Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 29 Jun 2026, 11:43 BST

Official UK procurement notice

RBWM Events Management Procurement - Market Engagement Webinar

Authority: Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council (Local council)

ServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableAccelerated
Planned pipeline valueValue not publishedpipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected 16 Oct 2026from the planned procurement notice
Contract term 5 yrsends 4 Jul 2032 · up to 4 Jul 2037 with extensions · starts 5 Jul 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The Authority would like to underline that this is the second preliminary market engagement notice for this requirement. We have previously invited suppliers to respond to our survey (for which we received a very healthy number of responses) but now the Authority would like to build on this engagement by way of a webinar. This will also be an opportunity would you to ask questions. Se the participation section for registration information.

See below the summary from the previous notice:

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) is seeking to engage with experienced event management suppliers in advance of a future procurement for the delivery of a diverse programme of high-profile ceremonial, civic and nationally significant events over an anticipated eight-year period.

The appointed supplier will be required to provide and maintain a strategic event management, operational planning and delivery support for a range of events and provide including, but not limited to:

  • Royal Visits
  • State Visits
  • Royal Weddings
  • Royal Funerals
  • National and Civic Ceremonies
  • Large-scale public celebrations and commemorations

These events are likely to attract significant national and international attention, substantial media interest, and large public audiences, regularly involving complex security, operational and stakeholder requirements.

Supplier Requirements

RBWM is seeking suppliers that can demonstrate a proven and successful track record in the planning (maintenance of plans), and delivery of major public events within Windsor town centre or similarly complex and sensitive environments.

Suppliers should be able to evidence experience in:

  • Delivering events in busy operational town centres while maintaining business-as-usual activities and minimising disruption to residents, businesses and visitors.
  • Working in partnership with multiple agencies and stakeholders, including but not limited to:

o Security services

o Police forces

o Emergency services

o The Royal Household

o The Crown Estate

o Central government departments

o Transport operators

o National and international media organisations

  • Managing complex stakeholder engagement and governance arrangements.
  • Planning and delivering large-scale infrastructure installations, including temporary event structures, security installations, media compounds, public viewing areas and crowd management systems.
  • Developing and implementing comprehensive event management plans, operational orders, communication strategies, contingency plans and emergency response procedures.
  • Managing extensive media operations, accreditation processes and communications activity associated with internationally significant events.

Capacity and Capability

The successful supplier must demonstrate the organisational capacity, resources and resilience to manage events of exceptional scale and complexity, including events that may attract in excess of 100,000 attendees.

Suppliers should be capable of:

  • Coordinating multi-agency operational planning and delivery.
  • Managing significant crowd safety and public protection arrangements.
  • Recruiting, deploying and managing a stewarding workforce of over 800 personnel, including associated welfare, briefing, training and supervisory requirements.
  • Providing experienced event management personnel across all phases of event delivery, from feasibility and planning through to live operations and post-event review.
  • Maintaining robust business continuity arrangements and the ability to respond to events that may arise at short notice.

Market Engagement

This notice is intended to inform the market of RBWM's future requirements and to identify suppliers with the specialist expertise, experience and capacity necessary to deliver events of national significance within the unique operating environment of Windsor.

The Authority is particularly interested in engaging with organisations that can demonstrate excellence in event delivery, stakeholder management, crowd safety, security integration, operational resilience and the successful management of high-profile events operating under intense public, media and stakeholder scrutiny.

The resulting contract cannot guarantee a level of regular events as some of the events outlined above are unplanned or "no notice" events. So, it will be expected the successful provider may for the most part be monitoring and maintaining plans for events listed above until they are activated.

CPV: Event services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1PlannedRenewal 5 yrsSME
Contract period: 5 Jul 2027 – 4 Jul 2032 (5 yrs) · up to 4 Jul 2037 with extensions
Delivery: South EastEligibility: SME eligible
Extensions: The Authority will articulate a number of options on which it intends to rely for the purposes of s.74 Procurement Act 2023 - it shall articulate these options in the tender notice. However, suppliers should expect this to be options for the authority to call-off additional services as the number of events the Authority has is vulnerable to change (i.e. increase). · The Authority envisages a minimum of one option to increase the term by five (5) years (but may include a second option for the same term).
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    These requirements will be carved out in the tender notice and participation stage documents - however, they are likely to include a credit check and a turnover check.

  • Technical & professional ability

    These requirements will be carved out in the tender notice and participation stage documents - however, they are likely to include two case studies which will be scored.

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
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    These requirements will be carved out in the tender notice and participation stage documents - however, they are likely to include a credit check and a turnover check.

  • Technical & professional ability

    These requirements will be carved out in the tender notice and participation stage documents - however, they are likely to include two case studies which will be scored.

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council buys Exhibition, fair and congress organisation services (CPV 7995), and who usually turns up

Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Exhibition, fair and congress organisation services (CPV 7995) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerWindsor and Maidenhead Borough Council · all categories
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

How often small and medium firms win.

Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 11 of 19 known-size awards · market: CPV 7995 · South East England, n=22
58%64%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Here, local means registered in South East England.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 12 of 25 known-location awards · market: CPV 7995 · South East England, n=32
48%38%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered outside South East England.

How long to a decision?
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.

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

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 9 decided notices · market: CPV 7995 · UK-wide, n=67
75 days29 days

Half of these awards were announced within 75 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 5 of 17 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 7995 · South East England, n=37
29%70%

Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i

How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

This buyer14 lots with bid counts · all categories
14% had one bid
The market5 lots with bid counts · CPV 7995 · South East England
40% had one bid
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
1 bid14% / 40%
Buyer: 2 of 14 lots with published bid counts. Market: 2 of 5 lots with published bid counts.
2–329% / 20%
Buyer: 4 of 14 lots with published bid counts. Market: 1 of 5 lots with published bid counts.
4–657% / 20%
Buyer: 8 of 14 lots with published bid counts. Market: 1 of 5 lots with published bid counts.
7+0% / 20%
Buyer: 0 of 14 lots with published bid counts. Market: 1 of 5 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i

Where winning prices landed against estimates.

Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

This buyer5 lots with estimate and award · all categories
0% below estimate
The market87 lots with estimate and award · CPV 7995 · UK-wide
29% below estimate
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate0% / 29%
Buyer: 0 of 5 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 25 of 87 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%80% / 57%
Buyer: 4 of 5 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 50 of 87 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate20% / 14%
Buyer: 1 of 5 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 12 of 87 lots with an estimate and award.
2

Assess each lot
i

What past awards tell you about each lot.

See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.

No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 799560 monthsSME suitableEstimate not published
Expected competition
i

How many bids this lot may attract.

The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 190 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet7% chance of a single bid
Past bids on 190 similar lots
1 bid7%
14 of 190 similar past lots received 1 bid (7%).
2–327%
51 of 190 similar past lots received 2–3 (27%).
4–628%
53 of 190 similar past lots received 4–6 (28%).
7+38%
72 of 190 similar past lots received 7+ (38%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 5 bids.
Commercial price forecast
i

Where the award price may land.

The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—Estimate not published
The buyer published no estimate for this lot, so there is nothing to forecast against. A price prediction here would be a number about a number we do not have.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

A past supplier may not bid again.

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Who could compete for this lot?

Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.

None is confirmed as a bidder.

Restricted route (Stage 2 ITT / Shortlist): Bidding is restricted to invited candidates who qualified at Stage 1. Uninvited suppliers cannot participate in this round.

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
  • Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
  • Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Competitive flexible procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Planned procurement
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
29 Jun 2026, 11:43 BST
Last source update
1 Sept 2026, 14:15 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 30 Mar 2027
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-082695
Accelerated
Qualifying planned procurement notice
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Event services
Delivery area
South East (UKJ)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06beec Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Requests to participate (first stage)
6 Nov 2026, 13:00 GMT
Submission deadline
6 Nov 2026, 13:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
30 Oct 2026, 13:00 GMT
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en

Timeline

29 Jun 2026 → 5 Jul 2027 · 8 dates
  1. Planning notice published115 days ago
    29 Jun 2026, 11:43 BST
  2. Latest notice published51 days ago
    1 Sept 2026, 14:15 BST
  3. Market engagement42 days ago
    9 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST

    The Authority is invited suppliers to join an online Teams-based webinar on 10/09/2026 for one hour (14:00). This will be to build on the feedback we helpfully received from the market engagement survey as well as an opportunity for suppliers to ask questions to the Authority. NB this webinar is open to all suppliers and it is not a requirement for suppliers to have responded to the survey in order to attend - however, the Authority will not be re-opening the survey.

    Please register by 09/09/2026. The link to register can be found here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1a828018-1e6a-… ↗.

  4. Tender notice expected5 days ago
    16 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
  5. Today
    22 Oct 2026
  6. Clarification questions byin 8 days
    30 Oct 2026, 13:00 GMT
  7. Submission deadlinein 15 days
    6 Nov 2026, 13:00 GMT
  8. Award decision expected byin 160 days
    30 Mar 2027, 23:59 BST
  9. Contract startsin 256 days
    5 Jul 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 29 Jun 2026
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    29 Jun 2026, 11:43 BST
    UK2
  2. Planned procurement notice published
    19 Aug 2026, 14:19 BST
    UK3
  3. Status changed to planned
    19 Aug 2026, 14:19 BST
  4. Procurement method changed
    19 Aug 2026, 14:19 BST
  5. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    1 Sept 2026, 14:15 BST
    UK2

Commercial outcome & contract awards

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

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PJQM-1124-QDHW St Ives Road, Maidenhead, South East, SL6 1RFContact email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure