 contested notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 7%
  • 2–3 26%
  • 4–6 44%
  • 7+ 22%

Middle value 4 · 27 lots on 26 contested notices · all categories.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=13
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 13 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 46%
  • Within ±2% 31%
  • Above estimate 23%

13 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · delivery region

North East England · Museum services and preservation services of historical sites and buildings (CPV 9252)

contract notices delivered in North East England in 36 months: 7 in CPV 9252 (7 competed) · 95 in division 92 (84 competed, 7 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 92), last 36 months: 22 lots. 13 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 6) and 9 from older notices (bids received, middle 3).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4.5division 92 · 36m · n=22 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 92), last 36 months: 22 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

0%division 92 · 36m · n=22 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 92), last 36 months: 13 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimatedivision 92 · 36m · n=13 pairs
Deadline → award date
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.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 92), last 36 months: 12 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

36ddivision 92 · 36m · n=12 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 92), last 36 months: 18 lots.

Last 36 months.

50%division 92 · 36m · n=18 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 92), last 36 months: 77 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

86%division 92 · 36m · n=77 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=22
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 22 lots on 19 contested notices · division 92, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 0%
  • 2–3 41%
  • 4–6 23%
  • 7+ 36%

Middle value 4.5 · 22 lots on 19 contested notices · division 92.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=13
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 13 lot pairs · division 92, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 38%
  • Within ±2% 54%
  • Above estimate 8%

13 lot pairs · division 92.

robust · n=13
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on this buyer’s own usual movement over 13 lots (all categories), applied to the £40,000 estimate on this notice.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

The middle award in Sunderland City Council (all categories, n=13 pairs) lands 1% below: on this notice’s £40,000 that is about £39,480. Context for a bid, not a recommended price.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

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
No (one-off requirement)
First published
2 Oct 2026, 10:07 BST
Last source update
2 Oct 2026, 10:07 BST
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Museum services
Delivery area
North East (UKC23)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077f50 Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Tender submission deadline
23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
19 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
Electronic submission
Allowed
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Full details of this opportunity can be found www.open-uk.org ↗ Reference Number OPEN20262126
Published estimate £40,000 excludes VAT (£48,000 including VAT).

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedjust passed
    2 Oct 2026, 10:07 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 18 days
    19 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
  3. Submission deadlinein 21 days
    23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  4. Contract startsin 60 days
    1 Dec 2026, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    2 Oct 2026, 10:07 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Sunderland City Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PLVZ-4154-GGRZ City Hall, Plater Way,, Sunderland, North East, SR1 3AA

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender