Find a TenderAwardedContract details notice

Published 15 May 2025, 15:30 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Provision of a Christmas Pantomime at Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot

Official notice

Authority: South Oxfordshire District Council (Local council)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable

Sectors: Recreational, cultural and sporting services (92) Delivery: South East (UKJ14)

Published estimate£840,224≈ £336k / year · £1,008,268 inc. VAT

Submissions closed 10 Jun 2025awarded 14 Jul 2025

Awarded to Polka Dot Pantomimes

Contract term 2 yrs 6 moends 31 Jan 2028 · up to 31 Jan 2030 with extensions · starts 1 Aug 2025

What is being bought

Published requirement description

South Oxfordshire District Council is looking for a professional company to produce and deliver a high quality annual Christmas pantomime with wide audience appeal at it's flagship venue, Cornerstone Arts Centre.

The contract for provision will be for three years (2025-2027) with an option to extend for an additional year at a time for 2028 and 2029, subject to performance and mutual agreement

CPV: Dance and performance entertainment services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published

Lot #1AwardedRenewal 2 yrs 6 moSMEPublished value£840,224

Contract period: 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jan 2028 (2 yrs 6 mo) · up to 31 Jan 2030 with extensionsValue: £840,224 exc. VAT · £1,008,268 inc. VAT

Delivery: South EastEligibility: SME eligible

Extensions: Due to the unknown impact and outcome of the Local Government Re-organization (LGR) announced in December 2024, we are unable to commit at this time to more than a three-year contract. However, depending on the success of the pantomime and the outcome of the LGR the Council would discuss extending the contract for a further year in September 2028 and a further year in September 2029. After this time the contract, due to its value would be subject to a further procurement and tender process.

92340000 Dance and performance entertainment services

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 were scored

Quality: 50%Price: 50%

Published sub-criteria (2)

Quality: 50%
Cost: 50%

Published award criteria (2)

Quality
Cost

What this means for your bid

Price carries 50 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 5 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.

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: Awarded
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: 15 May 2025, 15:30 BST
Last source update: 7 Aug 2025, 13:27 BST
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 4 Jul 2025
Authority reference: C-000123
FTS notice number: 2025/S 000-021863
Latest notice: Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV): Dance and performance entertainment services
Delivery area: South East (UKJ14)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0514cd Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: ProContract (Due North) · Who buys & how to bid on ProContract

Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN

Access & registration note: Free · short registration with manual review; public opportunity list

Submission deadline: 10 Jun 2025, 17:00 BST
Clarification deadline: 30 May 2025, 12:00 BST
Submission channel: Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission: Allowed
Accepted languages: en

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

sebp.due-north.com ↗

Search for opportunities, select South Oxfordshire District Council under Organisations and choose this tender from the list provided.

Timeline

15 May 2025 → 7 Aug 2025 · 8 dates

Tender notice published
15 May 2025, 15:30 BST
Clarification questions by
30 May 2025, 12:00 BST
Submission deadline
10 Jun 2025, 17:00 BST
Award decision expected by
4 Jul 2025, 23:59 BST
Assessment summaries sent
14 Jul 2025, 00:00 BST
Standstill ends
24 Jul 2025, 23:59 BST
Contract starts
1 Aug 2025, 00:00 BST
Latest notice published
7 Aug 2025, 13:27 BST

Notice history

5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 15 May 2025

Tender notice published
15 May 2025, 15:30 BST
UK4
Contract award notice published
14 Jul 2025, 08:12 BST
UK6
Status changed to complete
14 Jul 2025, 08:12 BST
Contract signature expected
25 Jul 2025, 23:59 BST
scheduled
Contract details notice published
7 Aug 2025, 13:27 BST
UK7

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £232,0001 award exc. VAT

Bids received 55 from SMEs

Contracts signed 1latest 24 Jul 2025

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Polka Dot PantomimesSME1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jan 2028 · up to 31 Jan 2030Extensions: Due to the unknown impact and outcome of the Local Government re-Organisation (LGR) announced in December 2024, we are unable to commit at this time to more than a three-year contract.	£232,000	14 Jul 2025	Awarded

Contracts

Contract 1 · Polka Dot PantomimesSME
Signed
24 Jul 2025
Value
£232,000
Period
1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jan 2028 · up to 31 Jan 2030 with extensions
Status
active
Extensions
Option to extend for 2028 and then 2029 is included in this contract, subject to performance and mutual agreement
No agreed KPIs: The contract is not above £5 million

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
5final-stage tenders · 6 at stage one	5	0	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

South Oxfordshire District Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PRWZ-2743-VQTG Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, South East, OX14 3JEContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

POLKA DOT PANTOMIMES LIMITEDAwarded supplierGB-COH: 07656417GB-PPON: PRGL-2925-YBBV 1 - 4 London Road, Spalding, East Midlands, PE11 2TAContact email

Official documents & specifications (4)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Signed contract contractSigned contractPDF

Notices published for this procedure

Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender7 Aug 2025, 13:27 BST
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender14 Jul 2025, 08:12 BST
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender15 May 2025, 15:30 BST