Find a TenderAwardedContract details notice

Published 23 Jan 2026, 18:00 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Provision of Pantomime for the Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre

Official notice

Authority: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (Local council)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable

Sectors: Recreational, cultural and sporting services (92) Delivery: Delivery location not published

Published estimate£390,000≈ £390k / year · £390,000 inc. VAT

Submissions closed 23 Feb 2026awarded 27 Apr 2026

Awarded to AC Creative Events Limited

Contract term 1 yrends 29 Mar 2027 · up to 30 Mar 2029 with extensions · starts 30 Mar 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Thespecification has been developed by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough

Council in order to procure a suitably qualified and competent professionals to deliver

pantomime productions for The Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre, Armagh, for 2026 /

2027 / 2028 (subject to successful annual review). The Market Place Theatre is Armagh

City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council's flagship arts centre and annually

presents a 3-week run of a pantomime to both school and public audiences in the month

of December. The pantomime is a key part of the theatre's programme and plays to over

13,000 people each year. The venue is looking for an experienced, highly professional

partner company to produce and present its 2026, 2027 and 2028 pantomimes (2027 and

2028 productions are subject to satisfactory annual review).

CPV: Artistic and literary creation and interpretation services · Artistic services · Dance and performance entertainment services · Entertainment services · Services provided by authors, composers, sculptors, entertainers and other individual artists · Theatrical producers', singer groups', bands' and orchestras' entertainment services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published

Lot #1AwardedRenewal 1 yrPublished value£390,000

Contract period: 30 Mar 2026 – 29 Mar 2027 (1 yr) · up to 30 Mar 2029 with extensionsValue: £390,000 exc. VAT · £390,000 inc. VAT

Extensions: An annual review will be undertaken in January 2027, and, upon satisfactory performance by the Producer, the contract will be extended for a further year. Any extension may be subject to further approval by Council Committee and availability of funding. The same process will take place in 2028.

92300000 Entertainment services 92310000 Artistic and literary creation and interpretation services 92312000 Artistic services 92312100 Theatrical producers', singer groups', bands' and orchestras' entertainment services 92312200 Services provided by authors, composers, sculptors, entertainers and other individual artists 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: 60%Price: 40%

Published sub-criteria (6)

Title & Synopsis:: 20%
Production Team: 15%
Production Values: 15%
Music: 10%
Budget for 2026 Production: 20%
Total Contract Price for 2026 Production: 20%

Published award criteria (6)

Title & Synopsis:: As per tender document
Production Team: As per tender document
Production Values: As per tender document
Music: As per tender document
Budget for 2026 Production: As per tender document
Total Contract Price for 2026 Production: As per tender document

What this means for your bid

Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

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: 23 Jan 2026, 18:00 GMT
Last source update: 12 May 2026, 14:33 BST
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 16 Mar 2026
Authority reference: 6362184
FTS notice number: 2026/S 000-006390
Latest notice: Contract details notice (UK7)
Classification (CPV): Artistic and literary creation and interpretation servicesArtistic servicesDance and performance entertainment servicesEntertainment servicesServices provided by authors, composers, sculptors, entertainers and other individual artistsTheatrical producers', singer groups', bands' and orchestras' entertainment services
Delivery area: Not published
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-060dd6 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: eTendersNI · Who buys & how to bid on eTendersNI

Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN

Access & registration note: Free Northern Ireland registration

Submission deadline: 23 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline: 16 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission channel: Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission: Allowed
Accepted languages: en

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

etendersni.gov.uk ↗

Timeline

23 Jan 2026 → 12 May 2026 · 8 dates

Tender notice published275 days ago
23 Jan 2026, 18:00 GMT
Clarification questions by252 days ago
16 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
Submission deadline245 days ago
23 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
Award decision expected by223 days ago
16 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
Contract starts210 days ago
30 Mar 2026, 00:00 BST
Assessment summaries sent182 days ago
27 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
Standstill ends171 days ago
7 May 2026, 23:59 BST
Latest notice published167 days ago
12 May 2026, 14:33 BST

Notice history

5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 23 Jan 2026

Tender notice published
23 Jan 2026, 18:00 GMT
UK4
Contract award notice published
27 Apr 2026, 15:58 BST
UK6
Status changed to complete
27 Apr 2026, 15:58 BST
Contract signature expected
7 May 2026, 23:59 BST
scheduled
Contract details notice published
12 May 2026, 14:33 BST
UK7

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value (inc. VAT) £122,3131 award inc. VAT; no net value published

Bids received 32 from SMEs

Contracts signed 1latest 1 Apr 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
AC Creative Events Limited8 May 2026 – 31 Dec 2026 · up to 31 Dec 2028Extensions: An annual review will be undertaken in January 2027, and, upon satisfactory performance by the Producer, the contract will be extended for a further year. Any extension may be subject to further approval by Council Committee and availability of funding. The same process will take place in 2028.	£122,313 inc. VAT	27 Apr 2026	Awarded

Contracts

Provision of Pantomime for the Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre · AC Creative Events Limited
Signed
1 Apr 2026
Value
£122,313 inc. VAT
Period
2 Apr 2026 – 31 Dec 2026 · up to 31 Dec 2028 with extensions
Status
active
Extensions
An annual review will be undertaken in January 2027, and, upon satisfactory performance by the Producer, the contract will be extended for a further year. Any extension may be subject to further approval by Council Committee and availability of funding. The same process will take place in 2028.
No agreed KPIs: No KPIs were published for this contract as the total contract value did not exceed £5m. Contract performance will be reviewed upon completion to ensure requirements have been fulfilled.

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
3final-stage tenders	2	0	—

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central governmentNorthern Irish devolved regulations apply GB-PPON: PYMV-3527-LYNZ Craigavon Civic & Conference Centre, 66 Lakeview Road, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, BT64 1ALContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

AC Creative Events LimitedAwarded supplierGB-PPON: PJLR-2526-DVLT 288 Beersbridge Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT5 5DXContact email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender12 May 2026, 14:33 BST
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender27 Apr 2026, 15:58 BST
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender23 Jan 2026, 18:00 GMT